Unit name | Professional Development through Collaborative Working on an Issue in Mathematics Education |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM5305 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
Unit director | Professor. Brown |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit involves participants identifying an issue in mathematics education to investigate through an action research process with support from the university tutor and a collaborative group of other students.
Aims:
After taking this unit, the student should demonstrate that they:
Participants will be part-time students and mathematics teachers in local schools. Activities are given such as the keeping of a research diary to support participants in identifying their issue to be worked on as part of the process of action research, with discussion in early sessions of how to approach, monitor and evaluate stages of the action research process.
In university-based sessions members of the group will:
There is also a school-based visit by the group leader acting as a critical friend.
A portfolio of:
The assignment can be presented as the set of these formative papers written over the two terms documenting development or be presented as a continuous piece of summative reflective writing of about 4,000 words.
The key texts for the MEd in Mathematics Education are the international research journals found in the Graduate School of Education Library:
The following list supports the development of research skills:
Altrichter, H, Posch, P & Somekh, B (1993) Teachers Investigate their Work: An Introduction to the Methods of Action Research, Routledge
Brown, A & Dowling, P (1998) Doing Research/Reading Research, a Mode of Interrogation for Education, Falmer
Brown, S & McIntyre, D (1993) Making Sense of Teaching, Open University Press
Hammersley, M (1990) Classroom Ethnography, Open University Press
Jaworski, B (ed) (1992) Develop your Teaching, The Mathematical Association in collaboration with Stanley Thornes
Pimm, D (ed.) (1988) Mathematics, teachers and children, Hodder and Stoughton in association with the Open University
Pimm, D and Love, E (eds) (1991) Teaching and Learning School Mathematics, Hodder and Stoughton
(Other books will be recommended when the issues have been decided on.)