Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Identifying the mathematics middle year students use as they address a community issue

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Mathematics Education Research Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Middle year students often do not see the mathematics in the real world whereas the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics aims for students to be “confident and creative users and communicators of mathematics” (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] 2012). Using authentic and real mathematics tasks can address this situation. This paper is an account of how, working within a Knowledge Producing Schools’ framework, a group of middle year students addressed a real community issue, the problem of the lack of a teenage safe space using mathematics and technology. Data were collected for this case study via journal observations and reflections, semi-structured interviews, samples of the students’ work and videos of students working. The data were analysed by identifying the mathematics the students used determining the function and location of the space and focused on problem negotiation, formulation and solving through the statistical investigation cycle. The paper will identify the mathematics and statistics these students used as they addressed a real problem in their local community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2012). Australian curriculum: mathematics. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics/Curriculum/F-10.

  • Battista. (1994). Teacher beliefs and the reform movement in mathematics education. The Phi Delta Kappan, 75(6), 462–470.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigum, C. (2002). The knowledge producing school: beyond IT for IT’s sake in schools. Professional Voice, 2(2).

  • Bigum, C. (2004). Rethinking schools and community: the knowledge producing school. In S. Marshall, W. Taylor, & X. Yu (Eds.), Using community informatics to transform regions (pp. 52–66). London: Idea Group Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bigum, C., & Rowan, L. (2009). Renegotiating knowledge relationships in schools. In S. E. Noffke & B. Somekh (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of educational action research (pp. 102–109). Los Angeles: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M., Brown, P., & Biddy, T. (2008). “I would rather die”: reasons given by 16-year-olds for not continuing their study of mathematics. Research in Mathematics Education, 10(1), 3–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, M. P. (1999). The mathematical behavior of six successful mathematics graduate students: influences leading to mathematical success. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 40(3), 237–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CensusAtSchool (n.d.) Are you a data detective? Retrieved from http://new.censusatschool.org.nz/resource/data-detective-poster/

  • Dole, S., Bloom, L., & Kowalske, K. (2016). Transforming pedagogy: changing perspectives from teacher-centered to learner-centered. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 10(1). Retrieved from doi:10.7771/1541-5015.1538

  • Finan, M. (n.d.) Polya’s problem-solving process. Retrieved from: http://faculty.atu.edu/mfinan/2033/section1.pdf

  • Galbraith, P. (2011) Models of modelling: is there a first among equals? In Mathematics: traditions and [new] practices. Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Alice Springs: MERGA.

  • Hãwera, N., & Taylor, M. (2011). ‘Twenty percent free!’ So how much does the original bar weigh? Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 16(4), 3–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston, K., Mather, G., Wood, L. N., Petocz, P., Reid, A., Harding, A., Engelbrecht, J., & Smith, G. H. (2010). Is there life after modelling? Student conceptions of mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 22(2), 69–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, C., & Rowan, L. (2012). Things that matter: student engagement and technologies in knowledge- producing schools. In L. Rowan & C. Bigum (Eds.), Transformative approaches to new technologies and student diversity in futures orientated classrooms. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newmann, F.M., Marks, H.M. & Gamoran, A. (1995). Authentic pedagogy and student achievement. Presented to the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA, April 18–22, 1995. Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED389679.pdf.

  • Office of the Chief Scientist. (2014). Science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Australia’s future. Canberra: Australian Government.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfannkuch, M., & Wild, C. (2000). Statistical thinking and statistical practice: themes gleaned from professional statisticians. Statistical Science, 15(2), 132–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reys, R., Lindquist, M. M., Lambdin, D. V., & Smith, N. L. (2007). Helping children learn mathematics. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro, L. R. C. (2011). The pros and cons of project-based learning from the teacher’s standpoint. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 8(1), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romberg, T. A. (1994). Classroom instruction that fosters mathematical thinking and problem solving: connections between theory and practice. In A. H. Schoenfeld (Ed.), Mathematical thinking and problem solving. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowan, L., & Bigum, C. (2010). At the hub of it all: knowledge producing schools as sites for educational and social innovation. In D. Clandfield & G. Martell (Eds.), The school as community hub: beyond education’s iron cage (pp. 185–203). Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savery, J. R. (2006). Overview of problem-based learning: definitions and distinctions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1). Retrieved from: doi:10.7771/1541-5015.1002

  • Scardamalia, & Bereiter. (1999). School as knowledge-building organisations. In D. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Today’s children, tomorrow’s society: the development health and wealth of nations (pp. 274–289). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, S. B., & Garrison, J. (2008). Deweyan reflections on knowledge-producing schools. Teachers College Record, 110(10), 2204–2223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoenfeld, A. H. (1992). Learning to think mathematically: problem solving, metacognition and sense making in mathematics. In D. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook for research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 334–370). New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stillman, G., Galbraith, P., Brown, J., & Edwards, I. (2007). A framework for success in implementing mathematical modelling in the secondary classroom. In: Mathematics: essential research, essential practice paper. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of Mathematics Education Research Group of Australia, Hobart (pp. 688–697). Adelaide: MERGA.

  • Strobel, J. & van Barneveld, A. (2009). When is PBL more effective? A meta-synthesis of meta-analyses comparing PBL to conventional classrooms. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 3(1). Retrieved from: doi:10.7771/1541-5015.1046

  • Sunshine Coast Council (2010). Speak Up Engage: Sunshine Coast Council’s Youth Engagement Program Report 2010. Retrieved from http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/community_planning/speak_up_engage_report.pdf.

  • Sunshine Coast Council (2013). Minutes ordinary meeting 13 January, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/minutes/Signed%20minutes_OM_310113.pdf.

  • Tytler, R., Osborne, J., Williams, G., Tytler, K., Cripps & Clark, J. (2008) Opening up pathways: engagement in STEM across the primary-secondary school transition. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.gov.au/skills/ResourcesAndPublications/Documents/OpenPathinSciTechMathEnginPrimSecSchTrans.pdf.

  • White, P., & Mitchelmore, M. (2005). Teaching percentage as a multiplicative relationship. In P. Clarkson, A Downton, D. Gron, M. Horne, A. McDonough, R. Pierce and A. Roche (Eds), Building connections: theory, research and practice. Proceedings of the 28th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 783–790). Melbourne: MERGA.

  • Wild, C. J., & Pfannkuch, M. (1999). Statistical thinking in empirical enquiry. International Statistical Review, 67(3), 223–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yimer, A. & Ellerton, N.F. (2006). Cognitive and metacognitive aspects of mathematical problem solving: an emerging model. In Identities, cultures and learning spaces. Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Canberra (pp. 573–582). Adelaide: MERGA.

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a University of the Sunshine Coast University Research Grant. The author would like to thank Peter Dunn for his useful feedback on a draft of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia

    Margaret Marshman

Authors
  1. Margaret Marshman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret Marshman.

Appendix

Appendix

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Marshman, M. Identifying the mathematics middle year students use as they address a community issue. Math Ed Res J 30, 355–382 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-017-0195-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-017-0195-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation