The March issue of NOMAD has been published. The issue is introduced by a very interesting editorial about Quality criteria in mathematics education research. This editorial is followed by three articles:

• Lisen Häggblom: Lärarstuderandes syn på lärande i matematik.
• Marit Johnsen-Høines: Dialogical inquiry in practice teaching.
• Per Nilsson: Operationalizing the analytical construct of contextualization.

By following the links above, you can read the abstracts of the articles. Unfortunately, the entire articles are only available in the printed version of the journal.

International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning has released their Volume 14, Number 1 – the April issue of 2009. The issue contains four articles:

• Online Resources in Mathematics, Teachers’ Geneses and Didactical Techniques, by Laetitia Bueno-Ravel and Ghislaine Gueudet
• Learning Electricity with NIELS: Thinking with Electrons and Thinking in Levels, by Pratim Sengupta and Uri Wilensky
• Agents with Attitude: Exploring Coombs Unfolding Technique with Agent-Based Models, by Michelle Hoda Wilkerson
• Computational Diversions: Web Fame, Web Games, by Michael Eisenberg

David M. Boyajian has written an article that was published in International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology a couple of days ago. The article is entitled Euler teaches a class in structural steel design. Here is the abstract of the article:

Even before steel was a topic of formal study for structural engineers, the brilliant eighteenth century Swiss mathematician and physicist, Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), investigated the theory governing the elastic behaviour of columns, the results of which are incorporated into the American Institute of Steel Construction’s (AISC’s) Bible: the Steel Construction Manual. Each semester as the author teaches the introductory undergraduate ‘Structural Steel Design’ course, when arriving at the subject of compression members, he insists on first explaining in detail the mathematical contributions of Euler to the theory of elastic buckling, based on the subject of differential equations-the contents of which constitute this article-before commencing with issues pertaining to engineering design.

Anna Llewellyn has written an article called ‘Gender games’: a post-structural exploration of the prospective teacher, mathematics and identity. The article was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education on Tuesday this week. Here is the abstract of Llewellyn’s article:

In this article, I draw on post-structural and feminist epistemologies to analyse interview data from two prospective teachers on a primary education degree. Specifically I use Foucauldian critical discourse analysis to discuss the competing discourses of the masculine mathematician and the feminine primary school teacher. The initial purpose of the article is to deconstruct the themes of control, choice and confidence, which I argue are prevalent within mathematical discourses within our current neoliberal society. A further aim of the article is to explore the representation of discourse and data within educational texts, which I do by experimenting with the language used throughout.

Teachers College Record features an interesting article related to mathematics education this week (the article is freely available): Does Policy Influence Mathematics and Science Teachers’ Participation in Professional Development, by Laura Desimone, Thomas M. Smith and Kristie J.R. Phillips. Here is an abstract of the article:

Using a national sample of high school mathematics and science teachers from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), we find that authority (teacher leadership and control over school and classroom policy), not power (frequency of evaluation of teachers and professional development, and ease of dismissal of teachers), is associated with teachers taking the kind of professional development that we know improves teaching and learning-activities focused on subject matter content and instructional strategies, as well as active interactions with other teachers around curriculum and instruction. Similarly, we find that stability (measured by reduced teacher turnover), not the consistency of professional development with other reforms, is associated with taking effective professional development.

Amy E. Ryken has written an article that was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education on Friday. The article is entitled Multiple representations as sites for teacher reflection about mathematics learning, and here is the abstract:

This documentary account situates teacher educator, prospective teacher, and elementary students’ mathematical thinking in relation to one another, demonstrating shared challenges to learning mathematics. It highlights an important mathematics reasoning skill—creating and analyzing representations. The author examines responses of prospective teachers to a visual representation task and, in turn, their examination of school children’s responses to mathematical tasks. The analysis revealed the initial tendency of prospective teachers to create pictorial representations and highlights the importance of looking beyond the pictures created to how prospective teachers use mathematical models. In addition, the challenges prospective teachers face in moving beyond a ruled-based conception of mathematics and a right/wrong framework for assessing student work are documented. Findings suggest that analyzing representations helps prospective teachers (and teacher educators) rethink their teaching practices by engaging with a culture of teaching focused on reading for multiple meanings and posing questions about student thinking and curriculum materials.

The March issue of International Journal of Early Years Education contains several articles that are related to mathematics education:

• Elizabeth Dunphy has written an article called Early childhood mathematics teaching: challenges, difficulties and priorities of teachers of young children in primary schools in Ireland. Abstract: Issues of pedagogy are critical in all aspects of early childhood education. Early childhood mathematics is no exception. There is now a great deal of guidance available to teachers in terms of high-quality early childhood mathematics teaching. Consequently, the characteristics of high-quality early childhood mathematics education are clearly identifiable. Issues such as building on young children’s prior-to-school knowledge; engaging children in general mathematical processes; and assessing and documenting children’s learning are some of the key aspects of high-quality early childhood mathematics education. The extent to which teachers of four- and five-year-old children in primary schools in Ireland incorporate current pedagogical guidance in early childhood mathematics education was explored in 2007 in a nationally representative questionnaire survey of teachers of four- and five-year-old children attending primary schools. This paper presents some of the findings of the study in relation to teachers’ self-reported challenges, difficulties and priorities in teaching early childhood mathematics. Implications are drawn for professional development, curriculum guidance and educational policy.
• Sally Howell and Coral Kemp have written an article called A participatory approach to the identification of measures of number sense in children prior to school entry. Abstract: The research reported in this paper used a modified Delphi procedure in an attempt to establish a consensus on tasks proposed to assess components of number sense identified as essential for early mathematics success by a broad range of academics with expertise in the area of early mathematics. Tasks included as measures of these components were based on assessment tasks developed by early mathematics researchers. Eighteen questionnaires were returned by academics from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, The Netherlands and the USA, all with published work in the areas of early mathematics and/or number sense. Both the proposed components and tasks in the questionnaires were limited to the number domain. The study revealed considerable agreement with a number of the proposed tasks and thus provided a way forward for the development of an early number sense assessment to be trialled with young children prior to their first year of formal schooling. 
• A third article, entitled Numeracy-related exchanges in joint storybook reading and play, was written by Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, Jackie Nelson, Charity Bumpass annd Bianca Sassine. Abstract: Studies of the processes by which parents encourage early numerical development in the context of parent-child interactions during routine, culturally relevant activities at home are scarce. The present study was designed to investigate spontaneous exchanges related to numeracy during parent-child interactions in reading and play activities at home. Thirty-seven families with a four-year-old child (13 low-income) were observed. Two types of numeracy interactions were of interest: socio-cultural numeracy exchanges, explaining the use and value of money or numbers in routine activities such as shopping or cooking, and mathematical exchanges, including counting, quantity or size comparisons. Results indicated that high-income parents engaged in more mathematical exchanges during both reading and play than did low-income parents, though there were no differences in the initiation of socio-cultural numeracy exchanges. The focus of parental guidance related to numeracy was conceptual and embedded in the activity context, with few dyads focusing on counting or numbers per se. The findings suggest the importance of parent education efforts that incorporate numeracy-related discourse in the context of daily routines to augment young children’s numeracy development.

Robyn Pierce, Lynda Ball and Kaye Stacey have written an article called Is it worth using CAS  for symbolic algebra manipulation in the middle secondary years? Some teachers’ views. The article was published online in International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education on Thursday. Here is the abstract of their article:

The use of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) in years 9 and 10 classrooms as a tool to support learning or in preparation for senior secondary mathematics is controversial. This paper presents an analysis of the positive and negative aspects of using CAS identified in the literature related to these year levels, along with the perceptions of 12 experienced secondary teachers who were working with years 9 and 10 students. The literature review shows that CAS is valued for calculation and manipulation capabilities, the option of alternative representations, the opportunity for systematic exploration and for prompting rich discussion. However, the technical overhead, initial workload for the teacher and unresolved questions about the perceived relative contribution of machine and by-hand work to learning currently pose obstacles to teaching with CAS in the middle secondary years. The teachers who contributed data to this study perceived that using CAS in their teaching is, on balance, worth the effort. However, they believed that CAS is of most benefit to their high ability students and may present an obstacle to their low ability students’ learning of mathematics.

Catherine C. Lewis, Rebecca R. Perry and Jacqueline Hurd have written an interesting article called Improving mathematics instruction through lesson study: a theoretical model and North American case. The article was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education on Monday. Here is the abstract of their article:

This article presents a theoretical model of lesson study, an approach to instructional improvement that originated in Japan. The theoretical model includes four lesson study features (investigation, planning, research lesson, and reflection) and three pathways through which lesson study improves instruction: changes in teachers’ knowledge and beliefs; changes in professional community; and changes in teaching–learning resources. The model thus suggests that development of teachers’ knowledge and professional community (not just improved lesson plans) are instructional improvement mechanisms within lesson study. The theoretical model is used to examine the “auditable trail” of data from a North American lesson study case, yielding evidence that the lesson study work affected each of the three pathways. We argue that the case provides an “existence proof” of the potential effectiveness of lesson study outside Japan. Limitations of the case are discussed, including (1) the nature of data available from the “auditable trail” and (2) generalizability to other lesson study efforts.