DOCUMENT RESUME ED 472 091 SE 066 374 AUTHOR Simmt, Elaine, Ed.; Davis, Brent, Ed. Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group = Groupe Canadien TITLE d'Etude en Didactique des Mathematiques. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting (25th, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 25-29, 2001). INSTITUTION Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group. SPONS AGENCY Alberta Univ., Edmonton. Faculty of Education. PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 101p.; For individual plenary papers, see SE 066 375-376. Also supported by Imperial Oil National Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education and Department of Mathematics, University of Alberta. PUB TYPE Collected Works Proceedings (021) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Concept Formation; Curriculum Development; Elementary Secondary Education; Ethnomathematics; Foreign Countries; Instructional Development; *Mathematics Education; Mathematics Teachers; Professional Development; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Effectiveness IDENTIFIERS Canada ABSTRACT This document contains the proceedings of the 2001 annual meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) held at the University of Alberta, May 25-39, 2000. The proceedings consist of two plenary lectures, four working groups, five topic sessions, new Ph.D. reports, an AD Hoc Session, and panel discussions. Papers include: (1) "Mathematics in Action: A Challenge for Social Theorizing" (Ole Skovsmose); "Mathematics, A Living Discipline within Science and (2) Technology" (Christiane Rousseau); "Considering How Linear Algebra is (2) Taught and Learned" (Morris Orzech and Joel Hillel); (3) "Children's Proving" (Lynn Gordon Calvert, Vicki Zack, and Roberta Mura); "Inservice (4) Mathematics Teacher Education" (Douglas McDougall and Olive Chapman); (5) "Where Is the Mathematics?" (John Mason and Eric Muller); (6) "Professional Narratives in Mathematics Teacher Education" (Joao Pedro da Ponte); "From (7) Kindermath to Preservice Education: Some Connections with Content and Student Responses" (Ann Kajander); (8) "Mathematics and Literature I: Cross Fertilization" (Brett Stevens); (9) "Elementary Number Theory: (Some Issues in) Research and Pedagogy" (Rina Zazkis); (10) "Difficultes Liees aux Premiers Apprentissages en Theorie des Groupes" (Caroline Lajoie); "The (11) 'AHA Moment'" (Peter Liljedahl); (12) "Multicultural Math on the Menu" (Irene Percival); and (13) "David Wheeler Memorial Session" (Malgorzata Dubiel and David Pimm) . (KHR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. CANADIAN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION STUDY GROUP GROUPE CANADIEN D'ETUDE EN DIDACTIQUE DES MATHEMATIQUES PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY PROCEEDINGS 2001 ANNUAL MEETING TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) University of Alberta May 25 -29, 2001 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 616g document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. EDITED BY: Points of view or opinions stated in this Elaine Simmt, University of Alberta document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Brent Davis, University of Alberta REST r.nPv AVAILABLE CANADIAN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION STUDY GROUP GROUPE CANADIEN b'ETUDE EN DIDACTIQUE DES MATHEMATIQUES PROCEEDINGS 2001 ANNUAL MEETING University of Alberta May 25 29, 2001 EDITED BY: Elaine Simmt, University of Alberta Brent Davis, University of Alberta 25'h Annual Meeting Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group / Groupe Canadien d'Etude en Didactique des Mathematiques University of Alberta, 2001 PROCEEDINGS Table des matieres / Contents Acknowledgements v vii Schedule Introduction ix MALGORZATA DUBIEL PLENARY LECTURES Mathematics in Action: A Challenge for Social Theorising 3 OLE SKOVSMOSE Mathematics, A Living Discipline within Science and Technology 19 CHRISTIANE ROUSSEAU WORKING GROUPS A Considering How Linear Algebra is Taught and Learned MORRIS ORZECH 31 & JOEL HILLEL Children's Proving B LYNN GORDON CALVERT, VICKI 41 ZACK, & ROBERTA MURA Inservice Mathematics Teacher Education C DOUGLAS McDOUGALL 47 & OLIVE CHAPMAN D Where is the mathematics? JOHN MASON & ERIC MULLER 53 TOPIC SESSIONS Professional Narratives in Mathematics Teacher Education JOAO PEDRO DA PONTE 61 From Kindermath to Preservice Education: Some Connections with 67 ANN KAJANDER Content and Student Responses Mathematics and Literature I: Cross Fertilization 71 BRETT STEVENS 75 Elementary Number Theory: (Some Issues in) Research and Pedagogy RINA ZAZKIS 4 NEW PHD REPORT Difficultes liees aux premiers apprentissages en theorie des groupes 83 CAROLINE LAJOIE AD HOC SESSIONS The 'AHA Moment' 87 PETER LILJEDAHL Multicultural Math on the Menu 89 IRENE PERCIVAL SPECIAL SESSION David Wheeler Memorial Session 93 MALGORZATA DUBIEL & DAVID PIMM APPENDICES Working Groups at Each Annual Meeting A 97 Plenary Lectures at Each Annual Meeting 101 B Proceedings of Annual Meetings C 103 List of Participants D 105 5 Acknowledgements The Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group/ Groupe Canadien d'Etude en Didactique des Mathematiques wishes to acknowledge the financial support of the Impe- rial Oil National Centre for Mathematics Science and Technology Education, the Faculty of Education of the University of Alberta, and the Department of Mathematics of the Univer- sity of Alberta. The executive would like to thank the Department of Secondary Education, Univer- sity of Alberta for hosting the meeting and for providing excellent facilities. Special thanks to our hosts in Edmonton for making the local arrangements: Diane Boyko, Lynn Gordon Calvert, Renee Jackson, Rick Johnson, Mary Lee Judah, Peter McCarthy, Joyce Mgombelo, Immaculate Namukasa, Coreen Pangle, David Pimm, Sue Ratti, Elaine Simmt, Dave Wagner, and Brenda Wolodko. Finally, on behalf of our membership, we would like to thank the guest speakers, work- ing group leaders, topic group and ad hoc presenters, and all of the participants. You are the ones who made this meeting an intellectually stimulating and worthwhile experience. Supplementary materials to some of the contributions in these Proceedings are posted on the CMESG/GCEDM website (http: //www.cmesg.math.ca), maintained by David Reid. Schedule Monday Tuesday Sunday Friday Saturday May 29 May 28 May 27 May 26 May 25 9h00 -11h00 In memory of 09h00 - 12h15 09h00 - 12h15 09h00 - 12h15 David Wheeler AM Working Working Working Groups Groups Groups 11h30 - 12h30 Closing Session 12h15 - 13h30 12h15 - 13h30 12h15 - 13h30 Lunch 13h45 - 14h10 Small 13h45 - 14h45 13h45 - 14h10 13h30 - 15h00 discussion sion of Plenary II: Math Fair Small group Plenary II Rousseau discussion of Plenary I 14h15 - 15h15 15h30 - 16h15 Questions for Ted Lewis SE Rousseau 14h15 - 15h15 15h00 - 16h00 Andy Liu PM . Questions for Topic Groups Skovsmose 15h45 - 16h45 Ad hoc sessions 16h15 - 17h30 16h30 - 17h30 Registration/ 15h45 - 16h45 New PhDs Topic Groups Friends of FLM 17h00 - 18h00 Annual General Meeting 18h15 17h30 17h15 18h15 Supper Lister Hall BBQ Muttart Depart for downtown, Conservatory supper and theatre/ concert 20h00 - 21h00 Social Plenary I: Evening Skovsmose 21h00 Social Introduction Malgorzata Dubiel - President, CMESG/ GCEDM Simon Fraser University It is a great pleasure to write an introduction to the CMESG /GCEDM Proceedings from the 2001 meeting held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. A necessary part of the introduction to the CMESG/GCEDM Proceedings is an attempt to explain to readerssome of whom may be newcomers to our organizationthat the volume in their hands cannot possibly convey the spirit of the meeting it reports on. It can merely describe the content of activities without giving much of the flavour of the process. To understand this, one needs to understand the uniqueness of both our organization and our annual meetings. CMESG is an organization unlike other professional organizations. One belongs to it not because of who one is professionally, but because of one's interests. And that is why our members are members of mathematics and education departments at Canadian and other universities and colleges, and school teachers, united by their interest in mathematics and how it is taught at every level, by the desire to make teaching more exciting, more relevant, more meaningful. Our meetings are unique, too. One does not simply attend a CMESG / GCEDM meeting the way one attends other professional meetings, by coming to listen to a few chosen talks. You are immediately part of it; you live and breathe it. Working Groups form the core of each CMESG/GCEDM meeting. Participants choose one of several possible topics and, for three days, become members of a community that meets three hours a day to exchange ideas and knowledge. Through discussions that often continue beyond the allotted time, they create fresh knowledge and insights. Throughout the three days, the group becomes much more than a sum of its partsoften in ways totally unexpected to its leaders. The leaders, after working for months prior to the meeting, may see their carefully prepared plan ignored or put aside by the group, and a completely new picture emerge in its stead. Two plenary talks are traditionally part of the conference, at least one of which is given by a speaker invited from outside Canada, who brings a non-Canadian perspective. These speakers participate in the whole meeting; some of them afterwards become part of the Group. And, in the spirit of CMESG /GCEDM meetings, a plenary talk is not just a talk, but a mere beginning: it is followed by discussions in small groups, which prepare questions for the speaker. After the small group discussions, in a renewed plenary session, the speaker fields the questions generated by the groups. Topic Groups and Ad hoc presentations provide more possibilities for exchange of ideas and reflections. Shorter in duration than the Working Groups, Topic Groups are ses- sions where individual members present work in progress and often find inspiration and new insight from their colleagues' comments. Ad hoc sessions are opportunities to share ideas, which are often not even "half- baked"sometimes born during the very meeting at which they are presented. A tradi- tional part of each meeting is the recognition of new PhDs. Those who completed their dissertations in the last year are invited to speak on their work. This gives the group a wonderful opportunity to see the future of mathematics education in Canada. n Introduction CMESG/GCEDM Proceedings 2001 But the Edmonton meeting was also a look at our past. This was the first meeting since of our the death of David Wheeler, one of the founders of our organization, and the creator held journal, For the Learning of Mathematics. A special session in memory of David was Tuesday morning, with David's colleagues and students sharing their stories and remem- brances. "live" We are grateful to Ted Lewis and Andy Liu (pictured below), who demonstrated math fairs at local elementary schools for a math fair. Andy and Ted have been organizing the past several years. It was a great experience to be part of one and see the excitement and the pride of the students demonstrating their projects. Late night pizza runs have been a tradition of our meetings. After trying pizza in Edmonton, at least one reason for this became clear: Pizza is really good here. And, since so of Alberta, no wonder they many of our members have been students at the University learned the habit here. The 2001 was a memorable meeting, in large part thanks to the local organizers: Elaine Simmt and her team. In addition to the great program, the participants had the opportunity David Pimm to play a mean game of volleyball, attend a concert and hear our colleague math sing in the choir, visit the Muttart Conservatory and have a dinner there, at which puzzles were competing with food for our attention. Thanks, Elaine, for the great job! K1: .171110 ri MI Andy Liu, Ted Lewis, and a few of the Math Fair participants BEST COPY AVARLABLE Plenary Lectures 10