Sara Dalton

Learning and Participation in High School Classrooms

In this chapter, we report quantitative and qualitative findings of a curricular approach to investigating quadratic and exponential functions in conjunction with the representationally rich software. The quantitative findings we report demonstrate the positive effects SimCalc has on student learning in comparison to similar algebra classrooms, as measured by pre and posttests. The qualitative findings show us the positive effects SimCalc has on students’ participation in the SimCalc environment through participatory discourse where students partake in mathematical communication to add ideas, justify their ideas, and challenge one another’s ideas about varying rate using the various representations available in the SimCalc technology. We present our qualitative findings through two classroom case studies in which we analyze the classroom discourse.

Investigating Why Teachers Reported Continued Use and Sharing of an Educational Innovation After the Research Has Ended

We investigated prospects for reported sustainable adoption and sharing of an educational innovation through survey research including online questionnaires and telephone interviews. This investigation is part of the Scaling-Up SimCalc experimental program, which combines dynamic representational algebra software (SimCalc MathWorlds) with integrated curriculum and small professional development workshops focused on how to use the software and how to integrate this intervention into the larger year-long curriculum. Teachers who (1) perceived the usefulness of the SimCalc professional development as being consistent with personal aims and (2) perceived specific affordances of the software/curriculum to be valuable were more likely to report continued use of the innovation after the research had ended and that they had shared it with colleagues over time.

HLM in cluster-randomised trials – measuring efficacy across diverse populations of learners

We describe the application of Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) in a cluster-randomised study to examine learning algebraic concepts and procedures in an innovative, technology-rich environment in the US. HLM is applied to measure the impact of such treatment on learning and on contextual variables. We provide a detailed description of such methods, methodically analysing nested classroom data with respect to various outcome measures through HLM.

Impact of Classroom Connectivity on Learning and Participation

Our study reports the development of the SimCalc environment that integrates interactive and connected mathematical representations with the latest affordances in wireless connectivity. We describe the development of several instruments to measure the interaction between learning and participation in terms of changes in attitude over time. In addition to empirical data from a quasi-experimental study, we qualify our findings through analysis of discourse patterns in specific forms of participation and explain how the communication infrastructure of an algebra classroom can be radically enhanced.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of a Developmental Assessment for Arabic-Speaking Children with Visual Impairment.

Developmental screening has become an established component of child health programs in many developed countries. The research objective of this project was to translate and adapt a developmental assessment (Oregon Project Skills Inventory) for use with young children with visual impairments who speak Arabic. The study was prompted by the lack of developmental screening tools in Arabic and to determine whether young children with visual impairments in Qatar were meeting developmental milestones within normal limits. This project has the potential to make significant contributions to the field of cross-cultural assessment.