Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College

About the Authors and Reviewer Acknowledgement

Journal Editor — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Inside Front Cover

Journal Editor — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Inside Back Cover

Journal Editor — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Protective Factors that Yield Empowerment for Black Girls’ Mathematical Brilliance

Natalie Parker-Holliman, Faith Maina — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Black girls are marginalized and often experience barriers to accessing advanced mathematics, which affects their socialization and identity. Little is known about the experiences of Black girls who have gained access to advanced mathematics programs. The participants in this study were 11 middle school Black females enrolled in advanced mathematics, a course with a curriculum at a higher grade level and a faster pace compared to their same-age peers. Using a qualitative methodology, we use collective memory writings, individual and focus group interviews, and the researcher’s journal data to examine how girls’ perceptions of societal messages work to impact and empower Black girls enrolled in advanced mathematics coursework and extend current research on this topic. We conclude that Black girls have various protective factors--innate characteristics that yield positive outcomes, influencing their self-efficacy. The themes uncovered as a result were that Black girls are motivated by engaging in valuable mathematics that is meaningful to them; their perceived mathematical identity represents a protective factor. This research study illuminates that Black girls are brilliant, but only those with prominent protective factors are often recognized in educational institutions for their merit.

How Pre-Service Teachers Define “Good” Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Christine Phelps-Gregory, Gabrielle Mynatt, Martha Frank — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Mathematics self-efficacy (beliefs about oneself as a learner of mathematics) and mathematics teaching efficacy (beliefs about oneself as a mathematics teacher) are important constructs that influence pre-service teachers’ (PTs’) learning and teaching (Bandura 1986). However, less is known qualitatively about how PTs define good teaching and learning when they make efficacy judgments such as, “I am good at learning mathematics” or “I am good at teaching mathematics.” This qualitative case study used journaling to examine 23 elementary PTs’ definitions of being good at doing and teaching mathematics. Our findings suggest PTs define being good at mathematics in a variety of ways, including receiving good grades, being fluid (quickly and successfully doing procedures), and having the ability to apply mathematics to new contexts. PTs also held a variety of definitions of good mathematics teaching, including focusing on student understanding, using group work and manipulatives, and having passion. These results have implications for researchers studying self-efficacy and teaching efficacy as well as for teacher educators hoping to engage PTs fully in their classrooms.

The Gender factor and New Technologies in the Comprehension of Probabilities: Evidence from the Perceptions of Students

Eleni Tsami, Andreas Rokopanos, Dimitrios Anastasopoulos — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Mathematical education in Greece is constantly evolving in the pursuit of optimal learning outcomes for students despite their cognitive differences. This study seeks to gain insight into the use of new technologies in teaching probability theory and the gender differences in the comprehension of probability theory. To this end, a survey was conducted involving 500 students of the Department of Statistics and Insurance Science at the University of Piraeus. The respective questionnaire involves questions of self-reported results and employs the Likert scale to obtain the students’ perceptions. Our data demonstrate no difference among the genders regarding the use of new technologies or their performance (i.e., the test scores) in the relevant courses.

Preface

Kaori Yamamoto, Jimmy Giff — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Notes from the Field Preface

Kaori Yamamoto, Jimmy Giff — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Briefly Recalling Moments in Mathematics Education History:

Brian Darrow, Jr. — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Arithmetic was the first mathematical subject to enter the school curriculum in the United States in a formalized manner. Until the first quarter of the nineteenth century, the prevailing pedegogy of this subject revolved around the tenets of mental discipline theory and the rules method of teaching, which valued memorization and repetivive drill of procedures. This continued until pedegogical alternatives to this approach were offered by innovative textbook writers, most notably William Colburn and his 1825 text First Lessons in Arithmetic on the Plan of Pestalozzi. In this article, the teaching of arithemtic in the early United States and the influence of Colburn's text is discussed and is later contextualized through their influence on modern mathematics education practice.

Developing Number Sense with Number Talks

Taajah Witherspoon — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The results of this study revealed students’ solution strategies progressed from inefficient strategies e.g., counting on fingers to more efficient strategies with mathematical connections. These findings should enable educators to gain more insight to use Number Talks to help student develop computational fluency with numbers.