1. Title: Does It Compute? The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics.
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED425191&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED425191
Title: Does It Compute? The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics.
Authors: Wenglinsky, Harold
Descriptors: Access to Information; Computer Uses in Education; Educational Technology; Elementary School Students; Grade 4; Grade 8; Intermediate Grades; Junior High Schools; Mathematics Achievement; Mathematics Education; Middle School Students; Middle Schools; Outcomes of Education; Poverty; Professional Development; Rural Schools; Suburban Schools; Technological Advancement; Urban Schools
Source: N/A
Publisher: Policy Information Center, Mail Stop 04-R, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001; Tel: 609-734-5694; e-mail: ; Website: http://www.ets.org/research/pic ($9.50).
Publication Date: 1998-09-00
Pages: 41
Pub Types: Reports - Research
Abstract: This report presents findings from a national study of the relationship between different uses of educational technology and various educational outcomes. Data were drawn from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics, consisting of national samples of 6,227 fourth graders and 7,146 eighth graders. Data include information on the frequency of computer use for mathematics in school, access to computers at home and in school, professional development of mathematics teachers in computer use, and the kinds of instructional uses of computers in the schools. The study finds that the greatest inequities in computer use are not in how often they are used, but in the ways in which they are used. Poor, urban, and rural students are less likely to be exposed to higher order uses of computers than nonpoor and suburban students. For both fourth and eighth grades, teachers of urban and rural students are less likely to have had professional development in technology than suburban teachers. There were few differences in the frequency of school computer use in either grade, although black fourth graders reported more frequent use than white fourth graders. Yet for both grades, black students were less likely to have a computer at school. In essence, the study found that technology could matter, but that this depended on how it was used. The size of the relationship between the various positive uses of technology and academic achievement was negligible for fourth graders, but substantial for eighth graders. Taken together, findings indicate that computers are neither a cure-all for problems facing the schools nor mere fads without impact on student learning. When used properly, computers may serve as important tools for improving student proficiency in mathematics and the overall learning environment of the school. An appendix discusses how the study was conducted. (Contains 2 tables, 14 figures, and 23 references.) (SLD)
2.
The Ethnographic Research Tradition and Mathematics Education Research
Margaret A. Eisenhart
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Vol. 19, No. 2 (Mar., 1988), pp. 99-114
(article consists of 16 pages)
Published by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/749405
3.
Affective Variables and Mathematics Education
Laurie Hart Reyes
The Elementary School Journal
Vol. 84, No. 5, Special Issue: Mathematics Education (May, 1984), pp. 558-581
(article consists of 24 pages)
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001237
4.
Reading Counts: Expanding the Role of Reading in Mathematics Classrooms.
Title: Reading Counts: Expanding the Role of Reading in Mathematics Classrooms.
Authors: Borasi, Raffaella; Siegel, Marjorie
Descriptors: Action Research; Content Area Reading; Elementary Secondary Education; Integrated Curriculum; Mathematics Instruction; Social Influences; Teaching Methods
Publisher: Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3963 (paperback: ISBN-0-8077-3920-0. $23.95; hardcover: ISBN-0-8077-3919-7, $48).
Publication Date: 2000-00-00
Pages: 228
Pub Types: Books; Opinion Papers
Abstract: The primary aim of this book is to integrate reading into school mathematics. A secondary aim is to reintegrate mathematics into society and humanity. This book goes beyond the traditional concern for reading word problems and math textbooks to consider how reading can support inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction. Drawing on findings from a collaborative action research project, three perspectives on reading are presented, each of which highlights a different way that reading can enhance mathematics learning. Detailed narratives of classroom experiences illustrate these perspectives and show the range of texts, strategies, and reading practices teachers used to enrich students' understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, to broaden students' images of mathematics, and to negotiate classroom communities with students. Chapters include: (1) "Frameworks for Rethinking Reading in Mathematics Instruction"; (2) "Research and Instructional Settings"; (3) "The Potential of Reading Rich Mathematical Texts Generatively: A Transactional Perspective"; (4) "Reading Practices in an Inquiry-Oriented Mathematics Classroom: A Social Practice Perspective"; and (5) "The Role of Reading in Mathematics Inquiry Cycles: A Functional Perspective." (Contains 171 references.) (ASK)
Here is a link to blog that has been very useful for all levels of math education.
From within his blog I have included some info of useful books.
http://davidwees.com/content/books-every-math-teacher-should-read
5. A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart
“I don’t see how it’s doing society any good to have its members walking around with vague memories of algebraic formulas and geometric diagrams, and clear memories of hating them.” ~ Paul Lockhart, p33
The original essay that inspired this book is still available online here, and if you can’t find the time to read all of Paul’s book, I recommend at least reading the essay. Paul talks passionately about some serious problems in mathematics education today, most notably that much of what is taught in schools is not actually mathematics itself, but a caricature of mathematics.
6. Mathematics Miseducation by Derek Stolp
“[M]athematics, as it is taught, does not give children any view of reality, let alone a rational one.” ~ Derek Stolp, p33
Derek argues first that mathematics, as it is taught today, does not warrant inclusion in our curriculum, but then demonstrates some clear ways that mathematics education could be changed to make it viable again. He has the best argument for a constructivist approach to mathematics education I’ve read so far.
7. The Math Instinct by Keith Devlin
“Overall, the shoppers’ performance was rated at an average 98 percent in the supermarket compared to a mere 59 percent average on the test.” ~ Keith Devlin, p187
Keith demonstrates how animals and nature have developed some amazing strategies for using mathematics in highly creative and important ways. He then suggests how this relates to our own ability to do mathematics, and shares some very compelling research on poorly we transfer math skills learned in school to our own lives, but use mathematical strategies nonetheless.
8. How Children Fail by John Holt
“I asked Monica the other day how many thirds were in a whole. She said, ‘It depends on how big the whole is.’ If we could look into the minds of our students, in how many would we find that thought?” ~ John Holt
While this book is not specifically about mathematics education per say, John does have some insights into the difficulties learners experience. He often has useful anecdotes taken from his own teaching of mathematics about the frustrations and problems learners have in this area. John also talks about the disconnection between what kids learn and the world, the problems with reward and punishment systems, homework, and a host of other issues in education talked about in depth by other educators.
9. What’s Math Got To Do With It? by Jo Baoler
I just read “What’s Math Got To Do With It?” by Jo Baoler, and I would actually move it to the top of the list. It’s a must read for math educators, not because it has the most eloquent argument against our current form of mathematics, but because it has some actual solutions that educators can implement right now in their existing practice that will make a difference. Jo also does a fabulous job of avoiding pointing fingers, reflecting on research that has been done, and grounding her observations in improving practice in easy to read anecdotes that everyone can understand. I’d also strongly recommend her book for parents who are concerned about math education as well.
10. From Reading to Math: How best practices in literacy can make you a better math teacher by Maggie Siena
11. Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic: Implications of Piaget’s Theory by Constance Kamii Young
12. Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma
13. Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos
14. Mindstorms, The Children’s Machine) and Robert P. Moses’ Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project.