• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.337-351
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• 2010

Blackout game on a certain size of the Go table, which looks simple, involves a variety of mathematical modeling. This study uses a research and education method. While the mathematically gifted students were playing blackout game, the author, as the instructor, observed the ways in which they approached various mathematical models. Based on the data, this study examines the effects of blackout game on the children's cognitive processes. This study further discusses the issues of questions.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.9 no.1 s.17
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• pp.43-58
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• 2005

The objective of the present study was designed to examine that metacognition education had any promoting effects on the development of students' reasoning ability. Two classes in the 5th grade were asked to participated for the present study. Prior to the metacognition teaching, both the experimental and control group classes were given to the preliminary test in which students' basic ability for mathematical reasoning was graded. Then, the students in the experimental group were given 8hour teaching for the topics on the symmetric properties of geometric figures. The present findings indicate that educational application which motivates metacognition can improve mathematical reasoning ability in elementary students. It is widely accepted that metacognition is an active and conscious mental activity, helps the students perceive voluntarily the study items, and further plays an important role in constructing independent and active thinking processes. Accordingly, the present results implicate that the practical performance of metacognition education into the class indeed contributes to build up or strengthen students' voluntary ways of reasoning.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-35
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• 2001

Many teachers report familiarity with and adherence to reform ideas, but their actual teaching practices do not reflect a deep understanding of reform. Given the challenges in implementing reform, this study intended to explore the breakdown that may occur between teachers' adoption of reform objectives and their successful incorporation of reform ideals. To this end, this study compared and contrasted the classroom social norms and sociomathematical norms of two United States second-grade teachers who aspired to implement reform. This study is an exploratory, qualitative, comparative case study. This study uses the grounded theory methodology based on the constant comparative analysis for which the primary data sources were classroom video recordings and transcripts. The two classrooms established similar social norms including an open and permissive learning environment, stressing group cooperation, employing enjoyable activity formats for students, and orchestrating individual or small group session followed by whole group discussion. Despite these similar social participation structures, the two classes were remarkably different in terms of sociomathematical norms. In one class, the students were involved in mathematical processes by which being accurate or automatic was evaluated as a more important contribution to the classroom community than being insightful or creative. In the other class, the students were continually engaged in significant mathematical processes by which they could develop an appreciation of characteristically mathematical ways of thinking, communi-eating, arguing, proving, and valuing. It was apparent from this study that sociomathematical norms are an important construct reflecting the quality of students' mathematical engagement and anticipating their conceptual learning opportunities. A re-theorization of sociomathematical norms was offered so as to highlight the importance of this construct in the analysis of reform-oriented classrooms.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.483-501
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• 2013

The present study is to focus on thinking about the possibility of using mathematical modeling in the elementary schools. As well-known, mathematical education in Korea, even though students' high achievement in mathematics, has a lot of problems regarding their attitudes toward mathematics. Mathematical modeling is regarded as playing an important role in helping improve the current problems embedded in elementary mathematics education. Thus, this study reviewed the background that mathematical modeling attracted lots of attentions by many mathematics researchers, the definitions of mathematical modeling and the similarities and differences between problem solving and mathematical modeling. In addition, the processes and main features of well-known three representative models of mathematical modeling were reviewed, and each case of research on mathematical modeling in the elementary schools in Korea and foreign countries was introduced, respectively. Finally, this study suggests that mathematical modeling needs to be dealt with in the elementary school curriculum, together with the improvement of teachers' recognition for mathematical modeling.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.253-266
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• 2017

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of Elementary school teachers on mathematics instruction. To do this, 7 test items were developed to obtain data on teacher's perception of mathematics instruction and 73 teachers who take mathematical lesson analysis lectures were selected and conducted a survey. Since the data obtained are all qualitative data, they were analyzed through coding and similar responses were grouped into the same category. As a result of the survey, several facts were found as follow; First, When teachers thought about 'mathematics', the first words that come to mind were 'calculation', 'difficult', and 'logic'. It is necessary for the teacher to have positive thoughts on mathematics and mathematics learning, and this needs to be stressed enough in teacher education and teacher retraining. Second, the reason why mathematics is an important subject is 'because it is related to the real life', followed by 'because it gives rise to logical thinking ability' and 'because it gives rise to mathematical thinking ability'. These ideas are related to the cultivating mind value and the practical value of mathematics. In order for students to understand the various values of mathematics, teachers must understand the various values of mathematics. Third, the responses for reasons why elementary school students hate mathematics and are hard are because teachers demand 'thinking', 'because they repeat simple calculations', 'children hate complicated things', 'bother', 'Because mathematics itself is difficult', 'the level of curriculum and textbooks is high', and 'the amount of time and activity is too much'. These problems are likely to be improved by the implementation of revised 2015 national curriculum that emphasize core competence and process-based evaluation including mathematical processes. Fourth, the most common reason for failing elementary school mathematics instruction was 'because the process was difficult' and 'because of the results-based evaluation'. In addition, 'Results-oriented evaluation,' 'iterative calculation,' 'infused education,' 'failure to consider the level difference,' 'lack of conceptual and principle-centered education' were mentioned as a failure factor. Most of these factors can be changed by improving and changing teachers' teaching practice. Fifth, the responses for what does a desirable mathematics instruction look like are 'classroom related to real life', 'easy and fun mathematics lessons', 'class emphasizing understanding of principle', etc. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply deal with the related contents in the training courses for the improvement of the teachers' teaching practice, and it is necessary to support not only the one-time training but also the continuous professional development of teachers.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.377-394
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the characteristics of a teacher's discursive competence on the basis of mathematical competencies. For this purpose, we observed all semester-long classes of a middle school teacher, who changed her own teaching methods for the last 20 years, collected video clips on them, and analyzed classroom discourse. Data analysis shows that in problem solving competency, she helped students focus on mathematically important components for problem understanding, and in reasoning competency, there was a discursive competence which articulated thinking processes for understanding the needs of mathematical justification. And in creativity and confluence competency, there was a discursive competence which developed class discussions by sharing peers' problem solving methods and encouraging students to apply alternative problem solving methods, whereas in communication competency, there was a discursive competency which explored mathematical relationships through the need for multiple mathematical representations and discussions about their differences. These results can provide concrete directions to developing curricula for future teacher education by suggesting ideas about how to combine practices with PCK needed for mathematics teaching.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.303-322
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• 2007

This study is to investigate student's processes of problem solving using open-ended Geometric problems to understand student's thinking and behavior. One 8th grader participated in performing her learning in 5 lessons for June in 2006. The result of the study was documented according to Polya's four problem solving stages as follows: First, the student tended to neglect the stage of "understanding" a problem in the beginning. However, the student was observed to make it simplify and relate to what she had teamed previously Second, "devising a plan" was not simply done. She attempted to solve the open-ended problems with more various ways and became to have the metacognitive knowledge, leading her to think back and correct her errors of solving a problem. Third, in process of "carrying out" the plan she controled her solving a problem to become a better solver based on failure of solving a problem. Fourth, she recognized the necessity of "looking back" stage through the open ended problems which led her to apply and generalize mathematical problems to the real life. In conclusion, it was found that the student enjoyed her solving with enthusiasm, building mathematical belief systems with challenging spirit and developing mathematical power.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.957-973
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• 2013

This study analyzed Secondary Mathematically Gifted' mathematical thinking processes demonstrated from the activities. They configured regular triangle tessellations in the Non-Euclidean hyperbolic disk model. The students constructed the figure and transformation to construct the tessellation in the poincare disk. gsp file which is the dynamic geometric environmen, The students were to explore the characteristics of the hyperbolic segments, construct an equilateral triangle and inversion. In this process, a variety of strategic thinking process appeared and they recognized to the Non-Euclidean geometric system.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.163-183
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to provide useful information for teachers by analyzing mathematical communication emphasized through 'exploratory activity' and 'story corner' in elementary textbooks based on the revised curriculum. Two classrooms from the first grade and second grade respectively were observed and videotaped. Mathematical communication of each classroom was analyzed in terms of questioning, explaining, and the sources of mathematical ideas. The results showed that only one classroom focused on students' thinking processes and explored their ideas, whereas the other classrooms focused mainly on finding answer. Particularly, this tendency often appeared when implementing 'story corner' than 'exploratory activity'. The reason for this was inferred that teachers were not familiar with teaching mathematics in stories and that teachers' manual did not include concrete questions and students' expected responses. This paper included implications on how to promote mathematical communication specifically in lower grades in elementary school.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to uncover weaknesses in the constructivism in mathematics education and to search for ways to complement these deficiencies. We contemplate the relationship between the capability of construction and the performance of it, with the view of the 'Twofold-Structure of Mind.' From this, it is claimed that the construction of mathematical knowledge should be to experience and reveal the upper layer of Mind, the Reality. Based on the examination on the conflict and relation between the structuralism and the constructivism, with reference to the 'theory of principle' and the 'theory of material force' in Neo-Confucianist theory, it is asserted that the construction of mathematical knowledge must be the construction of the structure of mathematical knowledge. To comprehend the processes involved in the construction of the structure of mathematical knowledge, the epistemology of Michael Polanyi is studied. And also, the theory of mathematization, the historico-genetic principle, and the theory on the levels of mathematical thinking are reinterpreted. Finally, on the basis of the theory of twofold-structure, the roles and attitudes of teachers and students are discussed.