Literature Index

The first volume of these conference proceedings includes an introductory talk (on why statistics should be taught), three plenary papers (discussing stochastics at the school level in the age of the computer, optimum balance between statistical theory and applications in teaching, and the relevance of statistical training), and 35 invited papers. The papers are organized under nine topic headings. These topic areas are: (1) teaching statistics in schools (6-11 years age group); (2) teaching statistics in schools (12-15 years age group); (3) teaching statistics in schools (16-18 years age group); (4) teaching statistics to non-statisticians; (5) development of teaching materials at the school level; (6) training of teachers in statistics; (7) use of calculators and computers in teaching; (8) teaching statistics with the help of case studies; and (9) training statistical practitioners. Topics addressed in the individual papers summarize the situation in statistical education around the world and point the way to future developments. (JN)

This paper presents a case study of an exemplary blended graduate classroom learning community that showed students taking responsibility over their own collaborative learning. Specifically, the group went through a stage of productive subjective failure before intentionally deciding to explicate and negotiate their own group norms. This transition saw a marked increase in collaboration among group members. Using a micro-genetic interpretive approach, we analyzed the stages of group development that led to this outcome. Our findings indicate that the process of explicating and negotiating norms (PENN) was the climactic event whereby the group transformed their responsibility and collaborative learning behavior. We discuss the implications of our findings, which we believe inform both theory and design of productive failure in CSCL.  

Calls for change in mathematics instruction and continuing professional development to foster such change is not new. Yet there have been recent calls for professional development for the topic of probability, and particularly for research to monitor and probe professional development programs (Watson, 1992). Several reports at the 1995 PME outlined the specific nature that professional development can take. For example, comparison of four teachers in the ARTISM program showed that, although the external input was the same, their individual change depended on varying local factors such as collegial support (Peter, 1995). Research was undertaken to compare two Victorian teacher professional development programs: Learning in Primary Science (LIPS) and Mathematics in Schools (MIS). As well as different discipline content, MIS and LIPS differed in their implementation. Analysis of questionnaire data showed that the needs of teachers differed for mathematics and for science, and thus the resulting professional development content reflected this difference. However, further analysis found that some mathematics topics such as Chance and Data attracted similar responses to those of science. Professional development in these schools was similar to that of science, where teachers responded favourably to specific curriculum content knowledge and activities for the classroom. This contrasts with a process approach that appeared to meet the needs of teachers involved in topics such as number and measurement. Early NUD.IST coding of interviews of teachers involved in MIS Chance projects supports this result and gives some suggestions why this might have occurred. Firstly, the topic of probability is new to most primary teachers, and secondly, probability invites a range of concepts from naive to sophisticated.

Presents an instrument to observe students' quantitative literacy abilities. Discusses document strategy factors and quantitative factors contributing to task difficulty.