Mathematics for Gifted Students in an Arts- and Technology-Rich Setting

Abstract

In this paper we report on a study of a short-term mathematics program for grade 7-8 gifted students that integrated open-ended mathematics tasks with the arts (poetry and drama) and with technology. The program was offered partially online and partially in a classroom setting. The study sought to investigate (a) students' perceptions of their school-based mathematics experience, (b) students' perceptions of the program we offered, and (c) students' mathematical thinking while engaged in the activities of our program. The study provides insights into the design of challenging mathematics experiences for gifted students, the integration of the arts with mathematics, and the use of technology in mathematics teaching and learning.Gifted students are characterized by their ability to give sustained attention to problem solving; by their propensity to question, experiment, and explore; by their inventive solution strategies; and by their ability to engage their imaginations to generate highly original ideas (Johnsen, 2004). Gifted students are motivated by choice (Gentry, Gable, & Springer, 2000) and prefer collaboration when tasks are sufficiently challenging (Diezmann & Watters, 2001). However, gifted students spend most of their time in regular classrooms with their

How Students Communicate Mathematical Ideas: An Examination of Multimodal Writing Using Digital Technologies

“…This finding lends additional support to a body of research that shows that writing in mathematics can induce students to think logically and explain their thought process (Bicer et al, 2013;Devlin, 2012;NCTM, 2014;Pugalee, 2004). Moreover, providing digital writing environments can enhance the learning process for students who may have learning disabilities (Huscroft-D'Angelo et al, 2015), as well as for students who are gifted (Gadanidis et al, 2011). Many students, particularly in Study A (the younger students), also relayed their mathematical understanding through the drawing of pictures.…”

“…Research has shown strong connections between students' writing abilities and their capacity to learn in general (US National Institute for Literacy, 2007), to learn new mathematics content Meel, 1999), to improve mathematics problem-solving skills (Bicer et al, 2013;Pugalee, 2004), and to augment processes related to cognition (Flower, Schriver, Carey, Haas, & Hayes, 1992). Gadanidis, Hughes, and Cordy (2011) found that students in middle school, who are gifted, successfully used multiple modes of communication, including drawing, writing, and an online discussion forum to learn mathematics.…”

Investigación Bibliométrica en Aprendizaje Mediado por Tecnología con Alumnado de Altas Capacidades1,

“…La mayor parte de las publicaciones se centran en la escuela, concretamente en asignaturas STEM, por ejemplo, los trabajos de Mun y Hertzog (2018), Tofel-Grehl, Feldon y Callahan (2018) y Olszewski-Kubilius (2010). Otro de los trabajos analizados enlaza estas materias con la poesía y el drama (Gadanidis, Hughes, & Cordy (2011), y tan sólo un estudio se centra en la escritura (Nettleton, 2014). Además, hay algún trabajo que va más allá de lo académico, que incluye la educación para la ciudadanía (Gibson, Rimmington, & Landwehr-Brown, 2008), o la atención al alumnado con AACC desde la extraescolaridad (Lutsik, Sobolev, & Isaev, 2018).…”

Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics: A Review

“…However, various studies about characteristics of elementary mathematics students illustrate that it is hard to define stereotyping image of elementary mathematics students (e.g. Maloney, Risko, Ansari & Fugelsang, 2010;Gadanidis, Hughes & Cordy, 2011;Thornton, 1997). Although a teacher may use proper mathematics representations, it would be meaningless if students cannot understand them.…”