Research on discussion in mathematics teaching : A review of literature from 2000 to 2020

For decades, reformers have emphasized discussion over recitation and lecture. Yet, traditional communication patterns are still dominant in mathematics classrooms internationally. In an effort to better understand this challenge, the present study investigates patterns and contributions of research on discussion in mathematics teaching. Based on systematic search in the Eric database, and in selected journals of mathematics education, 72 studies were reviewed. Based on analysis and discussion of the reviewed studies, it is suggested to develop conceptual clarity and include definitions of core terms like discussion, to consider alternative methods for studying discussion in teaching, and to consider shifting the focus from teacher actions to the entailments of the work of leading mathematical discussions.publishedVersio

Studier av undervisningskunnskap i matematikk: internasjonale trender og nordiske bidrag

De siste tiårene har forskere vist stadig mer interesse for den matematiske kunnskapen som er spesifikt knyttet til matematikkundervisningen. I denne artikkelen diskuteres nordiske bidrag til forskningen på dette feltet i lys av internasjonale trender. Diskusjonene bygger på resultater fra en litteraturstudie av 190 empiriske artikler som ble publisert i perioden 2006–2013. I tillegg trekkes her inn nordiske artikler etter 2013. Noen av disse studiene fokuserte på kunnskapens innhold og natur, andre fokuserte på hvordan denne kunnskapen kan utvikles, mens en tredje gruppe studier undersøkte hvordan lærerkunnskapen påvirker elevenes resultater og kvaliteten på undervisningen. Videre nordisk forskning på feltet kan blant annet bidra til styrking av teori og praksistilknytning

Genesis Principles in Mathematics Education

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Mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa 2014–2021: A review of literature

Background: A previous review of literature on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa indicated that most studies were small, qualitative studies that did not apply existing measures. The present literature review explores trends in more recent research from 2014 to 2021. Aim: The aim of the literature review is to investigate trends in peer-reviewed journal articles on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa from 2014 to 2021. Setting: A literature review of research on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa between 2014–2021. Methods: After a three-step search and initial coding, 24 studies were included in the review. Studies were coded in terms of genre, type of study, research problem, sample size, instruments, level and experience of teachers, location of the study and frameworks applied. Results: As compared with the previous literature review, there was variation in sample size, genre of the studies, as well as in the level and experience of participating teachers, and this indicates a field in positive development. Yet, there is a significant geographical lack of balance, as most studies were conducted in South Africa. In addition, there is a predominance of studies that investigate what knowledge teachers have, and many studies provide a deficit view of teachers’ lack of knowledge. Conclusion: Based on the trends in the studies reviewed, a shift in focus from teachers and their (lack of) knowledge to the knowledge demands of teaching is suggested. Contribution: An emphasis on exploring what is involved in teaching mathematics in African contexts might provide a productive turn in research that would be of international interest and significance.publishedVersio

Giving the Police a Head Start: Norwegian Named Entity Recognition Dataset and Model Development for Investigative Purposes

Nesten alle eier digitale enheter og digitale bevis har blitt en viktig del av etterfor- skninger. Den store mengden med digitale enheter og bevis som må undersøkes fører til et etterslep, som igjen kan føre til forsinkelser og utfordringer for etterfor- skerne. Det har blitt laget Navngitt Enhetsgjenkjenning-modeller (NER) til bruk i etterforskning for andre språk og det har blitt laget norske NER-modeller, men det er ikke gjort noe forskning på norske NER-modeller til bruk i etterforskning. For å prøve å løse dette problemet for det norske politiet foreslår vi en norsk NER- modell til bruk i etterforskning. Vi har samlet inn og annotert Wikipedia artikler relatert til kriminalitet og har laget et datasett som kan brukes til å trene en NER-modell for norsk som kan brukes i etterforskninger. Vi har annotert datasettet med både generelle etiketter og etiketter spesifikke for etterforskning. Gjennom forskjellige eksperimenter med å finjustere en BERT-basert norsk NLP-modell (Naturlig Språkprosessering) fant vi en optimalisert modell som fikk gode resultater. Modellen vår fikk en presisjon på 0.904, en dekning på 0.908 og en F1-score på 0.906. Enhetstypen som gjorde det best var kjøretøy, som er en av de spesifikke etikettene for etterforskning, som fikk en F1-score på 0.973. 4 av enhetstypene fikk en F1-score på over 0.9 og 7 av dem oppnådde en F1-score over 0.79. Når vi sammenlignet vår modell med andre modeller, både modeller til bruk i etterforskninger for andre språk og en norsk generell modell, så vi at vår modell gjorde det like bra som disse modellene. Vi klarte å lage et konseptbevis for at det er mulig å lage en norsk NER-modell til bruk i etterforskning. For å bruke modellen i faktiske etterforskninger burde modellen være trent på reelle etterforskningdata. Man kan ikke stole 100% på en NER-modell, men den har fortsatt potensialet til å bli et verdifullt verktøy for politiet og den kan hjelpe etterforskere med å spare mye tid.Almost everyone owns digital devices, and digital evidence have become an im- portant part of investigations. The large amount of digital devices and evidence needing to be examined and analyzed leads to the digital forensics backlog, which can cause delays and challenges in investigations. There exists Named Entity Re- cognition (NER) models for investigative purposes in other languages and there are Norwegian NER models, but there has not been done any research on a Norwe- gian NER model for investigative purposes. To help mitigate this problem for the Norwegian Police we propose a Norwegian NER model for investigative purposes. We have collected and annotated domain specific Wikipedia articles and have created a dataset that can be used to train a NER model for investigative purposes in Norwegian. We have annotated the dataset with both general and investigative labels. During different experiments with fine-tuning a BERT based Norwegian Natural Language Processing (NLP) model, we found an optimized model which achieved good results. Our optimized model achieved a precision of 0.904, a re- call of 0.908 and a F1-score of 0.906. The entity type with the highest score is vehicle, one of the domain specific entity types, with a F1-score of 0.973. 4 of the entity types achieved F1-score over 0.9 and 7 achieved F1-score over 0.79. When comparing the results of our model with other models, both models of investig- ative purposes in other languages and a Norwegian general model, we saw that our model performs as well as these models. We were able to provide a proof of concept demonstrating that creating a Nor- wegian NER model for investigative purposes is possible. In a real world scenario, such a model should be trained on real investigation data. A NER model can not be a 100% relied on, but it still has the potential to be a great tool for the police and could help investigators save a lot of time

Design of nature-inspired components with tailored geometry for high mechanical performance

The purpose of this thesis is to study the effect of adding tailored geometries in specimens to strengthen them and increase their fatigue resistance. Several studies are performed on different geometries. The specimens are produced from aluminum, and water-cut into the desired shape. The results from the experiments show that the fatigue life of the best performing specimens more than double the fatigue life over the control-specimens, simply by cutting holes in the specimen above and below the center hole. The results show that the added voids play an important role in increasing the fatigue life by redistributing the stress and better utilizing the lesser-stressed parts of the specimens

Impediments to learning problem-solving in Malawian lower secondary mathematics textbooks

Background: In a culture where teachers follow the textbook prescriptively, Malawian students perform low in mathematics, and no students reach the problem-solving levels. Aim: To explore reasons for students’ low performance, this study aims at investigating opportunities to learn problem-solving in Malawian mathematics textbooks. Setting: This study focuses on Malawian mathematics textbooks in the lower secondary grades focusing on the areas of linear equations and simultaneous linear equations. These areas have a particular emphasis on problem-solving. Methods: Four textbooks from two of the most widely used series of mathematics textbooks in Malawian secondary school were analysed. The Mathematics Discourse in Instruction framework was used to analyse examples and tasks in the four textbooks. Results: Analysis indicates that the textbooks provide relatively few opportunities to learn problem-solving, and most of the opportunities are given through word problems. These word problems are typically presented towards the end of the chapters, and students are thus stimulated to apply already learned procedures to solve the problems rather than learn through problem-solving. Conclusion: Limitations in opportunities to learn problem-solving are particularly challenging in a context like Malawi, where teacher–textbook compliance is high, where there is a shortage of qualified mathematics teachers and where few students have access to their own textbook. Contribution: This study provides an overview of impediments to learning problem-solving in Malawian mathematics textbook, and knowledge about such impediments is necessary for change.publishedVersio