DISCUSSING VIRTUAL TOOLS THAT SIMULATE PROBABILITIES: WHAT ARE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS’ CONCERNS?

Authors

  • Annie Savard McGill University
  • Viktor Freiman Université de Moncton
  • Laurent Theis Université de Sherbrooke
  • Fançois Larose Université de Sherbrooke

Keywords:

teaching and learning probability, virtual simulators, mathematics and technology

Abstract

Mathematics teachers, researchers and specialists in educational technology from Quebec, Canada developed virtual tools that make interactive simulations of games of chance. These tools were presented to a group of teachers from New Brunswick through workshops and they then got to test and validate them with their students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with groups of teachers following the experimentation with the tools. Results show an appreciation of the rich educational potential the virtual tools bring and the pedagogical scenarios that come with them. Participants suggest that working with simulators would increase students’ motivation and deepen their conceptual understanding of concepts that are otherwise hard to grasp, But they however lack professional development on how to teach probability and they need techno-pedagogical and didactical follow-ups.

DISCUSSION À PROPOS DE SIMULATEURS VIRTUELS DES PROBABILITÉS : QUELLES SONT LES PRÉOCCUPATIONS D’ENSEIGNANTS DE MATHÉMATIQUES ?

Notre étude exploratoire a permis à des enseignants du Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada, de tester des simulateurs virtuels de jeux de hasard développés par une équipe de techno-pédagogues, d’enseignants de mathématiques du secondaire et de didacticiens du Québec. Lors d’entretiens semi-structurés, les participants ont semblé découvrir un riche potentiel contenu dans les scénarios pédagogiques et les logiciels. Les avantages soulevés ont trait au fait d’appuyer leurs pratiques, tout en motivant les élèves et en augmentant leur compréhension de concepts autrement difficilement accessibles. Les besoins d’un accompagnement techno-pédagogique et didactique ont été également ressortis.

Author Biographies

Annie Savard, McGill University

ANNIE SAVARD is an Assistant Professor in mathematics education in the Department Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. Her research interests centre on the development of mathematical skills that contribute to civic skills, both on the side of learning and teaching.

Viktor Freiman, Université de Moncton

VIKTOR FREIMAN is a professor of elementary mathematics education at the Université de Moncton. His research focuses on mathematics enrichment, problem solving, and interdisciplinary integration of ICT. He is responsible for two online resources - CAMI website (Communauté d’Apprentissages Multidisciplinaires Interactifs, www.umoncton.ca/cami) and Virtual Marathon mathematics (http://www8.umoncton.ca/umcm-mmv/index.php). He is currently co-editor of the Springer series Mathematics Education in the Digital Era and president of the Association APTICA (Avancement pédagogique de TIC en Atlantique) .

Laurent Theis, Université de Sherbrooke

LAURENT THEIS is a professor at the department of kindergarten and elementary school teaching at the Faculty of Education, Sherbrooke University. He is also member of the Center for Research in Science Teaching and Learning (CREAS-Sherbrooke). His interests include, mathematical problem solving, at-risk students and problem-solving learning, and the pedagogically informed classroom management.

Fançois Larose, Université de Sherbrooke

FRANÇOIS LAROSE is a professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Sherbrooke. Since 1995 he leads a research program focused the integration of ICT in education developped along two separate axes. First, it investigates the actual practices of use of digital technologies in school-age children and, secondly, he studied various strategies to reduce the gaps between social practices reference juveniles in technology and those proposed by the school in order to effectively support their learning.

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Published

2013-10-25

How to Cite

Savard, A., Freiman, V., Theis, L., & Larose, F. (2013). DISCUSSING VIRTUAL TOOLS THAT SIMULATE PROBABILITIES: WHAT ARE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS’ CONCERNS?. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 48(2). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/9019

Issue

Vol. 48 No. 2 (2013)

Section

Articles

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