• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.143-157
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• 2003

This paper is to make strides toward an enriched understanding of mathematics teacher learning and professional development. Different theoretical frameworks in understanding mathematics teacher learning are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the relationships of knowledge and teaching practice. This paper then analyses contemporary conceptions about effective professional development and, in particular, deals with teacher learning in inquiry communities. This paper introduces a research project describing transition processes from teacher- centered mathematics classroom culture to student-centered culture and analyzing teacher learning in communities and its concomitant change in teaching practice. On the basis of the emerging problems in doing the project, this paper finally addresses some crucial issues on teacher learning and professional development, including the management of an inquiry community, the description of teaching practice from the researcher's perspective, and the analysis of teacher learning in communities.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2013

'Sentence posing' is newly given in the third through sixth grade mathematics textbooks of the revised 2007 curriculum to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions. In this paper, we discuss the role of the sentence posing in the third grade mathematics textbooks on the basis of the problems occurred in third graders' sentence posing activities. Overall, it turned out that the role of the sentence posing was somewhat restrictive. Hence the sentence posing needs to be applied to check whether students can properly use the definitions in real life situations. In addition, it is necessary to employ the present role of the sentence posing to confirm students' understanding on mathematical concepts of definitions selectively according to the concepts of definitions.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Mathematical Education Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.7-19
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• 2007

During the past 20 years, a small but potentially powerful initiative has established itself in the mathematics education landscape: Mathematics Across the Curriculum (MAC). This curricular reform movement was designed to address a serious problem: Not only are students unable to demonstrate understanding of mathematical ideas and their applications, but also they harbor misconceptions about the meaning and purpose of mathematics. This paper chronicles the brief history of the MaC movement. The sections of the paper correspond loosely tn the typical steps one might take to solve a mathematics problem. The Problem Takes Shape presents a discussion of the social and economic forces that led to the need for increased articulation between mathematics and other fields in the American educational system. Understanding the Problem presents the potential value of exploiting these connections throughout the curriculum and the obstacles such action might encounter. Devising a Plan provides an overview of the support systems provided to early MAC initiatives by government and professional organizations. Implementing the Plan contains a brief description of early collegiate programs, their approaches and their differences. Extending the Solution details the adoption of MAC principles to the K-12 sector and throughout the world. The paper concludes with Retrospective, a brief discussion of lessons learned and possible next steps.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.353-371
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate preservice secondary teachers' understanding and modification capacity of tasks from mathematics textbooks. This study conducted a survey about how preservice teachers understand the features of mathematical tasks and how they would select and modify tasks appropriately from the curriculum and for lesson goals. The findings from the analysis suggest that the preservice teachers seem to recognize Procedures Without Connections tasks as the high-level tasks. Further, 43 percent of the total numbers appropriately selected the tasks from the curriculum and for lesson goals. Most of the preservice teachers appear to find it difficult to modify low-level tasks into high-level tasks.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.405-417
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• 2004

This study is on the use of mathematics program for School Mathematics Education. According to the ‘technology principle’ by NCTM and teaching-learning methods by the 7th curriculum, we developed mathematics learning activities with mathematics program. This activity is to construct designs with graphs by using mathematics program(GrafEq.). In this study, we practiced these learning activities with pre-service mathematics teachers. The mathematics educational effects of these learning activities in this study are analyzed as follows; active & spontaneous search for mathematical knowledge, the experience of problem solving, affirmative view-point of mathematics, understanding of practical use of mathematics, acquisition an interest & motivation of learning mathematics etc. When students learn graphs of function, the concept of inequality in secondary school mathematics class., mathematics teachers can make a good use of constructing designs by mathematics program(GrafEq.). This will help to practice of teaching-learning methods by the 7th curriculum.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.9 no.2 s.22
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• pp.125-133
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• 2005

This paper investigates student conceptual understanding and application on algebra using problem-based curricula. Seven principles which National Research Council announced were considered because these seven principles all involved in the development of a deep conceptual understanding. A problem-based curriculum itself provides a significant contribution to improving student learning. A problem-based curriculum encourages students to obtain a more conceptual understanding in algebra. From the results the national curriculum developers in Korea consider the problem-based curriculum.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.123-141
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• 2003

This study investigated the understanding level and the using level of mathematical language for middle school students in terms of Freudenthal' language levels. It was proved that the understanding level task developed by current study for geometric concept had reliability and validity, and that there was the hierarchy of levels on which students understanded mathematical language. The level that students used in explaining mathematical concepts was not interrelated to the understanding level, and was different from answering the right answer according to the sorts of tasks. And, the level of mathematical language that was understood easily as students' thought, was the third level of the understanding levels. Mathematics teachers should consider the students' understanding level and using level, and give students the tasks which students could use their mathematical language confidently.

• School Mathematics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.455-471
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• 2010

Understanding of randomness is essential for learning and teaching of probability and statistics. Understanding of randomness prompts to understand natural and social phenomena from the point of view of mathematics, and plays a role of base in understanding of judgments based on rational interpretation on these phenomena. This study examined whether pre-service teachers recognize this, and they understand randomness included in various contexts. According to results, they did not have a understanding of randomness in the context related to measuring, while they grasped randomness in simple and joint events. This implies that they lack the understanding of variability which is essential in the context of measuring. This study, therefore, suggests that the settings of measuring should be introduced into probability and statistics education, especially that data from measuring should be analyzed focusing on the variability in the data set.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.643-662
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• 2017

The first appearance of the equations in elementary school mathematics is in the expression of the equal sign in the addition sentences without its definition. Most elementary school students have operational understanding of the equal sign in equations. Moreover, students' opportunities to have a clear concept of the properties of operations are limited because they are used implicitly in the textbooks. Based on this fact, it has been argued that it is necessary to introduce the properties of operations explicitly in terms of specific numbers and to deal with various types of equations for understanding a relational meaning of the equal sign. In this study, we use equations to represent the implicit properties of operations and the relational meaning of the equal sign in elementary school mathematics with respect to students' level of understanding. In addition, we give some explicit examples which show how to apply them to make efficient computations.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.111-131
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate how secondary mathematics teachers understand and intend to use textbooks for their mathematics instruction. For this purpose, we developed a set of survey items in order to unpack what the teachers understand the mathematical tasks suggested in the textbooks in terms of the levels of cognitive demand and how they intended to use the tasks in the textbooks for their teaching. Twenty-five teachers participated in the survey. The data from the survey were analyzed. The findings from the data analysis suggested as follows: a) the teachers seemed to closely follow textbooks without attempting to modify the tasks, even when the teachers consider it is necessary to modify textbook tasks to high-level tasks, b) the teachers seemed to be unstable in regards that they admitted themselves very competent for modifying tasks for developing students' mathematical thinking but, at the same time, they were uncomfortable with transforming tasks into cognitively demanding tasks that promote students' mathematical understanding, and c) the teachers appeared to consider textbooks as significant criteria in conducting tests including midterm and final exam. In conclusion, the teachers seemed to intend to follow closely the contents and sequence of mathematics textbooks in their mathematics classrooms.