Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, 2010
This paper explores the impact of the Bridging the Numeracy Gap Project on the wholenumber learni... more This paper explores the impact of the Bridging the Numeracy Gap Project on the wholenumber learning of Prep and Grade 1 students living in a low SES community. The findings suggest that an approach that includes a specialist mathematics teacher who provides specialised programs for mathematically vulnerable students, and who works in partnership with classroom teachers to design individual learning plans, and classroom mathematics programs that cater for the diverse range of students' learning needs, has a positive effect on mathematics learning and instruction.
The Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) Program is a specialised mathematics program that ... more The Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) Program is a specialised mathematics program that aims to accelerate the learning of Grade 1 students who struggle with learning school mathematics. Forty-two students participated in an EMU Program in 2010 as part of the Bridging the Numeracy Gap (BTNG) project. Analysis of students' mathematics knowledge at the beginning of the EMU Program highlighted how diverse was this group of students. The students' mathematics knowledge was assessed again at the beginning of the following year in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program for accelerating learning. Overall the students made very good progress and their learning was maintained.
This theoretical paper outlines the process of defining mathematical giftedness for a present stu... more This theoretical paper outlines the process of defining mathematical giftedness for a present study on how primary school teaching shapes the mindsets of children who are mathematically gifted. Mathematical giftedness is not a badge of honour or some special value attributed to a child who has achieved something exceptional. Children who are mathematically gifted are children who possess unusually high natural aptitudes for understanding mathematical concepts, and subsequently differ substantively to their peers in the way they view, understand and learn mathematics. As educators we have a professional obligation to provide for all students’ learning needs. To this end it is imperative that mathematical giftedness is clearly defined so the learning needs of these students can be recognised, understood and catered for within the school context.
If the ability to reason proportionally seems to be a good indication of likely success in furthe... more If the ability to reason proportionally seems to be a good indication of likely success in further mathematical pursuits (Lamon, 1999), how do children develop this ability, and how can teachers facilitate this? In this present study, six ratio/rates task-based assessment questions were trialled on ten students from Grades 5 to 9 in an attempt to describe the developing understanding of students within this construct of rational number. Tentative points of growth (or stages of understanding) are suggested, with some implications for the classroom teacher. This study was part of a Master of Education project to design an assessment interview to identify the points of growth, or stages of development, in children's thinking about ratio problems. Ratio is a sub-construct of rational number (Kieren, 1976) that requires proportional reasoning. The purpose of 'growth points' is to describe the developmental pathway children typically follow, and to inform teachers of where chi...
L. Sparrow, B. Kissane, & C. Hurst (Eds.), Shaping the future of mathematics education: Proceedin... more L. Sparrow, B. Kissane, & C. Hurst (Eds.), Shaping the future of mathematics education: Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Fremantle: MERGA. ... Bridging the Numeracy Gap for Students in Low SES
As part of the Bridging the Numeracy Gap Project, four Catholic schools in the Kimberley appointe... more As part of the Bridging the Numeracy Gap Project, four Catholic schools in the Kimberley appointed Key Aboriginal Teaching Assistants in Numeracy who, along with a classroom teacher from the school, participated in a 6-day professional learning program aimed at developing their mathematics teaching and leadership. At the end of 2010, audio-taped conversations took place to gain insight about the impact of the Project on learning and teaching mathematics at the school. Analysis of these data demonstrated that Aboriginal Teaching Assistants had clear views about the positive impact of project and of how to improve Aboriginal students" opportunities to learn mathematics at school.
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Papers by Linda Parish