Research Outputs
Understanding perceptual change as a movement in literal and metaphorical sentences
Results of the studies on the way language and body coordinate in communication (through language and gesture) have significant implications for language, education, and cognitive studies. However, there is a lack of convenient research in this area analyzing perceptual changes within individuals. To fill this gap, we investigated the embodied realizations of literal sentences representing perceptual changes and metaphorical sentences describing the phenomena in terms of perceptual changes. We classified sentences that referred to a visual, auditory, haptic, gustatory, or olfactory change. Participants listened to four narratives that contained five literal sentences describing a real perceptual change and five metaphorical sentences that described a phenomenon in terms of a perceptual change. We analyzed the recorded videos of the participants. The total number of literal sentences that described a real perceptual change was obtained for each modality (visual, auditory, haptic, gustatory, olfactory) separately. Also, the total number of gestures used with each category of these literal statements was obtained. Only iconic and non-iconic gestures that described such perceptual changes as the movement of an object in the space were counted. The results revealed that gestures accompanied at least 53% of literal and 56% of metaphorical sentences. These results suggest that literal and metaphorical perceptual change sentences could be understood as movements at a conceptual level. The similarity between embodied realizations of literal and metaphorical sentences supports one of the main assumptions of the strong version of embodied cognition.
Primary school teachersā conceptions about the use of robotics in mathematics
Learning about the conceptions used by primary school teachers towards the use of robotics in class is essential as the first step towards its application in the classroom. Therefore, with the purpose of describing the understanding applied when teaching and learning mathematics use educational robots, research was conducted by means of mixed methods using a descriptive design by survey. Such research consisted of closed questions (Likert-type scale from 1 to 5) and open questions, given to 83 primary school teachers who currently teach students in the first years of school (First to Fourth grade) in two Chilean districts. The results showed that in general, there is a positive predisposition towards the addition of robots in the learning and teaching of mathematic processes during the first years of school, even though teachers claim there is a struggle to incorporate robots in their lessons due to the high number of students and the reduced space in their classrooms.
Guidelines to develop computational thinking using the Bee-bot robot from the literature
The recognition that the development of Computational Thinking (CT) has been achieved in the educational systems of different countries implies, in some cases, the challenge of integrating its development into mathematics lessons. Although various proposals address the development of CT in the early years of schooling, educational robotics emerges as an alternative. The Bee-Bot robot has been recognized as an appropriate resource for the development of this type of thinking at an early age. For carrying out this qualitative study 25 articles were selected, based on a systematic research literature review, and analyzed to provide didactic orientation for the integration of CT in mathematics lessons with the use of the Bee-Bot robot (or similar). For this purpose, a thematic analysis method was applied to the selected research articles, focusing on the didactic explanations and suggestions for using educational robots to develop computational thinking. The themes used to analyze the data are according to the six dimensions (epistemic, cognitive, interactional, mediational, affective and ecological) of the didactic suitability proposed by the Ontosemiotic approach. The analysis allowed us to classify twelve didactic orientations according to the dimensions. Four of the twelve orientations refer to the epistemic dimension; three to the cognitive dimension; two are related to the interactional dimension; one to the mediational dimension, one to the affective dimension and another to the ecological dimension.
Errors of programming and ownership of the robot concept made by trainee kindergarten teachers during an induction training
Computational thinking in the educational environment has awaken a rising interest, having been included as part of the curricula from the very beginnings of education. Programmable robots have become a valuable positive resource in order to succeed in the development of computational thinking, demanding proper training from kindergarten teachers and trainees in order to be able to teach robotic programming. This article has the purpose to 1) identify the frequent errors made by trainee kindergarten teachers when solving a series of robotic problems in a computational thinking module, which develops in the course of Didactics of Mathematics and 2) determine the level of comprehension of the robot concept acquired by the trainees when solving robotics problems. The research developed in a qualitative methodology manner; the data used for this article were collected through the solving of fve robotic problems and an open-ended question that had to be answered by each of the 25 participants individually. The results showed that, in general, the most frequent error appeared in problems in which movements were set in a Euclidean space of two dimensions. That is to say, the problemsā solving required a selection of diferent commands: turn, moving forward and/or backwards. Moreover, more than half of the participants who answered the open-ended question succeeded in owning the robot concept once they had solved the problems.
Concepciones del profesorado sobre la construcciĆ³n de conceptos matemĆ”ticos en contextos cotidianos
Antecedentes: Como importante es vincular las disciplinas a contextos reales, es necesario proponer estrategias de enseƱanza-aprendizaje basadas en situaciones diversas, dentro o fuera del campo matemĆ”tico. Este estudio considera estrategias y concepciones de enseƱanza en matemĆ”ticas contextuales utilizadas por profesores de educaciĆ³n bĆ”sica de la RegiĆ³n del Maule, Chile. Objetivos: Establecer creencias de profesores de educaciĆ³n bĆ”sica en esta RegiĆ³n, sobre el uso de contextos en procesos de enseƱanza y aprendizaje de las matemĆ”ticas. DiseƱo: De carĆ”cter mixto, considerando recolecciĆ³n de datos cuantitativos y cualitativos simultĆ”neamente. El diseƱo investigativo, de tipo descriptivo, utiliza preguntas cerradas y abiertas para recolectar los datos. Las preguntas cerradas, presentadas en una escala de Likert de 1 a 5, explorando cinco dimensiones relativas al tema matemĆ”tica en contexto fueron: 1) procesos, 2) habilidades y 3) contextualizaciĆ³n matemĆ”tica, 4) curriculum nacional y 5) condiciones favorables/desfavorables para trabajar en contexto. Contexto y Participantes: 99 docentes de educaciĆ³n primaria de la respectiva RegiĆ³n, que guĆan prĆ”cticas pedagĆ³gicas en matemĆ”ticas, de profesores de primaria en formaciĆ³n. RecopilaciĆ³n y anĆ”lisis de datos: Los datos cualitativos se agruparon en categorĆas de tipo deductivo considerando la literatura y las respuestas de los participantes. Resultados: Se destaca la valoraciĆ³n docente sobre las dimensiones cuantitativas y aspectos utilizados para construir conocimiento matemĆ”tico, pero tambiĆ©n las actividades tipo ejercicios, que relacionan mayoritariamente con conceptos matemĆ”ticos sobre nĆŗmeros y operaciones. Conclusiones: La prĆ”ctica matemĆ”tica en contextos es bien valorada por los profesores, pero aun no es asumida como estrategia adecuada para evaluar logros de aprendizaje.
Observation of Mathematics Classes with the Use of Robots: Design of an Instrument for Guiding Teacher Reflection
The advance of society and technological development have led governments to transform their public policies in various areas, with a particular focus on the education system. In this context, many countries have focused their efforts on raising educational quality standards, especially in the development of digital competencies. This has generated the need to modify school curricula, incorporating Computational Thinking (CT) in areas such as mathematics. Several researches highlight the importance of providing tools to teachers to design meaningful pedagogical strategies that integrate mathematical thinking with CP, implementing innovative teaching practices that favor the development of skills in students. In line with these demands, the present research aims to design an instrument for the observation of mathematics classes that incorporate the PC through the programming of robots, in order to guide teaching reflection. The study is situated within an interpretive paradigm, with a mixed approach, and validates the content from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. In conclusion, the instrument designed has proven to be a useful tool to guide teacher reflection, as it is structured in six key dimensions and has been validated in terms of clarity, coherence and relevance. However, the need was identified to add additional items to improve the sufficiency of some dimensions. Finally, a second validation process is suggested to ensure its reliability and applicability in different educational contexts.
Connecting statistics education and sustainability: Beliefs of Primary Education teachers
Currently, teachers are being challenged to integrate sustainability into school classrooms in various disciplines, and the statistics education is not immune to this trend. Against this backdrop, in this work we investigate the belief system of 11 Chilean primary education teachers who are active in statistics education and its links with sustainability. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using a qualitative methodology under an interpretive approach. The results show that teachers acknowledge the integration of statistics education and sustainability as a challenge, identifying as the most recurring topics their mastery of content and the development of skills.
Improvement of reflection on teaching practice in a training course that integrates the lesson study and criteria of didactical suitability
This article discusses a qualitative case study involving eight mathematics teachers in Brazil. The study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of a training course that combined Lesson Study and Criteria of Didactical Suitability in developing reflective competence in teachers. Lesson Study is a professional development strategy that encourages teachers to collaborate and reflect on their teaching practices, while Criteria of Didactical Suitability is a tool that guides teachersā reflection. The study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of Criteria of Didactical Suitability in enhancing reflection skills and to assess the participantsā perception of its usefulness. The analysis revealed that participating teachers improved their reflection skills, specifically by utilizing Criteria of Didactical Suitability more effectively in the third phase of the course. However, the study has limitations, such as being conducted virtually and in a specific context. Overall, this study highlights the potential of combining Lesson Study and Criteria of Didactical Suitability in developing reflective competence in teachers. Further research can explore the efficacy of this approach in different contexts.
Reflections of future kindergarten teachers on the design of a mathematical instruction process didactic sequences with the use of robots
The purpose of this study is to analyze the reflections of future kindergarten teachers when designing didactic sequences with the use of the bee-bot robot. A qualitative methodological design was followed to achieve this objective, collecting the data through a written record prepared by the participants from collaborative work. A total of 25 future teachers participated, forming six working groups. The data were analyzed with the content analysis technique, considering the criteria of didactic suitabilityāepistemic, cognitive, interactional, mediational, affective, and ecologicalāand their respective components. The results suggest that at the moment prior to the design of the didactic sequences, the reflections of the groups of future teachers are related only to some criteria, while, in the design of the proposed teaching and learning process, the units of analysis were related to all six criteria. With the results obtained, it is concluded that a future implementation and observation of the design of didactic sequences by the participants would allow the participants to consider more components of the criteria when reflecting. In addition, it is concluded that training that contemplates the criteria of didactic suitability, would also allow future teachers to deepen their reflections, guiding them with these tools.
Didactic-mathematical-computational knowledge of future teachers when solving and designing robotics problems
The social, scientific and technological development of recent years has encouraged the incorporation of computational thinking in the school curriculum of various countries progressively, starting from early childhood education. This research aims to characterize future kindergarten teachersā traits of didactic-mathematical and computational knowledge presented when solving and posing robotics problems. Firstly, aspects of the mathematical and computational knowledge of the participants (97 students of the subject of Didactics of Mathematics of the Degree in Early Childhood Education at a Spanish university) were identified when they solved problems as users of the Blue-Bot didactic robot. Secondly, we analyzed their justifications for reflecting on the design of robotics problems. The results indicate that future teachers present characteristics of didactic mathematical knowledge when solving and designing robotics problems, although errors and am- biguities are evident, especially in the procedures and representations of the programming. These shortcomings significantly influence the didactic suitability of the robotics problems they design. From a future perspective, in the training of future teachers, it is considered relevant to incorporate didactic-mathematical and computational knowledge that allows them to develop logical, spatial and computational thinking.