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Methodological questions of digital teaching material development made in the subject of mathematics
25-41Views:37In the methodology of mathematics teaching, the selection and the manner of using applicable digital teaching materials appeared as a new element. As the number of digital teaching materials applicable in education is constantly increasing, their purposeful use is rarely discussed. In what areas digital teaching materials can be used in mathematics? What are the problems for which they could provide a solution? Shall we use them besides traditional solutions, or instead?
The authors of this article have had the opportunity to participate in projects aiming to develop digital learning materials on various occasions. During the implementation of the projects, they needed to make methodological compromises at various points.
In our article, we are seeking a more emphatic use of methodology belonging to digital teaching materials, drawing on the experiences of three implemented projects. Our aim is to draw the attention to the anomalies we found in the implementation of the projects, which must be taken into consideration in new developments already at the planning stage. -
Methods of teaching programming
247-257Views:47Programming methodology is one of the oldest fields of IS education, and thus various methods have evolved for its teaching. While some of them could be used effectively in primary or secondary education, others are more suited for students in higher education. The methods themselves determine the structure and curricula of courses such as Programming methodology, Data types and algorithms, Programming technology. -
New style in teaching word processing
417-426Views:31Teaching word processing is confined to looking through some menus and showing some functions of a word processor program, although technology presents just a small part of forming layouts. This fact causes that people who are writing documents spend a lot of time by trying to form, e.g., title pages or inner pages.
The present paper deals with a design of an online course on word processing that fits better the needs of many users. The online course is designed for teaching (LA)TEX by leading the students to the technical issues of the typesetting system through layout and grammar rules: demonstrates the most important basic recommendations of typography and grammar rules through samples, and shows how to program the currently displayed layout in the (LA)TEX programming languages. This methodology suits better the common working habit, and can be a useful help in word processing documents. -
Teaching polygons in the secondary school: a four country comparative study
29-65Views:38This study presents the analysis of four sequences of videotaped lessons on polygons in lower secondary schools (grades 7 and 8) taught by four different teachers in four different countries (Belgium, Flanders, England, Hungary and Spain). Our study is a part of the METE project (Mathematics Educational Traditions in Europe). The aims and methodology of the project are described briefly in the introduction. In the next section of this paper we describe various perspectives on teaching and learning polygons which were derived from the literature, concerning the objectives, conceptual aspects and didactic tools of the topic. The next two sections introduce the main outcomes of our study, a quantitative analysis of the collected data and a qualitative description linked to the perspectives on teaching polygons. We conclude by discussing some principal ideas related to the theoretical and educational significance of this research work. -
Teaching correlation and regression in three European countries
161-183Views:73In this article, we compare the presence of correlation and regression analysis in secondary education of Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, through the analysis of final-exam tasks and curricula based on the Anthropological Theory of Didactics (ATD). It points out that the same topic can appear in different ways and extent in curricula, even if the mathematics teaching goals are similar. This article is a kind of introduction to the research that explores the possibilities for the appearance of these concepts in the Hungarian mathematics education. Therefore, in the second part of the article, Hungarian curricular goals are included, and it is shown which methodology of the three studied countries has the greatest curricular basis in Hungary.
Subject Classification: 97xxx
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Integrating Didactic Games in Higher Education: Benefits and Challenges
1-15Views:448In our paper, we study the reasons for the introduction of didactic games and the way of their application in higher education, especially in teaching mathematics. After describing the main characteristics and needs of Generation Z students, we outline the advantages and drawbacks of gamification and game-based learning, followed by some new aspects to their classification. The idea of device-based grouping arose because the most commonly used methods require IC tools. Gen Zs naturally accept gamified learning materials available on digital and mobile platforms, but we must not forget about traditional games either. In higher education, especially in the case of small-group teaching there should also be room for traditional, specialized didactic games, of which we focus on the benefits of card games.
Subject Classification: 97C70, 97D20, 97D40, 97U70
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Mechanisms for teaching introductory programming using active learning
407-421Views:27One of the requirements of teaching introductory programming to students whose branch of learning is engineering or science is bridging the gap between in-class lectures and real-world applications. Traditional passive approaches to lecturing often focus on the syntax of a language with little or no discussion of the process involved in using the language to design algorithms to solve real-world problems. One way of overcoming the limitations of traditional lecturing is by tailoring lectures towards becoming more student-oriented, a pedagogical methodology known as active learning. This paper explores mechanisms for implementing active learning in introductory programming courses in computer science. -
Nice tiling, nice geometry!?!
269-280Views:38The squared papers in our booklets, or the squared (maybe black and white) pavements in the streets arise an amusing problem: How to deform the side segments of the square pattern, so that the side lines further remain equal (congruent) to each other? More precisely, we require that each congruent transformation of the new pattern, mapping any deformed side segment onto another one, leaves the whole (infinitely extended) pattern invariant (unchanged).
It turns out that there are exactly 14 types of such edge-transitive (or so-called isotoxal) quadrangle tilings, sometimes with two different forms (e.g. black and white) of quadrangles (see Figure 2). Such a collection of tiling can be very nice, perhaps also useful for decorative pavements in streets, in flats, etc.
I shall sketch the solution of the problem that leads to fine (and important) mathematical concepts (as barycentric triangulation of a polygonal tiling, adjacency operations, adjacency matrix, symmetry group of a tiling, D-symbol, etc). All these can be discussed in an enjoyable way, e.g. in a special mathematical circle of a secondary school, or in more elementary form as visually attractive figures in a primary school as well.
My colleague, István Prok [11] developed an attractive computer program on the Euclidean plane crystallographic groups with a nice interactive play (for free download), see our Figures 3-5.
A complete classification of such Euclidean plane tilings (not only with quadrangles) can be interesting for university students as well, hopefully also for the Reader (Audience). This is why I shall give some references, where you find also other ones.
Further problems indicate the efficiency of this theory now. All these demonstrate the usual procedure of mathematics and the (teaching) methodology as well: We start with a concrete problem, then extend it further, step-by-step by creating new manipulations, concepts and methods. So we get a theory at certain abstraction level. Then newer problems arise, etc.
This paper is an extended version of the presentation and the conference paper [7]. The author thanks the Organizers, especially their head Professor Margita Pavlekovic for the invitation, support and for the kind atmosphere of the conference. -
Longest runs in coin tossing. Teaching recursive formulae, asymptotic theorems and computer simulations
261-274Views:38The coin tossing experiment is studied, focusing on higher education. The length of the longest head run can be studied by asymptotic theorems ([3]), by recursive formulae ([10]) or by computer simulations . In this work we make a comparative analysis of recursive formulas, asymptotic results and Monte Carlo simulation for education. We compare the distribution of the longest head run and that of the longest run (i.e. the longest pure heads or pure tails) studying fair coin events. We present a method that helps to understand the concepts and techniques mentioned in the title, which can be a useful didactic tool for colleagues teaching in higher education. -
Motivating students with projects encompassing the whole duration of their studies
165-180Views:24Based on my ten years of teaching experience at the University of Debrecen, I can say that students majoring Software Information Technology BSc have to face a number of difficulties during their studies. I think these difficulties root from two main problems: students are unmotivated and cannot sense the coherence between the knowledge acquired in the various courses. This paper tries to give some alleviation to both of these problems by the idea of introducing some long-term projects to students, which they can work on throughout their studies, dealing with a particular aspect of the projects in each course. -
Teaching agile operation and leadership through linked university courses
1-32Views:100Agile software development methods, especially Scrum, are commonly used in software development companies. For this reason, our goal was that our undergraduate students gain experience as Scrum development team members and our master's students as agile leaders. To this end, we had redesigned and linked an undergraduate and a master's course, and launched the new course in the spring of 2021. The success of our approach was confirmed by a questionnaire survey of 86 undergraduate and 27 master's students. A/B testing was also performed. Our approach is a novelty compared to solutions where the Scrum Master is a course member, an instructor, or a university employee. In addition to being resource-efficient, it also offers master's students an unparalleled opportunity to develop agile leadership skills.
Subject Classification: 97U50
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On the psychology of mathematical problem solving by gifted students
289-301Views:33This paper examines the nature of mathematical problem solving from a psychological viewpoint as a sequence of mental steps. The scope is limited to solution processes for well defined problems, for instance, which occur at International Mathematical Olympiads. First the meta-mathematical background is outlined in order to present problem solving as a well defined search problem and hence as a discovery process. Solving problems is described as a sequence of elementary steps of the so called "relationship-vision" introduced here. Finally, non-procedural aspects of the psychology of problem solving are summarized, such as the role of persistence, teacher-pupil relationship, the amount of experience needed, self-confidence and inspiration at competitions. -
Young women's barriers to choose IT and methods to overcome them - A case study from Hungary
77-101Views:175Women's scarcity in the STEM, especially in the IT sector is pronouncedly evident. Young women are obstructed from entering and remaining in IT by a broad range of social, educational, and labor market factors. In our paper, we would like to analyze the main barriers girls face in choosing IT, while also proposing potential methods to help them overcome these obstacles. In the second part of the paper, we will present a case study to illustrate in detail how the combination of the above methods can be put into practice to address and tackle the complex set of barriers girls face. We will first introduce a Hungarian annual program, Girls' Day ("Lányok napja"), specifically aimed to promote STEM to girls, then we will present two specific events organized for the 2020 edition of the program and designed with the above principles in mind. The interactive presentation, exposing girls to female role models of the field in a gamified way, and a game development exercise, building Scratch programming skills, have attempted to provide young women both with positive perspectives and experiences in IT, which are instrumental in helping them to surmount entrenched obstacles and raise their interest in the field.
Subject Classification: 97P10, 97U30