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Speaking, Reading, and Writing Science and Mathematics

Potential Research IssuesSteve Lerman, David Pimm,Jim Shymansky, Larry Yore

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Oral Discourse in an Inquiry Science/Mathematics Context (David Pimm)

Discourse analysis of classroom discussions

Role of informed teacher awareness of classroom discourse patterns on teaching

Exploring alternative patterns of classroom interaction

Ways to develop student facility with ‘speaking mathematically’

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Science/Mathematics Reading(Jim Shymansky)

Use of children’s literature as springboards into inquiry or problem solving

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Science/Mathematics Reading (Steve Lerman)

Developing a critical stance to text in print and digital forms

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Science/Mathematics Writing and Writing to Learn Science/Mathematics (Larry Yore)

Children’s drawings and captions as science or mathematics writing

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Science/Mathematics Writing and Writing to Learn Science/Mathematics (Jim Shymansky)

Professional development and explicit instruction on expository genre: descriptions, explanations, instructions, and arguments

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Language, Culture, and Science/Mathematics Learning (David Pimm)

Language contributions to conceptual understanding and fluency

Nature and historical development of the mathematics register

Syntactic and semantic confusion compared with verbal enhancement of external imagery

Role of mathematical notation in developing fluency The productive tension between fluency and

understanding What it could mean to ‘write mathematically’

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Language, Culture, and Science/Mathematics Learning (Larry Yore)

Second language learners and learning instructional language and science/mathematics language — everyone is a second language learner in science and mathematics

The 3–language problem: L1–home, L2–school, and L3–science/mathematics

Student talk must be associated with sensory experiences to ensure vocabulary development

Language cannot be separated from cultural beliefs and values

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Language, Culture, and Science/Mathematics Learning (Larry Yore)

Oral discourse is a necessary foundation for learning but it is not sufficient for science/mathematics learning

Rich oral discussions within and between student groups encourage consideration of alternative interpretations and causality

Teacher questioning needs to reflect the purpose of inquiry/problem-solving Engage: Accessing and assessing prior knowledge, challenging students’

ideas, and setting purpose Explore: Productive questions should encourage students to attention-

focusing, measuring and counting, comparisons, actions, problem-posing, and reasoning

Consolidate: Questions should encourage sharing, organizing, generalizing, evaluating, and applying

Assess: Questions should document student understanding and concerns to empower future learning and inform future instruction

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Language, Culture, and Science/Mathematics Learning (Steve Lerman)

Everyday language terms as anchors for mathematics learningSharing (for division)Sum (for add)Difference (for subtract)Balance (for equations)Makes (for equals)

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(Steve Lerman)

Sharing (for division)6 ÷ 2, but 6 ÷ 0.2 ??

Difference (for subtract)8 and 3 ??

Balance (for equations)3x+2 – 4 = 7 – 5x 2

Makes (for equals)3 + 5 = 8 but 4 – x = 12 ??

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David and Gita’s group organize a mixed doubles tennis competition. They need to pair a girl with a boy.They put the three boys’ names in one bag and all the three girls’ names into another bag.

Find all the possible ways that boys and girls can be paired.Write the pairs below. One pair is already shown.Rob and Katy

DavidRashidBob

AnnKatyGita

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Other Research Issues in Science and Mathematics

Oral Language and Discourse Opportunities

Reading IssuesWriting IssuesCulture and Language IssuesInformation Communication Technologies

(ICT) and Multiple Representation Issues

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Oral Language

Professional development and explicit instruction on patterns of argument

Argument effectiveness and science learning and understanding

Structured Controversy — Debating STSE issues or ill-structured problems

Presentations, negotiated criteria, and peer evaluations

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Reading — 1

Assessing students’ metacognitive awareness and executive control of science/mathematics reading strategies (Reading Awareness and Executive Control Inventory)

Metacognition, reading comprehension, and science achievement

Professional development and explicit instruction on science reading comprehension, student attributes, and science achievement

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Reading — 2

Refutation text and conceptual changeUse of trade books in science inquiry Teachers’ and students’ views of science

and their views on science text and science reading

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Writing

PowerPoint® and multimedia presentations of science

Multiple representations of a science idea

Concept mapping as writing to learn science

Sequential writing tasks about a science idea

Science Writing Heuristic

Documenting scientists, engineers, and mathematicians writing

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Culture and Language

Language with embedded cultural beliefs and values: First Nations people’s use of mixed spiritual and physical causality

Cultures without written language: Does this affect their science and mathematics understanding?

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ICT Skills/Strategies(Literacy Maps: Science)

21st Century tools for Communication, Information Processing, and Research(See: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ for sample science outcomes) Grade 4: Access information from a variety of media sources;

research characteristics of beaks, wings, and coloration to compare adaptation of several species of birds

Grade 8: Use a variety of information access tools to locate, gather, and organize potential sources of scientific information to answer questions

Grade 12: Select and analyze information from various sources, including electronic and print resources, community resources, and personally collected data, to answer questions being investigated

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ICT Skills/Strategies(Literacy Maps: Mathematics)

21st Century tools for Thinking and Problem Solving (sample outcomes)Grade 4: Plan, visualize, estimate, measure, test, and

revise understanding of geometric shapes and measurement concepts

Grade 8: Select and apply appropriate problem-solving strategies in an online group

Grade 12: Apply an appropriate strategy to solve problems both individually and in a group

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Multiple Representations

What are the cognitive effects and explanation of re-representing ideas? [Ainsworth, S. E. (1999). The functions of multiple representations. Computers & Education, 33(2/3), 131-152.]

Conceptual, physical, and mathematical modelsTalk to visual displays to textual descriptions and

explanations

What role does ICT play in multiple representations? Animation, 3–dimensional modeling, PowerPoint

presentations, etc.