ERIC Number: EJ1026325
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-9033
EISSN: N/A
Discussing Virtual Tools that Simulate Probabilities: What Are the Middle School Teachers' Concerns?
Savard, Annie; Freiman, Viktor; Theis, Laurent; Larose, Fançois
McGill Journal of Education, v48 n2 p403-423 2013
Mathematics teachers, researchers and specialists in educational technology from Quebec, Canada developed virtual tools that make interactive simulations of games of chance. These tools were presented to a group of teachers from New Brunswick through workshops and they then got to test and validate them with their students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with groups of teachers following the experimentation with the tools. Results show an appreciation of the rich educational potential the virtual tools bring and the pedagogical scenarios that come with them. Participants suggest that working with simulators would increase students' motivation and deepen their conceptual understanding of concepts that are otherwise hard to grasp, But they however lack professional development on how to teach probability and they need techno-pedagogical and didactical follow-ups.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Middle School Teachers, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Interactive Video, Computer Simulation, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Teachers, French, Teaching Methods, Student Motivation, Probability, Workshops, Group Discussion, Games, Alignment (Education), Curriculum Development
McGill Journal of Education. McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada. Tel: 514-398-4246; Fax: 514-398-4529; Web site: http://mje.mcgill.ca
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A