Workshops: An overview
From 2003, Workshops may be offered in timeslots that are parallel
with the SIGs. The content of these should relate
closely to the aims
of MERGA. Workshops are NOT opportunities for people to deliver papers. Any
individual presentations must be of less than ten minutes. Group discussions
with sharing of thoughts and experiences (e.g. on writing for journals or
on organising for engaging lectures), focused work on a resource (such as
analysis of a transcript applying a particular learning theory), or a lesson
using a resource (e.g. on use of EndNote software or on managing large thesis
documents) are all appropriate formats.
The number of Workshop slots offered at any conference will
vary. The length of timeslots also varies. They may be run in dedicated timeslots
or in parallel with other types of presentations. Before planning activities,
please check the program to see how many sessions have been allocated and
how long each one is. It is not necessary for any Workshop to use all of the
timeslots allocated to these, so please make it clear in a proposal which
of the slots will be used.
If a workshop is continuing an on-going conversation or a task
(such as work on a book), and hence will not be appropriate for new participants,
this should also be made clear in the proposal.
Proposing a Workshop
The offering of Workshops is co-ordinated by the Vice
President (Conferences). Each year, calls for expressions of interest
are made in the second conference announcement and in a separate email message
to MERGA members. People willing to coordinate a Workshop should email to
the VP(Conferences) an abstract of up to 250 words, outlining the Workshop's:
-
title
-
aims or focus
- intended activity for the conference slot
- whether you are intending to use one or more of the timeslots
that have been allocated to SIGs and workshops
- whether new participants are welcome of whether membership
is restricted to people already engaged in the on-going work of the group.
The closing date for proposals is one month after the due date for Research Papers
Workshops
| Workshop |
Co-ordinator |
|
Fostering Algebraic Thinking in K-6 Mathematics
with Excel
In recent times the generation, description and replication
of patterns and relations have emerged as core activities in K-6 mathematics
and beyond. This aspect of working mathematically is emphasised in the
new K-6 mathematics syllabus (NSW Board of Studies, 2002) and other reform-based
curriculum documents.
This workshop will attempt to demonstrate how electronic spreadsheets
such as Excel can be used to encourage young children search for, create
and record patterns within thenumber strand.
Participants will develop learning activities within an Excel environment
that draw on children’s pre-algebra concepts.
|
Convenor: Mohan Chinnappan
|
|
Subjective Reality? Exploring Classroom Data.
Previous work (Breen 2001) has supported the enactivist position that
reality is not a given but perceiver dependent. Enactivism (see for example
Maturana and Varela (1986) and Varela, Thompson and Rosch (1991)) maintains
that this is not because the perceiver “constructs” it as s/he
pleases, but because what counts as a relevant world is inseparable from
the structure of the perceiver. In addition, our efforts to understand
the world are better thought of in terms of interpreting our own perceptions
and patterns of acting within a dynamic context than in terms of coming
to know that context as independent of our participation.
What are the implications of these ideas for researchers working with
classroom data? The workshop will attempt to explore the topic further
by inviting participants to work with a piece of videotaped classroom
interaction in different ways. Each activity will attempt to uncover different
layers of the participants’ structure with a view to understanding
both the research and the practitioner process in more depth.
Time slot: 1 x 95 minutes
|
Convenor: Chris Breen
References:
Breen, C. (2001). Researching Teaching: Telling the hole’d
truth and nothing but my truth. In A. Rogerson (ed.) Proceedings of the
International Conference of the Mathematics Education into the 21st Century
Project, Palm Cove, Australia, August 2001.
Maturana, H and F. Varela (1986) The Tree of Knowledge. Shambhala: New
York
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E. and Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive
science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: The Press MIT.
|
|
Embedding mathematics in an online international
preparatory program: striving for best practice results from a pilot study
|
Convenor: Linda Galligan
|
| 
