The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics

In October 1997 we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Institute for Mathematics and Informatics (IMI) of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Sofia University

The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is briefly presented as an educational and research institution. The possible contribution of FMI to KT-DigiCULT-BG project is analyzed.

Financial Education Through Mathematics and IT Curricula: Pocket Money Management

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013

Digitization of Old Mathematical Periodicals Published by the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The digitization practice for retro-converting of the mathematical periodicals, published by the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IMI-BAS) and the followed benefits for long-term preserving and assuring open access to these materials is discussed in the article.

The development of a semantic model for the interpretation of mathematics including the use of technology

The semantic model developed in this research was in response to the difficulty a group of mathematics learners had with conventional mathematical language and their interpretation of mathematical constructs. In order to develop the model ideas from linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, formal languages and natural language processing were investigated. This investigation led to the identification of four main processes: the parsing process, syntactic processing, semantic processing and conceptual processing. The model showed the complex interdependency between these four processes and provided a theoretical framework in which the behaviour of the mathematics learner could be analysed. The model was then extended to include the use of technological artefacts into the learning process. To facilitate this aspect of the research, the theory of instrumentation was incorporated into the semantic model. The conclusion of this research was that although the cognitive processes were interdependent, they could develop at different rates until mastery of a topic was achieved. It also found that the introduction of a technological artefact into the learning environment introduced another layer of complexity, both in terms of the learning process and the underlying relationship between the four cognitive processes.

On the implementation of a Laboratory of Digital Television according to the ISDB-Tb standard

Este artículo resume el proceso de implementación del Laboratorio de Televisión Digital (DTV) de la Universidad de Cuenca, que surge como un entorno confiable de experimentación e investigación que hace uso de las características asociadas al estándar ISDB-Tb adoptado por Ecuador en el año 2010 para la transmisión de señales de televisión abierta. El objetivo de este artículo es documentar los aspectos que se han considerado para simular un escenario real en el que un Transport Stream (TS) formado por contenido audiovisual y aplicaciones interactivas, primero se genera, para luego transmitirse a través del canal de comunicaciones, y finalmente ser recibido en una televisión con receptor ISDB-Tb. Así, se facilita el desarrollo y la experimentación de nuevos servicios aprovechando el nuevo formato de DTV.

O processo ensino-aprendizagem-avaliação de geometria através da resolução de problemas: perspectivas didático-matemáticas na formação inicial de professores de matemática

Pós-graduação em Educação Matemática - IGCE

A conceptual framework for the cultural integration of cooperative learning : a Thai primary mathematics education perspective

The Thailand education reform adopted cooperative learning to improve the quality of education. However, it has been reported that the introduction and maintenance of cooperative learning has been difficult and uncertain because of the cultural differences. The study proposed a conceptual framework developed based on making a connection between Thai cultures and cooperative learning elements, and implemented a small-scale research project in a Thai primary mathematics class with a teacher and thirty-two Grade 4 students. The results uncovered that the three components including preparation of teachers, instructional strategies and preparation of students can be vehicles for the culture integration in cooperative learning.

Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education [3rd Ed.]

"This third edition ofthe Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent theoretical and practical developments in the field of mathematics education. Authored by an array of internationally recognized scholars and edited by Lyn English and David Kirshner, this collection brings together overviews and advances in mathematics education research spanning established and emerging topics, diverse workplace and school environments, and globally representative research priorities. New perspectives are presented on a range of critical topics including embodied learning, the theory-practice divide, new developments in the early years, educating future mathematics education professors, problem solving in a 21st century curriculum, culture and mathematics learning, complex systems, critical analysis of design-based research, multimodal technologies, and e-textbooks. Comprised of 12 revised and 17 new chapters, this edition extends the Handbook’s original themes for international research in mathematics education and remains in the process a definitive resource for the field."--Publisher website

The impact of integrated programming on student attitude and achievement in grade 9 academic mathematics and science

This research studioo the effect of integrated instruction in mathematics and~ science on student achievement in and attitude towards both mathematics and science. A group of grade 9 academic students received instruction in both science and mathematics in an integrated program specifically developed for the purposes of the research. This group was compared to a control group that had received science and mathematics instruction in a traditional, nonintegrated program. The findings showed that in all measures of attitude, there was no significant difference between the students who participated in the integrated science and mathematics program and those who participated in a traditional science and mathematics program. The findings also revealed that integration did improve achievement on some of the measures used. The performance on mathematics open-ended problem-solving tasks improved after participation in the integrated program, suggesting that the integrated students were better able to apply their understanding of mathematics in a real-life context. The performance on the final science exam was also improved for the integrated group. Improvement was not noted on the other measures, which included EQAO scores and laboratory practical tasks. These results raise the issue of the suitability of the instruments used to gauge both achievement and attitude. The accuracy and suitability of traditional measures of achievement are considered. It is argued that they should not necessarily be used as the measure of the value of integrated instruction in a science and mathematics classroom.

A Model of a Diagnostic Test for Controlling the Results of a Computer Based Education in Applied Mathematics at the University of Ruse

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2015

A Didactic Model of Computer Supported Education in Higher Mathematics

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2016

Integrating concrete and virtual materials in an elementary mathematics classroom : a case study of success with fractions

This paper describes an approach to introducing fraction concepts using generic software tools such as Microsoft Office's PowerPoint to create "virtual" materials for mathematics teaching and learning. This approach replicates existing concrete materials and integrates virtual materials with current non-computer methods of teaching primary students about fractions. The paper reports a case study of a 12-year-old student, Frank, who had an extremely limited understanding of fractions. Frank also lacked motivation for learning mathematics in general and interacted with his peers in a negative way during mathematics lessons. In just one classroom session involving the seamless integration of off-computer and on-computer activities, Frank acquired a basic understanding of simple common equivalent fractions. Further, he was observed as the session progressed to be an enthusiastic learner who offered to share his learning with his peers. The study's "virtual replication" approach for fractions involves the manipulation of concrete materials (folding paper regions) alongside the manipulation of their virtual equivalent (shading screen regions). As researchers have pointed out, the emergence of new technologies does not mean old technologies become redundant. Learning technologies have not replaced print and oral language or basic mathematical understanding. Instead, they are modifying, reshaping, and blending the ways in which humankind speaks, reads, writes, and works mathematically. Constructivist theories of learning and teaching argue that mathematics understanding is developed from concrete to pictorial to abstract and that, ultimately, mathematics learning and teaching is about refinement and expression of ideas and concepts. Therefore, by seamlessly integrating the use of concrete materials and virtual materials generated by computer software applications, an opportunity arises to enhance the teaching and learning value of both materials.

Developing mathematics understanding and abstraction : the case of equivalence in the elementary years

Generalising arithmetic structures is seen as a key to developing algebraic understanding. Many adolescent students begin secondary school with a poor understanding of the structure of arithmetic. This paper presents a theory for a teaching/learning trajectory designed to build mathematical understanding and abstraction in the elementary school context. The particular focus is on the use of models and representations to construct an understanding of equivalence. The results of a longitudinal intervention study with five elementary schools, following 220 students as they progressed from Year 2 to Year 6, informed the development of this theory. Data were gathered from multiple sources including interviews, videos of classroom teaching, and pre-and post-tests. Data reduction resulted in the development of nine conjectures representing a growth in integration of models and representations. These conjectures formed the basis of the theory.