To investigate mechanisms of failure in mathematics, we adopt the communicational approach to cognition, which describes thinking as an activity of communication and learning mathematics as an initiation to a certain type of discourse. In... more
To investigate mechanisms of failure in mathematics, we adopt the communicational approach to cognition, which describes thinking as an activity of communication and learning mathematics as an initiation to a certain type of discourse. In the search for ...
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In this paper, we describe the process of students' self-assessment of their creativity and its development in the context of posing mathematical problems, presuming that such a process would support the development of their... more
In this paper, we describe the process of students' self-assessment of their creativity and its development in the context of posing mathematical problems, presuming that such a process would support the development of their creativity. Examination of two case studies reveals that self-assessment of creativity may support its development provided that one possesses specific personal recourses; however, this process might suppress the creativity of those lacking the needed resources. Therefore, we suggest that self-assessment of creativity cannot stand on its own, and should be supplemented by teachers' feedback or other environmental 'scaffolding'.
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... The relevant abstract method is for salary calculation. Figure 1 depicts the three levels of the taxonomy. ... salary calculation, and of course also fulfilling the lower levels of the taxonomy. As can be seen by the number of... more
... The relevant abstract method is for salary calculation. Figure 1 depicts the three levels of the taxonomy. ... salary calculation, and of course also fulfilling the lower levels of the taxonomy. As can be seen by the number of students that did it, it was the most difficult task. ...
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One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires... more
One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires decomposition and reconstruction of problems in order to model software classes. The common attributes and behaviors are usually modeled using class inheritance except when
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The present study presents an example of a situation in which university students had to solve geometrical problems which were presented to them in a dynamic version. In the process of solving the problem, the students used ten different... more
The present study presents an example of a situation in which university students had to solve geometrical problems which were presented to them in a dynamic version. In the process of solving the problem, the students used ten different solution strategies which were classified into three main categories: distracting, reducing and confusing. One student group had to solve the same
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... The case of 'Morgan's theorem'made Ruth to temporarily distract from her existing classroom norms and to open her mind to the thought that if a young ... This situation resulted in a retreat to her pre-existing beliefs... more
... The case of 'Morgan's theorem'made Ruth to temporarily distract from her existing classroom norms and to open her mind to the thought that if a young ... This situation resulted in a retreat to her pre-existing beliefs (Foss & Kleinsasser, 1996), and enabled her to justify her failure. ...
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This paper presents a description of the different types of arguments that emerged as two students, working in a computerized environment, engaged in an investigation of several number theory concepts. The emerging arguments are seen as a... more
This paper presents a description of the different types of arguments that emerged as two students, working in a computerized environment, engaged in an investigation of several number theory concepts. The emerging arguments are seen as a result of the influence of the computerized environment together with collaborative learning. Using qualitative research methods, data are analyzed to show how the
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As higher education opens up to a wider population, we witness more incoming students that lack necessary.
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The aim of the study was to assess the professional growth of third year pre-service mathematics teachers (PST) during and after the implementation of a computerized project-based-learning (CPBL) approach into a didactical course. For... more
The aim of the study was to assess the professional growth of third year pre-service mathematics teachers (PST) during and after the implementation of a computerized project-based-learning (CPBL) approach into a didactical course. For this purpose we implemented an integrated tool - class discussion and portfolio. From the portfolios we could learn about the theoretical image of the ' good
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Recent reforms in mathematics education have increased the need for teachers to attend professional development programs. In order to motivate teachers to attend such programs and to maximize their effect on teachers’ development, we... more
Recent reforms in mathematics education have increased the need for teachers to attend professional development programs. In order to motivate teachers to attend such programs and to maximize their effect on teachers’ development, we believe it is important to adapt the contents of such programs to teachers’ perceived needs. The current study was designed to explore the professional needs of
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In this paper there is a characterization of the arguments emerged while two 7th grade students were engaged in an investigation of several number theory concepts in a computerized environment. These emerging arguments were a result of... more
In this paper there is a characterization of the arguments emerged while two 7th grade students were engaged in an investigation of several number theory concepts in a computerized environment. These emerging arguments were a result of the influence of the computerized environment together with the collaborative learning. Using the qualitative research methods, data is brought to show how the
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ABSTRACT People who discover the power and beauty of high-level, abstract ideas often make the mistake of believing that concrete ideas at lower levels are relatively worthless and might as well be forgotten. The speaker will argue that,... more
ABSTRACT People who discover the power and beauty of high-level, abstract ideas often make the mistake of believing that concrete ideas at lower levels are relatively worthless and might as well be forgotten. The speaker will argue that, on the contrary, the ...
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Starting in a well known theorem concerning medians of triangle and using the 'What If Not?' strategy, we describe an example of an activity in which some relations among segments and areas in triangle were revealed. Some of the... more
Starting in a well known theorem concerning medians of triangle and using the 'What If Not?' strategy, we describe an example of an activity in which some relations among segments and areas in triangle were revealed. Some of the relations were proved by means of Affine Geometry.
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The task of finding a regular polygon internal angle can be explored by students from middle school to college and beyond. This task can be investigated in many different ways from which it is possible to learn more about various... more
The task of finding a regular polygon internal angle can be explored by students from middle school to college and beyond. This task can be investigated in many different ways from which it is possible to learn more about various properties of basic geometrical shapes such as triangles, quadrangles, and regular polygons. The study presented here is aimed at characterizing
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Research shows that most training programs aimed at qualifying pre-service teachers (PST) have a slight influence on their beliefs regarding learning and teaching. In order to understand the reasons of this phenomenon we asked our PST to... more
Research shows that most training programs aimed at qualifying pre-service teachers (PST) have a slight influence on their beliefs regarding learning and teaching. In order to understand the reasons of this phenomenon we asked our PST to write a portfolio while experiencing learning via a computerized-project-based-learning (CPBL) approach. Analysis of the PST' s portfolio raised two main possible reasons for
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As higher education opens up to a wider population, we witness more incoming students that lack necessary skills for using information and communication tools effectively. We suggest various ways to define, assess, and develop such... more
As higher education opens up to a wider population, we witness more incoming students that lack necessary skills for using information and communication tools effectively. We suggest various ways to define, assess, and develop such skills. In this study, we concentrate on another facet; we examined students' retrospective subjective perceptions regarding various effects of an ICT-literacy course. Analysis of the
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ABSTRACT People who discover the power and beauty of high-level, abstract ideas often make the mistake of believing that concrete ideas at lower levels are relatively worthless and might as well be forgotten. The speaker will argue that,... more
ABSTRACT People who discover the power and beauty of high-level, abstract ideas often make the mistake of believing that concrete ideas at lower levels are relatively worthless and might as well be forgotten. The speaker will argue that, on the contrary, the ...
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The study describes the kinds of problems posed by pre-service teachers on the basis of complex solid geometry tasks using the “what if not?” strategy and the educational value of such an activity. Twenty-eight pre-service teachers... more
The study describes the kinds of problems posed by pre-service teachers on the basis of complex solid geometry tasks using the “what if not?” strategy and the educational value of such an activity. Twenty-eight pre-service teachers participated in two workshops in which they had to pose problems on the basis of given problems. Analysis of the posed problems revealed a wide range of problems including those containing a change of one of the numerical data to another specific one, to a proof problem. Different kinds of posed problems enlightened some phenomena such as a bigger frequency of posed problems with another numerical value and a lack of posed problems including formal generalization. We also discuss the educational strengths of problem posing in solid geometry using the “what if not?” strategy, which could make the learner rethink the geometrical concepts he uses while creating new problems, make connections between the given and the new concepts and as a result deepen his u...
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One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires... more
One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires decomposition and reconstruction of problems in order to model software classes. The common attributes and behaviors are usually modeled using class inheritance except when
Research Interests:
... The relevant abstract method is for salary calculation. Figure 1 depicts the three levels of the taxonomy. ... salary calculation, and of course also fulfilling the lower levels of the taxonomy. As can be seen by the number of... more
... The relevant abstract method is for salary calculation. Figure 1 depicts the three levels of the taxonomy. ... salary calculation, and of course also fulfilling the lower levels of the taxonomy. As can be seen by the number of students that did it, it was the most difficult task. ...