The National Mathematics Advisory Panel conducted a systematic and rigorous review of the best available scientific evidence for the teaching and learning of mathematics and provided recommendations that lay out concrete steps to improve mathematics education, with a specific focus on preparation for learning algebra.
Questions like the following illustrate the scope of the Panel’s inquiry:
• What is the essential content of school algebra and what do children need to know
before starting to study it?
• What is known from research about how children learn mathematics?
• What is known about the effectiveness of instructional practices and materials?
• How can we best recruit, prepare, and retain effective teachers of mathematics?
• How can we make assessments of mathematical knowledge more accurate and more
useful?
• What do practicing teachers of algebra say about the preparation of students whom
they receive into their classrooms and about other relevant matters?
• What are the appropriate standards of evidence for the Panel to use in drawing
conclusions from the research base?
Each of five task groups carried out a detailed analysis of the available evidence in a
major area of the Panel’s responsibility: Conceptual Knowledge and Skills, Learning
Processes, Instructional Practices, Teachers and Teacher Education, and Assessment. Each of three subcommittees was charged with completion of a particular advisory function for the Panel: Standards of Evidence, Instructional Materials, and the Panel-commissioned National Survey of Algebra Teachers. Each task group and subcommittee produced a report, all of which are compiled here in this document.
Complete report:
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/report/final-report.pdf
School performance and body weight affects kids' self-esteem, study shows
It's well known that within the adult population body weight and self esteem are very much inter related. But until now, the same wasn't known about children's healthy body weight and its relationship with a positive self-image. Paul Veugelers has changed that.
The University of Alberta researcher recently surveyed nearly 5,000 Grade 5 students in Nova Scotia, asked questions about self-esteem, measured height and weight and linked the results with the standardized provincial exam results.
His findings show that, like adults, body weight affects a child's self-esteem, but contrary to many adults, low self-esteem doesn't lead to weight gain. The results also show that school performance affects self-esteem, but it didn't go the other way; if students had low self-esteem they still managed to perform well in class. Veugelers study also shows that healthy eating and physical activity has a positive effect on school performance.
His research appeared in the November edition of Obesity Reviews.
School-based physical activity: Has benefits even if it doesn't help lose weight
School-based health and exercise programs have positive outcomes despite having little effect on children's weight or the amount of exercise they do outside of school, say Cochrane Researchers who carried out a systematic review of studies on physical activity programs in schools.
The research shows that school-based programs increased the time children spent exercising and reduced the time spent watching television. Programs also reduced blood cholesterol levels and improved fitness – as measured by lung capacity. However, programs made little impact on weight, blood pressure or leisure time activities.
Physical inactivity is a key factor behind 1.9 million deaths every year and almost a quarter of all cases of coronary heart disease. People who are overweight as children are more likely to develop heart disease as adults. Exercise helps to maintain a healthy weight, yet studies show most children do not do enough exercise to give any health benefit. The World Health Organisation has identified schools as important settings for promotion of physical activity among children.
The researchers reviewed data from 26 studies of physical activity promotion programs in schools in Australia, South America, Europe and North America. Most studies tried to encourage children to exercise by explaining the health benefits and changing the school curriculum to include more physical activity for children during school hours. Programs included teacher training, educational materials and providing access to fitness equipment.
"Given that there are at least some beneficial effects, we would recommend that schools continue their health promotion programs. These activities should also be supported by public health unit staff, and parents and teachers as positive role models," says lead researcher, Maureen Dobbins, who works at the School of Nursing at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
Dobbins believes that schools should make spaces in their timetables to create environments that encourage pupils to engage in physical activity each day as well as having an ethos that encourages increased duration of moderate to vigorous activity each week. "Schools have great opportunities to help pupils learn how to promote health and minimise the risk of acquiring a chronic disease. Providing a healthy structure to their day should enable them to develop healthier lifestyles that may track in adulthood," she says.
She also suggests an explanation for why some programs often don't improve physical health measures such as weight and blood pressure. "Physical activity classes may be too closely associated with school work, so for some students this makes them feel like they are being made to do more work. Perhaps the key is to promote physical activity by getting children and adolescents to 'play' in ways that promote better fitness levels, while at the same time represent fun and adventurous activities," says Dobbins.
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