Posted in Mathematics education

Learning research study module on analyzing understanding of function

Just recently the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) of the UK released a set of learning research study modules to support continuing professional development of mathematics teachers online. One of the modules is based on my paper Growth Points in Students Understanding of Function in Equation Form. This paper was published in 2009 in Mathematics Education Research Journal (MERJ). MERJ is an international refereed journal that provides a forum for the publication of research on the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels. It is the official journal of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc. (MERGA). The papers in the journal used to be downloadable for free. Since last year I think they are now published through Springer link, no longer free. I have tried to share ideas from the paper in my posts How to assess understanding of function and What is a function in my attempt to provide teachers another thinking tool by which they can analyze students understanding of function and of mathematics concepts in general.

The learning research module about analyzing understanding of function was developed by Anne Watson, professor of Mathematics Education at Oxford University. NCETM presented it in power point presentation platform. I love the way Professor Watson turned my otherwise boring research paper into a thought provoking learning module for teachers. I have downloaded the presentation and sharing it here so other teachers can easily access it. Of course you can also go to the NCETM site. Teacher educators can learn from the style of presentation of the research study modules. This is a great way of making research results accessible to teachers. Kudos to NCETM for this project.
Professor Anne Watson is also one of the editors of the book New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education (Mathematics Education Library). The book is a great reference for those doing research about mathematics teaching and learning.