Mathematics is permeated with language; it appears in the form of new words and some old words with new meanings. There are new symbols to be able to read and consume; much information is presented in tabular or graphic form, and finally the language in a mathematics class has its own semantics, syntax and traditions of argumentation and expression. It is this language, used in the mathematics classroom, which students must absorb and develop fluency with--all while learning the mathematics expressed by this language. Traditionally, the language of mathematics has been overlooked in the classroom, as if students could learn it by just being exposed, rather than having explicit instruction. Numerous professional organizations have called for a focus on language in mathematics education, yet it appears that this important topic is overlooked in the classroom. This research project concentrated on developing a working definition of the language of mathematics and then, speculating that the reason teachers avoid teaching the language of mathematics, it developed the Language of Mathematics Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (LoMTES), a measurement instrument to measure teacher perceived self-efficacy regarding the teaching of the language of mathematics. Bandura's socio-cognitive theory was the guiding force in developing this instrument. Bandura indicates that self-efficacy is predictive--that teachers with high perceived self-efficacy on a topic are generally capable of teaching it, while teachers with low perceived self-efficacy on a topic tend to skip over the topic or teach it in a minimal way. Self-efficacy, however, is a changeable construct; thus, this instrument could be used to identify teachers with low perceived self-efficacy regarding the teaching of the language of mathematics, which would enable the mathematics education community to explore possible interventions designed to improve student learning by improving teacher perceived self-efficacy. / Graduation date: 2004

In compiling and writing this dictionary the needs of the high school student and teacher interested in mathematics have been kept constantly in mind. The mathematics of the high school is perhaps the simplest of its kind and yet very few textbooks carefully define all technical terms as they are introduced. The thoughtful student may turn to an abridged or unabridged dictionary but will find in most cases that the definitions of the terms are vague, often misleading, and in some cases not given. The words in the vocabulary have been arranged in alphabetical order so that the reference to any one of them might be made in a convenient manner.

MEDSED / Department of Maths, Science and Technology Education

Quelle est la nature des mathématiques enseignées dans les classes de l’enseignement secondaire? Dans quelle mesure l’enseignement des compétences n’handicape-t-il pas l’accès à des mathématiques telles qu’en rêvent les enseignants ?Ce qu’on enseigne a les caractéristiques d’un texte, d’une forme scripturale qui présente des différences avec la forme orale d’une société qui ne connaît pas l’écriture. Il apparaît que la formulation des définitions présente un outil performant pour cette analyse. Les investigations empiriques dévoilent, à travers quatre tensions, les difficultés qu’ont les enseignants à faire entrer leurs élèves dans l’apprentissage d’une théorie mathématique. L’analyse des différentes manières de valider ce qu’ils enseignent conduit à montrer dans quelle situation problématique se trouve l’enseignement des mathématiques aujourd’hui. Un remède serait l’apprentissage de la compétence idiomatique.<p><p><p><p>What is the nature of the Mathematics which are taught in secondary education classes (pupils from 12 to 18 years old)? How far does it impair learning mathematics like teachers dream them ?The taught matter shows the features of a text, of a scriptural form showing up differences with the oral form of a society without writing. The formulation of definitions appears to be a powerful tool to perform this analysis. Empirical investigations reveal through four tensions, how hardly the teachers bring their pupils into the learning of a mathematical theory. The analysis of the various ways to validate what they teach leads to show in what serious difficulties is today the teaching of mathematics. A remedy could be the learning of idiomatic competence.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished