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Kaur, Berinderjeet
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13 - PublicationMetadata onlyMapping and extending the theoretical perspectives of reading in science and mathematics education researchThis introductory paper to the special issue “Reading in Science and Mathematics” presents four major theoretical perspectives of reading, literacy, and language that underpin many studies in this area, including the nine articles selected for this issue. It first outlines several new developments and contemporary issues that drive the growing importance of reading in science and mathematics. It then presents the perspectives that inform and situate the authors’ research as reported in this special issue, followed by a brief introduction of their articles situated within each of the perspectives. The four perspectives are reading comprehension, scientific/mathematical literacy, disciplinary literacy, and linguistic/semiotic meaning-making. The purpose in discussing these perspectives is to map out the theoretical terrain in the field and connect the key ideas within the research on reading in science and mathematics.
WOS© Citations 3Scopus© Citations 6 63 - PublicationOpen AccessUsing teacher questions to distinguish pedagogical goals: a case study of three Singapore teachers(2007)
; Benedict, Teresa MalarAs part of the Learner’s Perspective Study (LPS), three competent mathematics teachers were studied for periods of ten lessons each. Data were collected using the complimentary accounts methodology. Since teacher questions are viewed as a critical teaching tool by many researchers and educators, the different types of questions posed by the teachers during their lessons were studied. An attempt was made to link the types of questions and the teachers’ pedagogical goals. This paper will share with the participants the methodology used and respective findings.179 312 - PublicationOpen AccessPedagogical actions of mathematics teachers valued by Singapore students(2009-06)In Singapore, three grade eight classes from three schools participated in the LPS. As part of the study 59 students were interviewed during the post lesson video stimulated interview. Drawing on the interview data of students, in particular responses to two of the prompts used for the interviews:
i) What has to happen for you to feel that a lesson was a “good” lesson? ii) What are the important things you should learn in a mathematics lesson?
This paper provides insight into students’ perspectives of pedagogical actions that facilitate the learning of mathematics. The paper also juxtaposes students’ perspectives against the instructional actions of the teachers and explores pedagogical actions of mathematics teachers valued by their students.249 211 - PublicationMetadata onlyThe evolution of mathematics education research in Singapore
Up until 1990, the Institute of Education in Singapore was primarily a teaching institute involved in training teachers for Singapore schools. Since the inception of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in 1990, as an institute of the Nanyang Technological University, the focus of the institute has been enlarged to include research in education. This chapter examines, through a documentary analysis, how a research culture specifically in mathematics education at the National Institute of Education was nurtured, developed and supported from 1990 onwards. Development of the culture for Mathematics Education Research (MER) has been in tandem with all other areas of research at the NIE. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been adopted to support research as part of an academic’s work at the institute. Policies related to recruitment and promotion of academics were developed to ensure that emphasis was on both teaching and research. Development of research, from individually led bite-sized grains to team-based project with coherent themes, was supported. The setting up of the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice in 2004 and dedicated funding from the Ministry of Education Singapore for research of the Singapore education system heralded an era of MER that has made significant contributions both nationally and internationally. This chapter will also illuminate the four main areas of focus and sources on MER through examples of studies carried out in Singapore since 2000. In addition, it briefly outlines the contribution of MER in ASEAN countries.
46 - PublicationRestrictedEnhancing the pedagogy of mathematics teachers to facilitate the development of 21st century competencies in their classrooms (EPMT-21st CC)(Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Singapore, 2023)
; ; The results of both PISA (2009, 2012) and TIMSS (2011, 2007) for Singapore show us that majority of our students are very good in applying their knowledge in routine situations and this is definitely a consequence of what teachers do and use during their mathematics lessons. For our students to scale greater heights we need our teachers to nurture metacognitive learners who are active and confident in constructing mathematical knowledge.
A significant finding from the CORE 2 research at NIE led by Professor David Hogan is that amongst the secondary three and primary five mathematics lessons that were studied teachers appeared to engage students in doing performative tasks (77.3% for secondary 3 and 63.7% for primary 5) more often than knowledge building tasks (22.7% for secondary 3 and 36.3 % for primary 5) (Hogan et al, 2013). A performative task mainly entails the use of lower order thinking skills such as recall, comprehension and application of knowledge while a knowledge building task calls for higher order thinking skills such as synthesis, evaluation and creation of knowledge.
Hattie (2009), drawing on 50,000 research articles and related achievement of 240 million students, notes that the greatest source of variance in the learning equation comes from teachers. Therefore as we are desirous of improving student learning, in our mathematics classrooms, it is critical that we engage our teachers in specific and targeted professional development.
27 9 - PublicationOpen AccessSingapore primary school TIMSS data: Geometry and measurement, estimation and number senseThis article is concerning the performance of Singapore students in Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Singapore students' performance on Geometry and Measurement, Estimation and Number Sense show some clear trends. They are: (1) Primary four students outperform primary three students; (2) On most items Singapore students outperform their corresponding International cohort; (3) Girls outperform boys on Geometry but the results are mixed for Measurement, Estimation and Number Sense; and (4) Boys tend to leave questions blank more often than girls. Finally, the analysis of the data also shows that while students perform well in routine situations, they have difficulty using information in non-familiar contexts and making the transition from the enactive mode to the ikonic mode. This implies that there needs to be a focus on activities involving both familiar and non-familiar contexts as well as a specific emphasis on linking enactive and iconic situations.
231 560 - PublicationOpen AccessGender differences in mathematics attainment of Singaporean pupilsThis study compares the performance of Singapore boys and girls in Ordinary ('O’) level Mathematics (Syllabus D). A sample of 88 boys and 88 girls was used to identify some areas of concern as regards gender and Mathematics attainment. The findings of the study were as follows: (i) Boys performed better than girls on Paper I questions. (ii) For the compulsory questions on both papers boys did significantly better than the girls on the following topics - mensuration, statistics, arithmetic, geometry and probability while the girls out-performed the boys on algebra and graphs. (iii) Boys also surpassed girls on the compulsory questions which tested spatial ability. (iv) In Paper II, section B, girls showed a marked preference for questions on algebra and graphs, and vectors in two dimensions while the boys' only marked preference was the question on mensuration. The pupils' grades in Mathematics were also compared with those of the other subjects they took in the English medium examination and it was found that grades in Physics, Science (Chemistry, Physics) and Metalwork - the so called Mathematics-related subjects - did not correlate to the same degree for the two sexes. The Mathematics results of the Singapore candidature in 'O' level Mathematics examination revealed that on the whole boys performed better than girls.
153 189 - PublicationOpen AccessNature of mathematics tasks and what teachers doTasks play a critical role in the teaching and learning of mathematics, and are a common feature across all areas of mathematics education research. This review begins with a discussion about definitions of tasks and their typification to allow for a more robust framing of knowledge vis-à-vis tasks. As teachers’ work with tasks is critical to the work of students, the next four sections are dedicated to research developments in frameworks and principles about task design, and teachers’ selection, modification, and enactment of mathematics tasks. There is scope for further research about how and when teachers notice task affordances and engage in classroom discourse using a shared vocabulary for mathematics tasks.
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