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The QuesSpring 2007

Newsletter of The Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education

IN THIS ISSUE:

CRMSE Welcomes Ricardo NemirovskyPhysical Sciences Curriculum Adopted by CaliforniaGeorge Feher Awarded Wolf Prize in ChemistryRecent Publications, Professional AccomplishmentsRecently Funded Projects

CRMSE Hosts its First AERA Reception Alumnus Participates in Science for Monks Program Alumni Ellis and Knuth on Demystifying MathDogs and GeometryCelebrations

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About CRMSE...The Center for Research inMathematics & Science Educa-tion (CRMSE) is an interdisciplin-ary community of scholars whoseek to advance mathematicsand science education at local,state, and national levels by pro-viding leadership in research,

materials and program devel-opment, and evaluation. Itsmembers include faculty fromthe departments of mathematicsand statistics, biology, physicsand psychology in the College of Sciences , and from the Schoolof Teacher Education and theDepartment of Policy Studiesin the College of Education . Formore information, please visit ourwebsite at: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/index.html

IN FOCUSCRMSE WelcomesRicardo Nemirovsky

Newsletter of The Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education 2

Ricardo Nemirovsky, CRMSE Director

By Donna Ross

In September 2006, RicardoNemirovsky became CRMSEsdirector, following Kathleen Fisherwho served CRMSE for six years.He joined the faculty as a pro-fessor in the Mathematics andStatistics department at SDSU inSeptember 2005. Prior to comingto San Diego, Ricardo was seniorscientist at TERC in Massachusetts.TERC is a non-profit organizationdesigned to improve math and sci-ence education through research,development, and collaboration.Ricardo is bilingual, originally fromArgentina, where he earned a degreein Physics. He later became interest-ed in science education and earnedhis Doctor of Education degree atHarvard in 1993. While in Argentina,he began working for ORT, a non-governmental organization, foundedin Tsarist Russia in 1880 that supportseducation, economic, and socialdevelopment throughout the world,particularly among Jewish com-munities. He served as the ScienceEducation Coordinator in Argen-tina and then went on to becomethe director of ORT in Mexico,before moving to the US in 1987.Ricardos research program focuseson the investigation of the embod-

ied nature of cognition, and on thestudy of how learning situations areexperienced by students. Proponentsof embodied cognition hold that cog-nitive processes are deeply rootedin the bodys interactions with theworld and with others and that per-ceptuo-motor activity is embedded inthe use and production of tools andsymbols. His focus on how situationsare and influenced by the strand of philosophy identified as phenom-enology. He has developed togetherwith many other colleagues a body of

work that supports the creation of a

longitudinal strand on the mathematicsof change across educational levels,highlights the centrality of bodily andkinesthetic activities in the learningof mathematics, and articulates a per-spective on the role of tools for stu-dents learning. In addition to researchpapers, he has co-authored curricularunits, and has designed numerousmechanical devices and software toenrich the learning of mathematics,including several math-oriented exhib-its for science and technology muse-ums. In the last few years he becomeinvolved in the use of video-basedmultimedia as an avenue for researchpublication, and as a tool for pre-ser-vice and in-service teachers profes-sional development; in this regard,he co-led the development of anauthoring tool (VideoPaper Builder)for the creation of videopapers and

explored its use in different contexts.Ricardos research on the embodiednature of cognition and on the creativeuse of mathematical artifacts has beenpublished in a wide variety of jour-nals for different audiences, includingCognition and Instruction , Educa-tional Studies in Mathematics , Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education ,

Journal for Research in MathematicsEducation-Monographs , Research inCollegiate Mathematics Education ,Teaching Children Mathematics , andThe Journal of Mathematical Behavior .Ricardo is delighted to work at SDSUwhere he has the opportunity to teachand work with graduate students whilecontinuing his research activities. Inhis role as CRMSE director, Ricardohas already introduced several newprograms, including a once-per-monthvideo club, a CRMSE reception at theannual AERA meetings, and the rede-sign of the CRMSE website with theeventual aim of making it the hub formathematics and science educationevents in San Diego County. He has

also sought to form CRMSEs first-ever

local Advisory Board, and is currentlyseeking funding to invite mathematicseducation faculty to CRMSE to dis-cuss common goals and direction formathematics education in the state.Please join us in warmly welcom-

ing Ricardo to SDSU and CRMSE.
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/p1_math.htmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/cos/index.shtmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/cos/index.shtmlhttp://edweb.sdsu.edu/http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/index.htmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/index.htmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/index.htmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/index.htmlhttp://edweb.sdsu.edu/http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/cos/index.shtmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/cos/index.shtmlhttp://www.sci.sdsu.edu/crmse/new_site/p1_math.html

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CRMSE-created Physical Sciences Curriculum Adopted by California

By Judith Leggett On November 9, 2006 InterActionsin Physical Science , a middle schoolscience program, was adopted by theCalifornia State Board of Education.

InterActions is a one-year middle-school program created by the Phys-ics Learning Research Group withinSan Diego State Universitys Centerfor Research in Mathematics andScience Education. Fred Goldbergand Sharon Bendall headed up thetight-knit SDSU development team,and Patricia Heller of the Universityof Minnesota and Robert Poel of Western Michigan University wereco-PIs on the project. The develop-ment was funded by grants fromthe National Science Foundation.

The adoption is significant for tworeasons. Along with an Earth Sciencesprogram from the same publisherand similarly adopted in November,this is the first time a reform-based

middle school science curriculum

Interactions Development TeamLeft to right , front row: Fred Goldberg,Clarisa Bercovich-Guelman, Mike McKean,William Doerge, Carlos Lopez.Back row: Heide Doss, Sharon Bendall, Judith Leggett

ing division of Herff Jones. In additionto a lavishly-illustrated textbook (avail-able in English or Spanish), materialsfor students include a science fictionreader and a lively website. Studentsuse the online simulators to model

physical processes, examine relation-ships between variables in ways noteasily duplicated in labs, and visual-ize abstract concepts such as forces.For teachers, there is a three-volumeTeacher Guide and a comprehensiveonline resource. There is an extensiveprofessional development programof workshops and online tutorials.

Says Jeff Vanhoeven, a teacher withnearly 20 years of teaching middleschool science, I have never been

a part of a curriculum that evencomes close to InterActions inPhysical Science in terms of studentlearning and involvement. My stu-dents love it because so much of itis hands-on and they feel valuedand respected because there is suchan emphasis on their knowledgeand thought processes. InterActions students learn science like a scien-tist, not by memorizing lists, or bylistening to a lecture. In addition,the student and teacher websites

are fantasticthis is great stuff!.

My studentslove it becauseso much of it ishands-on andthey feel valued...

has succeeded in meeting the rigor-ous standards for California schools.Second, because of those rigorousstandards it is often true that whereCalifornia leads, other states follow.The California adoption is likely tolead the way to truly national distri-bution of this innovative program.

This pioneering program is groundedin years of research in the teachingof physical science and how studentslearn. The pedagogy of InterActions

is based on guided inquiry, withdirect instruction occasionally usedto extend the ideas covered. Theprogram is hierarchical, with topicsand skills developed in a structuredprogression, organized around thecentral themes of interactions andenergy. Students develop targetideas through active learning expe-riences such as hands-on experi-ments and computer simulations.

The program is published by Its

About Time, the educational publish-

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Continued, page

Leland Beck (PI) and Alexander Chizhik(Co-PI), Cooperative Learning Methodsfor Java-based CSI Courses , funded bythe National Science Foundation, CCLI.

Joanne Lobato, Coordinating Social and Individual Aspects of General-izing Activity: A Multi-tiered Focus-ing Phenomena Study, 20052008 ,funded by the National Science Foun-

dation through the ROLE program.This goal of this project is toaccount for: (a) theways in which fea-tures of classroomenvironments influ-ence what studentsattend to math-ematically; (b) theparticular math-

ematical focus that emerges in a

classroom; and (c) how attention-focusing interactions are related tothe ways in which students general-ize or transfer their learning expe-riences. In order to pursue these the-oretical goals, a series of empiricalstudies are being conducted in SanDiego and in Madison, Wisconsininvolving middle school and highschool students learning about thetopics of linear functions and qua-dratic functions. It is anticipated thatthis research will result in benefits for

teachers and their students, by dem-onstrating how the durable conceptsthat students take away from instruc-tion are influenced by many subtleand often unintentional aspects of teaching practices involving thenature of how certain mathematicalproperties come to be the object of focus when multiple sources of infor-

Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education Recently Funded Projectsmation compete for students atten-tion. Project personnel include JoanneLobato (PI, Associate Professor in theDepartment of Mathematics and Sta-tistics), Amy B. Ellis(Co-PI, MSED Graduate and AssistantProfessor in the Department of Cur-riculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin at Madison), RicardoMunoz (Research Assistant), and

Bohdan Rhodehamel (ResearchAssistant).Sandra P. Marshall , CognitiveModels of Decision Making in theExpeditionary Strike Group , funded

by the Office of Naval Research.

This research effortis designed toinvestigate theways in whichmultiple decision

makers with differ-ent backgroundsand training oper-

ate together in a common mission.The context is the U.S. Navys newforce deployment of the ExpeditionaryStrike Group (ESG). The overall objec-tive of the project is to create a gen-eral schema model of decision makingin the ESG. This model will build onprevious models of tactical decisionmaking and problem solving as well ason existing models of group decision

making. Its unique contribution will bea common schema structure thatapplies to decision makers with variedbackgrounds and areas of expertise.As such, the model should be equallyapplicable to individual decision-mak-ers, teams of decision-makers at com-parable levels of command, and multi-echelon decision-makers.

Cheryl L. Mason (Co-PI), DennisSunal (PI) and Cynthia Sunal (Co-PI),University of Alabama; and Dean Zoll-man (Co-PI), Kansas State University,STEEP (Science Teacher Educationand its Effect on Practice) , funded bythe National Science Foundation.

This 5-year project (2006-2011) focus-es on critical needs in the undergrad-uate preparation and long-term pro-

fessional development of K-6 teachersof science. The goal is to investigate

the impact onthese students of undergraduate,standards-based,reform undergrad-uate sciencecourses developedby faculty in theNASA Opportuni-ties for Visionary

Academics (NOVA) professionaldevelopment model. Thirty reformand 30 comparison undergraduatescience courses from a national popu-lation of 101 diverse institutions, strat-ified by institutional type, will beselected and compared in a profes-sional development impact designmodel. CRMSEs Dr. Cheryl Masonand MSED first-year doctoral student,Corinne Lardy, will serve as the west-ern region research team for STEEP,collecting data from study institutionswithin the Western United States, aswell as helping to coordinate largeraspects of the projectas a whole.
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Ricardo Nemirovsky, SLC Catalyst:Research on Embodied Mathematical Cognition, Technology, and Learning .

The goal of thisSLC Catalyst activ-ity is to bringtogether leadingresearchers in thefields of educa-tion, neurosci-ence, psychology,sociology, andmathematics to

develop plans for a Science of Learning Center that pursuesresearch on embodied mathematicalcognition, technology, and learning.The Center will develop theory andempirical research that can encom-pass (a) the rapid emergence of newtechnologies and types of profession-al work that involve mathematicaldescription and analysis, (b) the chal-lenges of providing all students withequitable access to powerful forms of mathematical thinking, and (c) theneed to prepare learners for theincreasingly unpredictable demandsof work and public life.

Randy Philipp and Vicki Jacobs, Studying Teachers Evolving Perspectives (STEP):

A Cross-Sectional Snapshot of Teach-ers Engaged in Sustained Professional Development Focused on ChildrensMathematical Thinking , funded bythe National Science Foundation.

In this 5-year(20052010) Teach-er Professional

Continuum project,the researchersseek to map a tra-

jectory for the evo-lution of elemen-tary school math-ematics teachersengaged in sus-tained professionaldevelopment relat-ed to childrensmathematical think-ing. Four cohorts of

30 teachers eachare differentiatedon the basis of thelength of their par-

ticipation in such professional develop-ment: initial participants (in the begin-ning stage), advancing participants(completed 23 years), teacher leaders(completed at least 4 years andassumed leadership roles), and pro-spective teachers, a critical anchor forthe initial participants evolutionarytrajectory. Using a cross-sectionaldesign to investigate teachers at distinctpoints along the trajectory, theresearchers will design and employbeliefs surveys, noticing instruments toassess teacher interpretation of class-room interactions, observation proto-cols for professional development andclassroom instruction, and content

assessments to answer their researchquestion: What are the similaritiesand differences among elementaryschool teachers at three points duringsustained professional development interms of their knowledge, beliefs, andpractices? Additionally, a longitudinalanalysis of six cases will provideimportant information about thechanging needs of teachers while they

evolve from initial participants toadvancing participants. Secondary tothe central research question is a for-mative assessment of the relevanceand application of the research find-ings to providers of disparate modelsof professional development for bothprospective and practicing teachers.Rafaela Santa Cruz, The San DiegoState University Mathematics Sci-ence Teacher Initiative (MSTI) .

MSTI is a compre-

hensive programto double the Col-lege of Educationcredential enroll-ments in math-ematics and sci-ence. The firstcomponent of theprogram focuses

on expanding numbers of candidatesseeking other credentials who alsoobtain mathematics or biology cre-dentials. The second component cre-ates a new pathway for communitycollege transfer students interested inmathematics and science credentials.The third component seeks to addnew pools of students by identifyingand mentoring high school studentsinterested in teaching mathematicsor science.

Recently Funded Projects, continued
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Professional AccomplishmentsOther AccomplishmentsAs often happens to our siblings,

Judith Leggetts famous brotherAnthony was knighted by the Queen(yes, of England) in 2005 in recogni-tion of his services to Physics, so heis now Sir Tony

Left to right, daughter Asako,wife Haruko, Anthony, Judith

Congratulations to AndrewBenedict-Philipp and his proudparents Margaret and Randy.Andrew celebrated his Bar Mitzvahon June 17, 2006.

Andrew also competed with hisRobotics team in a regional contestin December 2006. His score on theRobotics run was the highest of allcompetitors. His team won an overallaward and recently returned from aninternational competition in Florida.Go Andrew!

Nadine Bezuk was the 2005 College of Education Recipient of a Fac-ulty Alumni Award (also knownas the Monty) for OutstandingContributions to the university.

Randy Philipp received the 2006 Excellence inTeaching in Mathematics TeacherEducation Award from the Asso-ciation of Mathematics TeacherEducators (AMTE). He was a fea-tured speaker at their annual con-ference, where he received thisaward. The award is designed torecognize a colleague for a uniquecontribution to the pedagogy of mathematics teacher education.In addition, he is the first recipientof what will be an annual award,so others have big shoes to fill.

Chris Rasmussen

was awarded the 2006 Annie and John Selden Prize for Researchin Undergraduate Mathemat-ics Education by the Mathemati-cal Association of America. Heformally received the prize at the2006 MAAs Summer MathFest.

Bonnie Schappelle was awarded a 2006 Frea E. SladekOutstanding Service Award . Shewas nominated by Randy Philippand Judy Sowder for her exem-plary service, initiative, competence,and contribution to several majorinitiatives housed at CRMSE.

Nadine Bezuk is the first President of the newlyformed California Chapter of AMTE,November 2006 November 2008and the Executive Director of theAssociation of Mathematics TeacherEducators (AMTE) through Jan. 2010.

Vicki Jacobs and Donna Ross earned sabbaticals to conduct

and complete research projects.

Joanne Lobato is the Editor of the Transfer Strandof The Journal of the Learning Sci-ences , 2006-09 and an EditorialBoard Member for Mathematical Thinking and Learning and for The

Journal of the Learning Sciences .

April Maskiewicz Congratulations to April Maskiewicz(MSED graduate, 2006)! April wasoffered and accepted a position asan Assistant Professor in the BiologyDepartment at Point Loma Naza-rene University as a Biology Educa-tion Specialist. She was delighted toaccept the position because she willbe able to implement her research-based strategies in non-major biologycourses, conduct research, and workwith inservice biology teachers asan advisor for their masters theses.April will join 2003 MSED gradu-

ate Dianne Anderson in the BiologyDepartment. Dianne now serves asthe director of the MA/NS programin general biology. The program isdesigned for working teachers todevelop academic and pedagogi-cal content knowledge in biology.

Steve Reed is writing a book called Thinking Visu-ally that will help launch a new series(New Directions in Cognitive Science)by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Judy Sowder led a Mathematics Education Del-egation to China in December of 2005. The program was organizedby the People to People AmbassadorProgram. In January, Judy was alsopart of a 3-person team invited toTaiwan to help mathematics educa-tion researchers revise papers forsubmission to international journals.

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Note: CRMSE members in red text, Current and former graduate students in orange text.

Beck, L. L., & Chizhik, A. W. (2006, October). Applying cooperative learning methods in teaching computer programming .Presented and to be published in the proceedings of the ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, San Diego, CA.

Beck, L. L., Chizhik, A. W. , & McElroy, A. C. (2005). Cooperative Learning Techniques in CS1: Design and ExperimentalEvaluation. In (Ed.), Thirty-Sixth SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education: (pp. 470-474). New York,NY: Association for Computing Machinery.

Beck, L. L., Chizhik, A. W. , & McElroy, A. C. (2007, March). Cooperative learning for CS1: Making it work in your classroomTo be presented and published in the proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group onComputer Science Education, Covington, KY.

Carraher, D., & Nemirovsky , R. (2005). Video as a medium to conduct and communicate research. Journal for Research inMathematics Education Monographs series . (13)

Chizhik, A. W. , & Chizhik, E. W. (2006, October). . [Educating ethnic minority children in an ethnic majority world]. Presented and to bepublished in the proceedings of the - [All-Russia Scientific-Practical Conference onDiagnosis and Prevention of School Maladaptation], St. Petersburg, Russia.

Chizhik, E. W., & Chizhik, A. W. (2005). Are you privileged or oppressed? Students conceptions of themselves and others.Urban Education , 40, 116-143.

Clement, L. , & Bernhard, J. (2005). A problem-solving alternative to using key words. Mathematics Teaching in the MiddleSchool . 10, (7), 360-364.

Harel, G. & Sowder, L. (2007) Toward Comprehensive Perspectives on the Learning and Teaching of Proof. In F. Lester (ed.)Second Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning , Charlotte, NC: Information Age Inc., and NationalCouncil of Teachers of Mathematics.

Harel, G. and Sowder, L. (2005) Advanced Mathematical-Thinking at Any Age: Its Nature and Its Development. MathematicalThinking and Learning , 7(1), pp. 27-50.

Hodder, J., Ebert-May, D., Williams, K. , & Luckie, D. (2005). Unraveling complexity: building an understanding of Ever-glades restoration. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , 3(7), 170-171.

Jacobs, V. R. , Franke, M. L., Carpenter, T. P., Levi, L., & Battey, D. (in press). Professional Development Focused on Chil-drens Algebraic Reasoning in Elementary School. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education .

Jacobs, V. R. , & Kusiak, J. (2006). Got Tools? Exploring Childrens Use of Math Tools During Problem Solving. Teaching Chil-dren Mathematics , 12 (9) 470-477.

Jacobs, V. R. , Ambrose, R.C., Clement, L.C. , & Brown, D. (2006) Supporting Teacher Learning: Using Teacher-ProducedVideotapes of Student Interviews as Discussion Catalysts, Teaching Children Mathematics , 12 (6) 276-279.

Kwon, O., Rasmussen, C. , & Allen, K. (2005). Students retention of knowledge and skills in differential equations. School Science and Mathematics , 105, 227-239.

Lobato, J. (in press). Research methods for alternative approaches to transfer: Implications for design experiments. In A. Kelly,& R. Lesh (Eds).Design Research in Education . Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Lobato, J. (in press). How rethinking assumptions about the transfer of learning can inform research, instructional practices,and assessment. In C. Rasmussen & M. Carlson (Eds.), Making the Connection: Research and Teaching in UndergraduateMathematics . Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.

Publications 2005-Present

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Lobato, J. & Ellis, A. (in press). Essential understandings: ratios, proportions, and proportional reasoning . Book published inthe Essential Understandings Series: Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Lobato, J. (2006). Alternative perspectives on the transfer of learning: History, issues, and challenges for future research. The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 15(4), 431-450.

Lobato, J. , Clarke, D., & Ellis, A. (2005). Initiating and eliciting in teaching: A reformulation of telling. Journal for Research inMathematics Education , 36(2), 101-136.

Marshall, S. (2006). Measures of Attention and Cognitive Effort in Tactical Decision Making. Human Factors of DecisionMaking in Complex Systems. (in press). (pp. -). Aldershot, Hampshire, UK: Ashgate Publishing.

Marshall, S. (2005). Assessing Cognitive Engagement and Cognitive State from Eye Metrics. In (Ed.), Proceedings of HCIInternational, 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Vol. in press. (pp. -). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Nemirovsky, R. (2005). Mathematical Places. In R. Nemirovsky , B. Warren, A. Rosebery & J. Solomon (Eds.), EverydayMatters in Science and Mathematics . (pp. 45-94). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum

Nemirovsky , R. , Barros, A., Noble, T., Schnepp, M., & Solomon, J. (2005). Learning mathematics in high school: Sym-bolic places and family resemblances. In T. A. Romberg & T. P. Carpenter (Eds.), Understanding mathematics and sciencematters . (pp. 185-206). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Nemirovsky, R. , Lara-Meloy, T., DiMattia, C., & Ribeiro, B. T. (2005). Talking About Teaching Episodes. Journal of Math-ematics Teacher Education . 8, 363-392.

Nemirovsky, R. , Rosebery, A., Warren, B., & Solomon, J. (Eds.). (2005). Everyday Matters in Science and Mathematics:Studies of Complex Classroom Environments . Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Noble, T.; DiMattia, C.; Nemirovsky, R. ; Barros, A. (2006) Making A Circle: Tools, Representations, and the SpacesWhere We Live. Cognition and Instruction 24 , (4) 387-437

Philipp, R. A. (2007) Mathematics Teachers Beliefs and Affect. In F. Lester (ed.) Second Handbook of Research on Mathemat-ics Teaching and Learning , Charlotte, NC: Information Age Inc., and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Philipp, R., Ambrose, R., Lamb, L., Schappelle, B. , Sowder, L. , Thanheiser, E. , & Chauvot, J. (in press) Effects of early fieldexperiences on the mathematical content knowledge and beliefs of prospective elementarly school teachers: An experimen-tal study. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.

Rasmussen, C. (2005). Building cognitive models with sensitivity to context: Rate of change in differential equations. Paperpresented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

Rasmussen, C. , Kwon, O. N., Allen, K., Marrongelle, K., & Burtch, M. (2006, 0 0). Capitalizing on Advances in Math-

ematics and K-12 Mathematics Education in Undergraduate Mathematics: An Inquiry-Oriented Approach to DifferentialEquations. Asia Pacific Education Review , 7, 85-93.

Rasmussen, C. , & Marrongelle, K. (2006). Pedagogical content tools: Integrating student reasoning and mathematics intoinstruction. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education , 37, 388-420.

Rasmussen, C. , Stephan, M., & Allen, K. (2005). The form and function of gestures: The case of equilibrium solutions at theAnnual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada

Rasmussen, C. , Zandieh, M., King, K., & Teppo, A. (2005, 0 0). Advancing mathematical activity: A view of advancedmathematical thinking. Mathematical Thinking and Learning , 7, 51-73.

Reed, S. K. (In Preparation). Thinking Visually. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Reed, S. K. (2006). Cognition: Theory And Applications (7th Ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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Publications 2005-Present, continued

Reed, S. K. (2006). Cognitive Architectures For Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist , 41, 87-98.

Reed, S. K. (2006). Does Unit Analysis Help Students Construct Equations? Cognition And Instruction , 24, 341-346.

Reed, S. K. (2005). From Research To Practice And Back: The Animation Tutor Project. Educational Psychology Review , 17,55-82.

Solomon, J., Nemirovsky, R. (2005) Mathematical Conversations. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education Mono- graphs 13 .

Sowder, J. (2007) The Mathematical Education and Development of Teachers. In F. Lester (ed.) Second Handbook of Researchon Mathematics Teaching and Learning , Charlotte, NC: Information Age Inc., and National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics.Verney, S., Granholm, E., Malcarne,, V., & Marshall, S. (2005). Culture-Fair Cognitive Ability Assessment: Information

Processing and Psychophysiological Approaches. Assessment .

Weatherhead, J., & Marshall, S. (2005). From Disparate Sensors to a Unified Gauge: Bringing Them All Together. In (Ed.),Proceedings of HCI International, 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Vol. in press. (pp. -).Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Williams, K.S. , Fisher, K. , & Anderson, D. (2005). Developing a diagnostic exam for general biology. In (Ed.), Pathways toscientific teaching in ecology education: Vol. 90. (pp. 694-). Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Ecological Soc. of Amer. 90thAnnual Meeting and IX International Congress of Ecology.

Did you know?Three of San Diego State Universitys CRMSE members authored orco-authored chapters in the prestigious Second Handbook of Researchon Mathematics Teaching and Learning (Frank K. Lester, Jr., editor).SDSU faculty wrote more chapters than faculty at any other university,providing evidence of CRMSE members influence and distinction.

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Under the direction of RicardoNemirovsky, CRMSE hosted its firstreception at AERA, held in April 2007 inChicago. About 50 researchers, practi-tioners, and graduate students attendedthe event, including Mathematics andScience Education (MSED) doctoral pro-gram graduates and former SDSU faculty.

CRMSE Hosts First Ever AERA Reception

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Elsa Feher is a founding member of CRMSE and an emeritus professor of Physics at SDSU. Her husband George,professor of Physics at UCSD, has justbeen awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Chemistry for 2006/07.

Excerpts from the original article reprint-ed with permission from reporter KimMcDonald of the UCSD News Center,University Communications, UniversiltyCalifornia, San Diego.

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/news-rel/science/wolfprize07.asp

Wolf Prize awarded to UCSDs George FeherGeorge Feher, a physics research profes-sor at UCSD, was awarded the presti-gious 2007 Wolf Prize in Chemistry. Hewill share the $100,000 prize with AdaYonath of Israels Weizmann Instituteof Science. Feher won the prize foringenious structural discoveries of theribosomal machinery of peptide-bondformation and the light-driven primaryprocesses in photosynthesis. He uncov-ered the basic mechanisms for howplants and bacteria use photosynthesisto convert light into chemical energy.

According to the Wolf Prize jury, Feherpioneered the structure/function rela-tions of the simplest reaction centerin photosynthesis, revealing the basicprinciples of light energy conversion inbiology. It added: Fehers impressivework in research on photosynthesis restson his extraordinarily vivid imaginationand on the sustained discipline withwhich he forced himself to master theunderlying biochemistry in a brilliant and

systematic manner. His work is seminalfor the construction of synthetic and

semi-synthetic molecular energy convert-ers, which may have profound implica-tions in an energy-demanding world.

The Wolf Prize has been awarded annu-ally since 1978 to living scientists andartists for achievements in the interestof mankind and friendly relations amongpeoples ... irrespective of nationality,race, colour, religion, sex or politicalviews. The prize is awarded in Israelby the Wolf Foundation, founded by Dr.Ricardo Wolf, a German-born inventorand former Cuban ambassador to Israel.It is awarded in six fields: Agriculture,Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine,and an Arts prize that rotates annuallybetween architecture, music, paintingand sculpture. Each prize consists of adiploma and USD$100,000. The Wolf Prizes in physics and chemistry are oftenconsidered the most prestigious awardsin those fields after the Nobel Prize.


Dogs and GeometryTest your recognition of transformations. Canyou identify therotations andtranslationsin thepictures?

Thanks to Judy Sowder forcontributing the photographsof her talented canines,schnauzers Cody (black) andWinner (salt and pepper).

Congratulations toGeorge Feher!

Photo by Roger Isaacson, UCSD
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/wolfprize07.asphttp://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/wolfprize07.asphttp://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/wolfprize07.asphttp://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/wolfprize07.asp

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Andy Johnson was the first graduate of CRMSEs Mathematics and Science Edu-cation Doctoral (MSED) program. He isnow an associate professor at Black HillsState University.

BHSU professor participatesin Science for Monks programBy Mary Garrigan, Journal staff Reprinted with permission from

the Rapid City JournalTeaching Buddhist monks about sci-ence has provided Black Hills StateUniversity physics professor Andy

Johnson with a few spiritual lessonsof his own.

Black Hills State University physicsprofessor Andy Johnson works with agroup of Buddhist monks during ascience workshop at a monasteryin India.

Johnson is a physics educator with apassion for improving the way sci-ence is taught. Thats why he came tobe standing in a Buddhist monasteryin India last month, teaching 50 gar-net-robed monks about magnetism.

Science for Monks is a program initi-ated by the Dalai Lama, the exiledspiritual leader of Tibet. It exposesmonks who live in isolated easternmonasteries to western scientificthought. Johnson has spent hissemester breaks from BHSU in Indiawith the Science for Monks programsince 2004.

The Dalai Lama began the scienceworkshops based on the twin ideasthat Tibetan Buddhism can learnmuch of value from Western science,and that the Western world can gainmuch from Tibetan Buddhism, John-son said.

As part of the program, monks hearlectures by top scientists worldwide,but they also participate in inquiry-

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based teaching workshops with sci-ence educators, like Johnson, wherethey conduct experiments and developtheir own theories about the bigquestions of science.

Remarkably, their theories are alwaysclose to the scientific explanationsfound in textbooks, Johnson said.

Buddhist spiritual development hassome striking similarities to scientificthought, Johnson has noticed. Meditat-ing monks study the internal world of their minds. Scientists study the exter-nal world around them. But theirmethods have much in common.

Studying Buddhism involves investiga-tions that are similar to science butwhich focus on the inner spiritualworld rather than on the externalmaterial world, he said. Buddhism isfundamentally different than any West-ern religion, all of which are based onfaith and the idea that you mustbelieve something you cant know.

Buddha, Johnson said, was more like ascientist than a spiritual leader, tellinghis followers to test before theybelieve.

Essentially, he said try it yourself, andif it doesnt work for you, do some-thing different, Johnson said.

Johnson is not a Buddhist, nor does hepractice meditation, although he says

he might start, given the benefits that

medical research has attrib-uted to it.

Im starting to think I shouldlearn meditation because itseems really beneficial.Theyve proven you can makeyourself happy just by medi-tating, he said.

He recounts one research

project that put a meditatingmonk inside an MRI machine.His brain scan revealed that

the pleasure centers of the monksmind lit up like they had never seenbefore, Johnson said.

Johnson is finding, after three years of exposure to Eastern religious thought,that it holds spiritual lessons for West-ern cultures. Here in the West, wehave some funny ideas about happi-ness, he said.

They may not know much sciencebut theyre very smart about thenature of reality and about the humanrelationship to the world, he said of the monks. Im starting to see howthe Buddhist emphasis on spiritualdevelopment, rather than on materialwealth, could substantially help ushere in the U.S. They have some wis-dom that the world desperately needsright now.

While enough food to eat and adecent house to live in are importantcomponents of happiness, the latestvideo game is not, Johnson said. We

just keep looking for happiness in ourpickup trucks and our trophy homes.

Johnson also enjoys the teaching chal-lenge of bringing scientific conceptsto monks who may not even speakEnglish. About one-third of the monkshe taught spoke some English, but heused a translator, too.

As the associate director of the Center

for the Advancement of Math and

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Science Education, Johnson is on amission to improve math and scienceeducation in South Dakota and in thewider world.

He has a doctorate in physics educa-tion, but apologizes for a culture of science that is elitist and a profes-sion full of scientists who neverlearned how to be good teachers.

Its extremely possible for normalpeople to understand science, hesaid. And there are these big ideasof science that people shouldunderstand.

He uses new approaches to teachingphysics in his college classrooms, andthey work equally well with Buddhistmonks, he said.

Monasteries educate many monkswho come to them as children, butscience education is lacking. Someof the monks in the workshop hadthe equivalent of a doctoral degree

in monastic studies and most had atleast some exposure to basic Westernscience.

This year, Johnson taught about themagnetic properties of materials,using some of the usual elementaryschool science lessons involvingnails, magnets and metal filings.Last year, he taught a course oncolor addition and subtraction,which turned out to be a pivotalscience topic for Buddhist monks.

Because vision and color perceptionare right at the interface between theinternal and external worlds, the monkswere very interested to get to the heartof a scientific understanding of it.

The monks, Johnson said, took theirscience lesson about color to a high-er level than most students. Maybeeven to a spiritual one.For additional information, go to:http://www.scienceformonks.org

Contact Mary Garrigan at 394 -8410 [email protected]

Amy Ellis is a 2004 graduate of CRMSEs Mathematics and ScienceEducation Doctoral (MSED) program.She is now an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Eric Knuth is a 1994 graduate of SanDiego State Universitys Master of

Arts program in Mathematics. Heearned his Ph.D. in 1999 from theUniversity of Colorado-Boulder, and is now an associate professor at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.Excerpts reprinted with permission of theeditor of Campus Connection: For Alumni& Friends of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, The Universityof Wisconsin-Madison, Winter 2007, pp2-5

UWMadison scholarsmaintain focus on effectiveteaching, learning

Demystifying MathMany people still see mathematics asa difficult subject that only a selectgroup of students with special abilitiescan master. Learning math, theybelieve, consists of memorizing factsand mastering the application of com-plicated concepts and procedures.

Thats simply not true, says ThomasCarpenter, who has plenty of researchto justify his succinct rebuttal.

A pioneering cohort of educationresearchers at UW-Madison led by

Carpenter, Thomas Romberg, and Eliz-abeth Fennema, all emeriti professorsin the Department of Curriculum andInstruction have shown, for instance,that children of all abilities enterschool with an informal base of math-ematical knowledge that enables themto learn more substantive materialthan traditionally taught.

For more than 30 years, theseresearchers have put the learning of mathematics under the microscope insearch of ways to improve teaching

and student understanding. Theyvefound, for instance, that math instruc-tion can be strengthened by tappinginto childrens informal knowledge, byteaching them to use the same prac-tices as mathematicians, and byengaging them in real-world problem-solving instead of rote drills onabstract skills.

By making math more accessible tostudents of all ages and abilities, theyhope that more people will recognizemathematics as they do as a lan-guage for thought.

Having established a solid foundation,the trailblazing cohort led by Carpen-ter, Romberg, and Fennema in recentyears has been passing the torch atUW-Madison to a new generationof scholars.

The Mathematics Education area isin good hands, says Eric Knuth, asso-ciate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, wholeads a group that includes threeassistant professors Amy Ellis, Victo-ria Hand, and Edd Taylor. Adapting aphrase used by Sir Isaac Newton,

Knuth adds, We are continuing onthe shoulders of giants.

Like those giants, all four are engagedin research aimed at adding to thebody of knowledge of how diversepopulations of students learn andunderstand mathematics. Likewise,they are dedicated to equipping cur-rent and future teachers with the bestpractices, based on the latest knowl-edge, for supporting all students intheir development of mathematicalunderstanding and reasoning.

We are continuing

on the shouldersof giants.

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algebra. The seeds of algebraic reason-ing need to be planted and nurtured inthe elementary and middle schoolgrades, they say.

We want stu-dents to movebeyond solvingone problem,Ellis says.

In studies fundedby the NationalScience Founda-tion (NSF), Knuthand Ellis arelooking at the

development of key practices used bymathematicians and scientists gener-alization, modeling, and proof/justifi-cation that are seldom emphasized bytraditional instruction.

Algebra marks the first time that stu-dents are encouraged to generalizepatterns, relations, and functions, saysEllis, adding its fairly common for

them to struggle with this.

Ellis, whose work on generalization isfunded by a three-year NSF Researchon Learning and Education (RoLE)grant, describes generalization as asophisticated mathematical activity thatinvolves extending the range of reason-ing beyond one specific problem.

She has found that the development of the abilities to make generalizationsand to construct arguments to justifymathematical claims seem to go handin hand. She also has seen thatgrounding abstract lessons in measur-


New faces, same focus

Effective mathematics instruction,explains Eric Knuth, involves three

key components: understanding howchildren learn, preparing teacherswho can tap into and build upon thatknowledge, and having a curriculumthat supports these efforts. Like thepioneers who preceded them, Knuthand his mathematics education col-leagues are engaged in all three parts.

Like Carpenter and others, Knuth andAmy Ellis who joined the faculty in1999 and 2004, respectively areinterested in promoting the develop-ment of algebraic reasoning. Mathresearchers describe algebra whichintroduces students to the use of symbolic representations as the gate-keeper between the concrete calcula-tions of arithmetic and higher levelsof mathematics.

A lack of success in algebra meanslosing opportunities for advanced

studies, Knuth explains. Ellis notesthat algebra which involves thestudy of structures and systemsgeneralized beyond specific compu-tations and relations plays a vitalrole in access to college and careersin the sciences and engineering,which are associated with higherearning power.

They regard the development of alge-braic reasoning as far too importantto wait until eighth or ninth grade,when many students first encounter

able situation enhances students abil-ities to generalize.

In a five-year, longitudinal study fundedby an NSF Career grant, Knuth has beenexamining how middle school studentsacquire and develop third understandingof what constitutes evidence and justifi-cation and how such understandingscan be refined and extended. Tradition-ally, students first encounter andstruggle with justification and proofsin high school geometry.

Knuth and Ellis also have been work-ing with Charles Kalish, professor of educational psychology, to study therelationships between student reason-ing inside and outside of math.Understanding how children developtheir reasoning abilities, especiallythose related to mathematics, canlead to instructional practices thatsupport and foster their development.

Influencing practice

The research hasto impact morethan just the aca-demic commu-nity, says Knuth.

He and his col-leagues under-scored theimportance of working directlywith classroomteachers and con-

necting their research to the prepara-tion of new teachers. The bridgebetween research and classroominstruction includes curriculum devel-opment and effective teacher educa-tion and professional development.

The kind of research we do has usengaged in the local schools, ex-plains Ellis. In addition to advancingthe research, this benefits the schoolcommunity and helps teachersaddress current needs.

A lack of successin algebra meanslosing opportunitiesfor advanced

studies...Eric Knuth

We wantstudents to movebeyond solvingone problem...

Amy Ellis

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Congratulations to our new CRMSE moms and dads!Candace Cabral and her husband Joecelebrated the birth of their secondson Leo, a brother for Nico, on April18, 2006,. Candy delivered a healthylittle boy, Leo Kalani Cabral-Omana,7 pounds 7 ounces, 19 inches long.Kalani means the chiefly one, or

from the heavens.

Leo and Nico Cabral-Omana

Karen Payne Aguilar gave birth toLogan Carlos Aguilar who arrivedSeptember 15, 2006 at 5:52 am. Andnow for the numbers...Logan was 7lbs., 4 oz., and 20 long.

Logan Carlos Aguilar

C e l e b r a t i o n s !Rebekka Darner and husband Angeloannounced the birth of their daughter,Karina Iren Soto-Darner, born onNovember 14, 2006 at 10:34 p.m. Sheweighed 11 pounds and 5 ounces andwas 21 inches long. Karina was namedafter her magnificent great aunt, KarenDarner (who is also called Karina byher college friends). Her middle name,Iren (pronounced ee-REN), came from

her loving great grandmother, IreneAlicea-Hernandez.

Angelo, Bekky, and Karina Soto-Darner

Karina Soto-Darners cute baby legsmake a stealth visit to CRMSE

A warm welome to sir Isaac LawrenceThompson, born April 6, 2007, thirdchild of Nephi and Gina Thompson.At birth, Isaac weighed 9 pounds, 5ounces and was almost 22 incheslong. His brothers, Joseph and Calebare delighted to be big brothers!

Isaac Lawrence Thompson

quest 04 30 2007

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