Janel Wilson Williams and Dr. Jacqueline Taylor Voyles, Mathematics Education Math educators have long realized that women in general have shied away from involvement in the mathematical world. Current research in the mathematics education field studies the motivations and barriers women have to studying math. My research extends this topic to a small village in […]
Pre-Service University Math Education Programs in Japan
Vonn R Christenson and Dr. Blake Peterson, Mathematics Education For years the United States has lagged behind the international community in mathematical performance at the elementary and secondary education levels. In the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), differences between the teaching style in Japan and the United States were studied, identified and recorded. […]
ORCA
Kourtney Peters Throughout my research, the students were rarely given a verbal introduction to the tasks they faced. Instead, they had to rely on their intuition, pre-conceptions, and any previous knowledge to find solutions to the tasks at hand. They were given time and resources to explore their already existing understanding. This balance of time […]
Probable Frames: Using a Probability Task to Explore Fraction Multiplication
Joseph G. Curtis and Dr. Robert Speiser, Mathematics Education When you toss a coin at the start of a football game and call “Heads!” the probability the coin will land “heads-up” is one-half. If the referee does not hear your prediction, he must toss again. The probability the second toss will land heads is again […]
Linguistic Invention in Mathematical Communication among Practicing Elementary School Teachers
Christine Johnson and Professor Janet Walter, Department of Mathematics Education As a tutor in the BYU Math Lab, I attempted to model correct vocabulary to be consistent with the students’ textbooks and professors. However, at times it seemed as though I needed to use more creative language to effectively communicate mathematical concepts. I began to wonder […]
Exploring the Open-Response Task as a Tool for Assessing the Understanding of Fifth- Grade Students in the Content Area of Fractions
Heather Bahlmann and Professor Janet G. Walter, Mathematics Education Department Purpose and Framework Inferring student understanding is at the heart of improvement in mathematics learning and teaching. Assessment provides valuable information which can be used to “promote growth, modify programs, recognize student accomplishments, and improve instruction” (NCTM, 1995, p.27). It is imperative that the methods for […]
The Effect of a Long-term Professional Development Course in Standards-based Mathematics on the Attitudes and Practices of Inservice Teachers
Destiny Turner and Dr. Candice Ridlon, Department of Mathematics Education In 2000, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) developed a set of principles and standards to guide mathematics teaching in grades K-12. These principles outline pedagogy that encourages students to discover and understand math on a conceptual level. These monumental standards are widely […]
Assessing Cognitive Construction in Learning Statistics as Applied through Mathematics Education
Aubrey Baxter and Dr. Hope Gerson, Math Education Paul Fields in the statistics department was my first mentor. Together we tried to develop a new pedagogy for teaching statistics. This interested me because I may teach advanced placement statistics after I graduate from the Mathematics Education program. A position then came available to me as […]
Metacalibration Proof of the Triple Bubble Conjecture in R3
Donald Sampson and Dr. Gary Lawlor, Mathematics Education Goal/Purpose My project was to further develop the technique of metacalibration, a new method of minimization proof, in order to prove the triple bubble conjecture: that the standard triple bubble is the least surface area way to separately enclose three given volumes. Importance of Project Over the […]
Metacalibration Proof of the Triple Bubble Conjecture in R3
Donald Sampson and Dr. Gary Lawlor, Mathematics Education Goal/Purpose My project was to further develop the technique of metacalibration, a new method of minimization proof, leading to a proof of the triple bubble conjecture: that the standard triple bubble is the least surface area way to separately enclose three given volumes. Importance of Purpose Over […]