• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.327-347
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• 2009

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of mathematical communication-centered teaching using peer feedbacks on students' mathematics achievement and mathematical dispositions toward mathematics, and then this study examined the characteristics of feedbacks used by students. To do this study, two sixth grade classes selected from an elementary school in Seoul participated in the current study; one class for a treatment group applying mathematical communication-centered teaching using peer feedback, and the other for a comparison group applying traditional teaching using teacher-centered communication. The results of this study showed the fact that a treatment group of mathematical communication-centered teaching applying peer feedback scored statistically higher than a comparison group applying teacher-centered communication with respect to both students' mathematical achievement and disposition. Especially, this communication-centered teaching program focused on peer feedback was more effective to middle or lower level students than higher level students. In addition, mathematical communication-centered teaching applying peer feedbacks helps students reflect their own thinking process about problem solving, and students experienced the improvement of their confidence about mathematics from opportunities to provide peers with feedbacks. Finally, the present study suggests the important role of communication in mathematics learning, particularly student-to-student feedbacks rather than teacher-to-students feedbacks. That is to say, students need to have many opportunities to represent their own mathematical thinking processes using mathematical language.

• School Mathematics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.617-636
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• 1999

This study was executed with the intention of guiding ‘open education’ toward a desirable school innovation. The basic two directions of curriculum reconstruction essential for implementing ‘open education’ are one toward intra-subject (within a subject) and inter-subject (among subjects). This study showed an example of intra-subject curriculum reconstruction with a problem solving area included in elementary mathematics curriculum. In the curriculum, diverse strategies to enhance ability to solve problems are included at each grade level. In every elementary math textbook, those strategies are suggested in two chapters called ‘diverse problem solving’, in which problems only dealing with several strategies are introduced. Through this method, students begin to learn problem solving strategies not as something related to mathematical knowledge or contents but only as a skill or method for solving problems. Therefore, problems of ‘diverse problem solving’ chapter should not be dealt with separatedly but while students are learning the mathematical contents connected to those problems. Namely, students must have a chance to solve those problems while learning the contents related to the problem content(subject). By this reasoning, in the name of curriculum reconstruction toward intra-subject, this study showed such case with two ‘diverse problem solving’ chapters of the 4th grade second semester's math textbook.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.137-160
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• 2007

Within the field of mathematics education there is an active movement which attempts to apply more beneficial learning activities, like mathematical writing activities, for the students. In this context, the current study attempts to identify elementary school students' cognitive and affective aspects as they participate in a novel writing activity, the 'mathematical fairy tale.' Some positive outcomes from the mathematical fairy tale writing activities were as follows: First, from these mathematical writing activities, students began to reconstruct and adapt the mathematical contents they've learned through their reflective thinking. Second, while the mathematical fairy tale writing activities were going on, the communication of mathematics was greatly animated between the students, and they could get the restudying chance about they've learned. Third, from these mathematical writing activities, many of students became discover the practical using case of the mathematical contents they've learned and they perceived the necessity of the mathematics learning. Forth, from these mathematical writing activities, most of students felt the delights of the mathematics learning and the achievement, so they indicated that their attitude for the mathematics course was changed positively. Lastly, students began to concentrate on their mathematics learning through participation in mathematical fairy tale writing activities of their own accord.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.545-561
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to analysis how the elements of character are reflected in the 3rd and 4th grade elementary mathematics textbooks based on the 2009 revised curriculum. This study focused on the elements of character in the 3rd and 4th grade mathematics textbooks. The researchers analyzed the elements of character in the students' mathematics textbooks and teacher's guide books. In particular, they analyzed how those elements of character are reflected in those books. Findings of this study are as follows. First of all, the elements of character were founded in the most of units on the 3rd and 4th grade mathematics textbooks, but they were biased to the specific elements of character. Second, the resources using related with character vary in the textbooks. As methods of character education, connections of elements of character with mathematical concepts, broader view of the world, or problem solving are appeared. From the results of the research, we suggest the followings. We need to set the teacher's roles in character education. Mathematics textbooks should include various elements of character for effective character education. In addition to development of quality materials for character education in mathematics education, teacher education programs should include character education in mathematics education.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.407-419
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• 2013

In current knowledge-based society, development and growth of IT-related industry is essential for a nation's competitiveness since it's economic power depends on IT industry in many countries. A success of IT industry depends on a few IT geniuses like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Thus, it is necessary to identify and foster gifted children in IT as early as possible. The purpose of this paper is to identify the correlation of academic performance per subject for the gifted children in IT. The analysis is focused on three subjects, that is, Information, Science, and Mathematics, respectively. For this purpose, the gifted children are selected and analyzed in a gifted science education center attached in a university at Seoul Metropolitan Area. The analysis results show that there is meaningful correlation among three subjects. That is, if high scores in a subject means high scores in other subjects. For instance, a gifted child with high scores in Information got high scores in Science and Mathematics. The result will be useful to improve selection examinations and curriculum for gifted education in IT, for inclusive education and convergent education.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.445-458
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• 2012

Current textbooks may provide students and teachers with three improper notions related to the quotient and the remainder in division for decimal numbers as in the following. First, only the calculated results in (natural numbers)${\div}$(natural numbers) is the quotient. Second, when the quotient and the remainder are obtained in division for decimal numbers, the quotient is natural number and the remainder is unique. Third, only when the quotient cannot be divided exactly, the quotient can be rounded off. These can affect students and teachers on their notions of division for decimal numbers, so improvements are needed for to break it. For these improvements, the following measures are required. First, in the curriculum guidebook, the meaning of the quotient and the remainder in division for decimal numbers should be presented clearly, for preventing the possibility of the construction of such improper notions. Second, examples, problems, and the like should be presented in the textbooks enough to break such improper notions. Third, the didactical intention should be presented clearly with respect to the quotient and the remainder in division for decimal numbers in teacher's manual.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.367-385
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• 2004

This study intends to compare the way of introducing fractions in elementary mathematics textbooks of south and those of north Korea. After thorough investigations of the seven differences were identified. First, the mathematics textbooks of south Korea use concrete materials like apples when they introduce equal partition context, while those of north Korea do not use that kind of concrete materials. Second, in the textbooks of south Korea, equal partition of discrete quantities are considered after continuous ones are introduced. This is different from the approach of the north Korean text-books in which both quantities are regarded at the same time. Third, the quantitative fraction which refers to the rational number with unit of measure at the end of it, is hardly used in the textbooks of south. However, the textbooks of north Korea use it as the main representations of fractions. Fourth, in the textbooks of south Korea, vanous activities related to fractions are more emphasized, while in the textbooks of north Korea, various meanings of fractions textbooks from south and north Korea focused on the ways of introducing partition approach and equivalence relation as operational schemes of fractions, the following play an important role before defining fraction. Fifth, the textbooks of south Korea introduce equivalent fractions with number one using number bar, and do not consider the reason why that sort of fractions are regarded. On the contrary, the textbooks of north Korea introduce structural equivalence relation by using various contexts including length measure and volume measure situations. Sixth, whereas real-life contexts are provided for introducing equivalent fractions in the textbooks of south Korea, visual explanations and mathematical representations play an important role in the textbooks of north Korea. Seventh, the means of finding equivalent fractions are provided directly in the textbooks of south Korea, whereas the nature of equivalent fractions and the methods of making equivalent fractions are considered in the textbooks of north Korea.

• School Mathematics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.47-63
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• 2015

In this study, we will develope and apply the education program for mathematical creativity, with the open-ended problems about development figure. The purpose of this study is to categorize the elements of the mathematical creativity in consideration of the real class, and is to design a education program that reflects this. To do this, from 2006 through 2014, by targeting 205 gifted students in the sixth grade until eighth grade of Busan, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk were carried out in class. Also in this study, we will examine the process and the results of its application. As a result, students' outcomes and behavioral reactions brought about a qualitative development of the program, and students became aware of the participants in the development of the program. These results suggest the aim of developing a education program for mathematical creativity, as well as the effectiveness of this education program.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.221-242
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• 2006

For teaching division more effectively, it is necessary to know students' informal knowledge before they learned formal knowledge about division. The purpose of this study is to research students' informal knowledge of division and to analyze meaningful suggestions to link formal knowledge of division in elementary school mathematics. According to this purpose, two research questions were set up as follows: (1) What is the students' informal knowledge before they learned formal knowledge about division in elementary school mathematics? (2) What is the difference of thinking strategies between students who have learned formal knowledge and students who have not learned formal knowledge? The conclusions are as follows: First, informal knowledge of division of natural numbers used by grade 1 and 2 varies from using concrete materials to formal operations. Second, students learning formal knowledge do not use so various strategies because of limited problem solving methods by formal knowledge. Third, acquisition of algorithm is not a prior condition for solving problems. Fourth, it is necessary that formal knowledge is connected to informal knowledge when teaching mathematics. Fifth, it is necessary to teach not only algorithms but also various strategies in the area of number and operation.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.361-383
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• 2011

This study is on teaching about the areas of plane figures through open instruction, which aims to discover the pedagogical meanings and implications in the application of open methods to math classes by running the Math A & B classes regarding the areas of parallelogram, triangle, trapezoid and rhombus for fifth graders of elementary school through open instruction method and analyzing the educational process. This study led to the following results. First, it is most important to choose proper open-end questions for classes on open instruction methods. Teachers should focus on the roles of educational assistants and mediators in the communication among students. Second, teachers need to make lists of anticipated responses from students to lead them to discuss and focus on more valuable methods. Third, it is efficient to provide more individual tutoring sessions for the students of low educational level as the classes on open instruction methods are carried on. Fourth, students sometimes figured out more advanced solutions by justifying their solutions with explanations through discussions in the group sessions and regular classes. Fifth, most of students were found out to be much interested in the process of thinking and figuring out solutions through presentations and questions in classes and find it difficult to describe their thoughts.