Mathematics Instruction With Information And Communication Technologies

Download or read book Mathematics Instruction with Information and Communication Technologies written by Elisheba Wairimu Kiru and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countries around the world continue to invest in Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for education and this has led to increased attention from stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, educators, private sector, curriculum developers) (Trucano, 2017). ICT has affordances that may facilitate students’ development of problem-solving skills, analytical skills, and critical thinking needed in the 21st century. However, stakeholders assume the presence of ICT in the classroom will lead to changes in teachers' instructional practices and enhance student learning in critical subjects (e.g., mathematics). Examining the different relationships among key stakeholders (e.g., students, teachers, school leaders) in a learning environment uncovers assumptions about ICT and provides insights into effective and sustained ICT integration (Fullan, 2016). These relationships can explain factors that contribute to the varied ways that teachers use ICT in instruction. With the documented underutilization of ICT in the U.S., a comparative study can provide a global outlook of teachers’ ICT use that may help contextualize this discrepancy from an international lens. Furthermore, a study investigating how mathematics teachers use ICT in their classrooms can shed light on areas that need continued research and subsequently enhance students' learning. To that end, using data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey [TALIS] (OECD, 2013) survey, this study focused on eight countries (Australia, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Spain) to investigate (a) To what extent do teachers use ICT in mathematics instruction? (b) What is the relationship between professional qualifications (e.g., technology training) and teachers' ICT use of ICT? (c) What is the relationship between teachers' instructional approaches (e.g., constructivist approaches), beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy) and ICT use in instruction? (d) Do teachers use ICT differently in mathematics instruction among students with different characteristics (mathematics achievement levels, special needs status)? (e) How do school contexts predict teachers' ICT use? Results show that teachers' education levels, mathematics self-efficacy, constructivist practices and cooperation amongst educators are associated with ICT use in instruction. Also, mathematics teachers are most likely to incorporate ICT in classes with students with low socioeconomic status. Administrative support and teachers' constructivist beliefs are not associated with teachers’ ICT use in mathematics instruction. Implications for practice and future research of these findings are discussed.