John Odonoghue

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James Grime

University of Cambridge

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University of Southampton

George K. # Zarifis

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Markku S. Hannula

University of Helsinki

Maamar Missoum

University of Blida 2

Bo Poulsen

Aalborg University

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Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo

Irma Velez

Sorbonne University

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Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

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University of Utah

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Papers by John Odonoghue

Unravelling the Myth of Effective Teaching in Mathematics

Effective teaching is the backbone of any successful education system with many arguing that it i... more Effective teaching is the backbone of any successful education system with many arguing that it is the single biggest contributor to student success. However despite such importance, significant differences in teacher effectiveness are still evident in Irish classrooms at all levels of education. This research investigates the influence that individual teachers can have on students’ enjoyment of mathematics at second level and attempts to unravel the myth of effective teaching. The research started out as a followon study that further analysed data collected by the authors when they designed a pedagogical framework with the aim of promoting student interest in algebra through effective teaching of the domain. This paper focuses entirely upon the quantitative results of the evaluation of that study with regard to whether there are differences in the enjoyment scores of students’ in different classes as a result of their individual teachers. The paper also looks to unravel the myth of...

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Addressing prospective elementary teachers’ mathematics subject matter knowledge through action research

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2014

ABSTRACT There is international dissatisfaction regarding the standard of mathematics subject mat... more ABSTRACT There is international dissatisfaction regarding the standard of mathematics subject matter knowledge (MSMK) evident among both qualified and prospective elementary teachers. Ireland is no exception. Following increasing anecdotal evidence of prospective elementary teachers in one Irish College of Education (provider of initial teacher education programme) demonstrating weaknesses in this regard, this study sought to examine and address the issue through two cycles of action research. The examination of the nature of prospective teachers’ MSMK (as well as related beliefs in the main study) informed the design and implementation of an intervention to address the issue. A mixed method approach was taken throughout. In both cycles, Shapiro&#39;s criteria were used as a conceptual framework for the evaluation of the initiative. This paper focuses on the perceived and actual effects of the intervention on participants’ MSMK. As well as its contribution at a local and national level, the study provides an Irish perspective on approaches taken to address the phenomenon internationally.

Adults Learning Mathematics

Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education, 2014

Adults Learning Mathematicsan International Research Forum (see http://www.almonline.org) has bee... more Adults Learning Mathematicsan International Research Forum (see http://www.almonline.org) has been established since 1994, with an annual conference and newsletters for members. ALM is an international research forum bringing together researchers and practitioners in adult mathematics/ numeracy teaching and learning in order to promote the learning of mathematics by adults. Since 2000, ALM has been a Company Limited by Guarantee (No.3901346) and a National and Overseas Worldwide Charity under English and Welsh Law (No.1079462). Through the annual ALM conference proceedings and the work of individual members an enormous contribution has been made to making available theoretical and practical research in a field which remains under-researched and under-theorised. Since 2005 ALM also provides an international journal. Adults Learning Mathematicsan International Journal is an international refereed journal that aims to provide a forum for the online publication of high quality research on the teaching and learning, knowledge and uses of numeracy/mathematics to adults at all levels in a variety of educational sectors. Submitted papers should normally be of interest to an international readership. Contributions focus on issues in the following areas: • Research and theoretical perspectives in the area of adults learning mathematics/numeracy • Debate on special issues in the area of adults learning mathematics/numeracy • Practice: critical analysis of course materials and tasks, policy developments in curriculum and assessment, or data from large-scale tests, nationally and internationally.

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The individual learner, employability and the workplace

Journal of European Industrial Training, 2005

PurposeIn the current knowledge‐based economic climate, the success of an organisation is inextri... more PurposeIn the current knowledge‐based economic climate, the success of an organisation is inextricably linked to the individual. This article seeks to consider the key relationships between the individual, lifelong learning, the workplace and employability in the context of the knowledge society. The aim is to extend understanding of these relationships and their impact on future employability.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the key relationships between the individual, lifelong learning, the workplace and employability from the perspective of the Programme for University Industry Interface (PUII).FindingsThe discussions focus on the implications of the current situation for the future and suggest ecology as a metaphor for the way in which learning is intertwined in a complex environment that incorporates the learner, the workplace, the external company environment and the knowledge repositories.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on these particular issues through ...

A university response to the Irish national strategy to sustain graduate employment

Journal of European Industrial Training, 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue of the Journal of European Ind... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue of the Journal of European Industrial Training. A brief commentary on each of the articles is provided and the whole issue is set in the context of national policy and research methodology from which the Programme for University Industry Interface derives its impetus. The paper highlights the potential and the problems of active engagement of government, industry and education in addressing issues of sustaining national economic competitiveness in a global economy.Design/methodology/approachThe discussion in this paper is predominantly desk‐based, using a combination of primary and secondary sources to generate an analysis of policy discourse and its realisation in practice.FindingsIn addition to commenting on the findings from each of the papers in the special issue, this paper draws positive attention to the partnership model used by the government of Ireland in policy formation. It also indicates that the partners...

Trends in performance of science and technology students (1997–2008) in Ireland

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2010

Hunt and Lawson displayed the evidence of decline in the mathematical standards of first-year stu... more Hunt and Lawson displayed the evidence of decline in the mathematical standards of first-year students in Coventry University between 1991 and 1995. Gill [2] sought to investigate if this was also the case in the University of Limerick. The results of diagnostic tests administered to first-year undergraduates in the science and technology groups (service mathematics courses) between 1997 and 2002 displayed the evidence that the mathematical standard of students entering the University of Limerick's service mathematics courses had declined over the 6 years studied. In this article, the authors revisit the University of Limerick's database, which currently holds data for over 6200 students, to investigate current mathematical entry standards of students in service mathematics courses. The University of Limerick's responses to the 'Mathematics Problem' are also described. Ireland presents a unique situation in terms of the mathematical homogeneity of its third-level students; most students enter via the same route, i.e. the Leaving Certificate, on completion of 13 years of formal mathematics education. However, while research results and coping mechanisms in terms of learning support are not generalizable, they are portable. It is hoped that mathematics educators worldwide can learn from the Irish situation.

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Numeracy and further education: beyond the millennium

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 1995

This paper raises some mathematics education issues related to an emerging Further Education sect... more This paper raises some mathematics education issues related to an emerging Further Education sector in Irish education. These issues are discussed against a backdrop of extensive experience with a numeracy‐type applications‐oriented mathematics (AOM) programme for adults and young adults. A practical vision of numeracy is developed as a basis for re‐conceptualizing the work of the AOM programme. This vision has

Perspectives on adults learning mathematics: research and practice

Mathematics Education Library VOLUME 21 Managing Editor AJ Bishop, Monash University, Melbourne, ... more

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Guidelines for the Development of Adult Numeracy Materials

This study involved examining the nature and scope of numeracy, distilling out the important feat... more This study involved examining the nature and scope of numeracy, distilling out the important features, and representing these features in sample numeracy materials. The paper examines the precise nature of numeracy and its scope in enhancing the educational experiences of adult learners. It is intended to discuss the characteristics of the adult learner-those that help learning and those that may potentially hinder the learning process. A set of guidelines are outlined which include suggestions for guiding the development of literature and the findings of an evaluation process which was undertaken among practicing adult numeracy tutors. (Contains 58 references.) (ASK) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

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Adult Mathematics Education and Commonsense

Adults Learning Mathematics, Sep 1, 2007

The relationship between quantitative problem solving and commonsense has provided the basis for ... more The relationship between quantitative problem solving and commonsense has provided the basis for an expanding exploration for Colleran and O"Donoghue. For example the authors (Colleran et al., 2002, 2001) discovered the pivotal role commonsense plays in adult quantitative problem solving and suggest commonsense is an important "resource" in the adult problem-solving context. In more recent papers Adult Problem Solving and Commonsense: (Colleran et al., 2003a) and Adult Problem Solving and Commonsense: new insights (Colleran et al., 2003b) the authors explored the valued position given to "higher order" thinking as distinct from the "other", "lower" form of thinking, sometimes described as commonsense thinking. They also looked at the manner in which commonsense is created from "natural learning" in a range of different environments. In Colleran and O"Donoghue (in press) the authors broadened the investigation to include the views of a number of researchers in the field of commonsense who suggest that commonsense is a powerful intellectual resource and provides the bedrock on which mathematical understanding is built. The authors have come to the view that the creation and use of commonsense require intelligent, creative thinking and this "order" of thinking takes place naturally in the commonsense environment. Further this intelligent thinking is supported by attitudinal as well as structural elements that facilitate the individual to engage new commonsense situations so that they become natural learning environments.

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Service Mathematics in Irish Universities: Some Findings from a Recent Study

ALM, 2007

In this paper the authors report on a qualitative investigation into service mathematics carried ... more In this paper the authors report on a qualitative investigation into service mathematics carried out in Irish universities against a backdrop of major concerns nationally and internationally embodied in the so-called "Mathematics problem‖. The enquiry involved a close inspection of how service mathematics is perceived, planned, delivered, evaluated, assessed and experienced by both lecturers and students in selected service mathematics courses in all seven Irish universities. Murphy (2002) used Brousseau"s concept of didactical contract to uncover the implicit contract present in Irish second level classrooms. The authors emulated this work to discover the hidden learning contract in university service mathematics lectures in Ireland. Major outcomes of the study include insight into the nature of the didactical contract at work in the service mathematics courses surveyed, and the development of a preliminary characterisation of service mathematics in Irish universities. Service mathematics is also an issue for adult mathematics education and impacts on it.

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Unravelling the Myth of Effective Teaching in Mathematics

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Addressing prospective elementary teachers’ mathematics subject matter knowledge through action research

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2014