Discovery learning and math teaching

Castronova, J. (2002). “Discovery Learning for the 21st Century: What is it and How Does it Compare to Traditional Learning in Effectiveness in the 21st Century?” Action Research Exchange 1 (1).

The researchers in this article developed a technology tool of discovery learning which called web quest. They defined discovery learning as the technique to learn and can be assistance by teaching process.

Also, try to discover the efficiency of a technology depended on discovery learning. Researchers agree that the effective learning should be active more than passive, learning procedures, and how failure and feedback both are very important. And the last one was the depth of understanding.

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The researchers show that to theories which they depend it of discovery learning such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Levvygot sky and the teacher center of attention on students refection and he answered the student questions but as indirect way and students will not be learn if they didn’t make mistakes, so they have to make these mistakes to learn very well.

Additionally, researchers indicated the basic architectures, which found in discovery learning 1) case based learning, 2) incidental learning 3) learning by exploring 4) learning by reflection and simulation based learning. Moreover, this article covers the main 4 idea of focus 1) motivation 2) relation 3) achievement, 4) transference.

A-Web Quest is a educational tool of an inquiring – oriented activity that uses recourses from internet to complete and finish their projects.

I think this resource is a valuable, reliable, and it’s very important because it shows that a Web Quest is a good tool for teachers and useful for integrating the technology in classroom.

Rieber, L.P. (2009). Supporting Discovery-Based Learning within Simulations. Cognitive Effects of Multimedia Learning. (pp 218-228). IGI Global:USA

This study describes the visualization in education simulations and this article covers how are using different simulation representations and creative designs to the simulation’s interface. Furthermore, researchers showed that the theoretical carry for visualization in learning for example dual coding theory and mental models.

Additionally, to integrate and combine discovery learning technology and design of simulations needing to teach the teachers to support the computer based simulations. The teaching of mathematics lessons will be more interactive and effective if these simulations applied very well and in the correct ways in the classrooms.

For what I read, I found that, the positive effects of discovery learning on student’s achievement happen if the simulations are attractive.

This article good and emphasizes to the teachers how they can design computer based simulations lessons.

Zakaria,E., & Nordin, N. M.(2008). ” The Effects of Mathematics Anxiety on Matriculation Students as Related to Motivation and Achievement ” Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 4(1), 27-30. Retrieved from http://www.iwm-kmrc.de/workshops/visualization/rieber.pdf

One of the aims of matriculation education was to develop students’ knowledge competency and interest in the subject area (Nordin & Zakaria) 2007. The authors in this study try to investigate if there was a statistical difference between matriculation students’ motivation and achievement when they were can classified depending to math anxiety levels and if the discovery learning has effective in learning progress.

The researchers applies this study on (73 females and 15 male) students, they selected by volunteer and they know it is will not affect in their grades during the semester.

About the results if this study was emphasized that there was a relationship between anxiety and achievement. That’s mean if mathematics anxiety scores increase then the achievement scores decrease and vice versa..

In addition, there are teaching procedures, which decrease mathematics anxiety suggested by Woodard (2004) (1) Create an environment in which students do not feel helpless and allow them to relax and rest. (2) Use cooperative grouping in the class room. It helps students to understand that others have the same problems as they do. (3) Teach at a slow pace. It can help students better comprehend the material during taught.

(4) provide extra teaching sessions so that they are not left behind academically.

Therefore, I believe that the teachers should try to think that how they could get less anxiety on the students by preparing a good environment in their class and try to find the best ways for teaching mathematics.

Duggan, M., & Husman, J. (2007). ” Online Mathematics Achievement: Effects of Learning Strategies and Self-Efficacy ” Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 4(1), 27-30.

This Research showed that the increased independence of an online or web-based learning environment may support students’ motivation for learning and enhancing the discovery learning in learning. The purpose of our article was to investigate students’ learning strategies and motivation in the framework of an online developmental mathematics course. Moreover, the cores of this study to help teachers and be more efficient and be more convenience with this strategy. The researchers applied the experiment 511 students with 89 participants completed all the surveys they answered all the questions.

There are limitations and margins of this study one of them was the number of the sample with 89 students cannot generalizing the results. The second one was the timing of the survey time problem, which collected the data at the end of semester.

According to this article I believe that a good web-based learning environment will be more effect that’s what the results indicated in this article, on the other hand this research is valuable and currency.

Matsuda, T. (2008). “Using instructional activities game to promote mathematics teachers’ innovative instruction” US-China Education Review, 5(3), 24-30. ISSN1548-6613

The author completed a study which improves teachers’ professional competence and he indicated that the curriculum or the instructional method should be changed and it is difficult to change the curriculum so he chooses the instructional method.

The change on the instructional method should be based on three types of scientific resources approach for solving problems in daily life. First approach uses experiments and observations, the second approach uses mathematical concepts and procedures and the last approach is computer – based approach, which is easy to understand and utilize than other approaches. (Matsuda, 2008)

However, the purpose of this study to develop a training system to improve teachers’ professional proficiency through the design of lessons and created which will develop students’ ability to solve problem sloving questions using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in (Matsuda, 2008)

So, this a case study which the researcher use the model and concluding a meaningful graphs and tables which show what researchers indicated. This article also, was written very well with many references that help us as teachers to be professional development.