Counting on the Knowledge of Others: Rational Dependence in the Mathematics Classroom.

Mathematics Education;Information Literacy;Statistical Literacy;Disciplinary Literacy;Education;Social Sciences;Educational Studies

Erickson, Ander W.Moje, Elizabeth B. ;

University of Michigan

关键词: Mathematics Education;    Information Literacy;    Statistical Literacy;    Disciplinary Literacy;    Education;    Social Sciences;    Educational Studies;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/111429/aweric_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Rational dependence is the reasoned dependence on the expertise of others. This dissertation begins with the argument that if mathematics instruction is to help prepare students for the quantitative claims that they may expect to encounter in their everyday lives, then they need to be given the opportunity to develop rational dependence. In order to explore what happens when such opportunities are created, I collaborated with several teachers of quantitative literacy-focused undergraduate mathematics courses in order to introduce information-based problems, or those problems that require students to seek out and evaluate information sources outside of the classroom. I developed case studies for each location which informed cross-case observations about how these teachers used information-based problems. The resulting multiple case analysis allowed me to answer questions about whether and how opportunities for rational dependence arose in the context of such problems and what form the problems took as each of the teachers incorporated them into units on probability and statistics.My analysis of classroom work suggests that opportunities for rational dependence were associated with the way that teachers used information-based problems and, in particular, the structure of the academic tasks through which the problems were implemented. All of the teachers prioritized their students;; development of a critical stance towards quantitative claims over direct assessment of the credibility of sources.I also found that students in one of the classrooms were able to engage in sophisticated credibility assessment through dialogue with one another about the relative credibility of their sources. Other features of the classroom tasks that contributed to opportunities for rational dependence included (a) how students were held accountable for the sources that they found, (b) how the teachers operationalized their students’ development of a critical stance towards quantitative claims, and (c) the role that mathematics played in the tasks.The findings of this dissertation provide first steps towards developing ways of assessing opportunities for rational dependence available in the mathematics classroom.