Papers by Snezana Lawrence
MSOR connections, Apr 4, 2024
Mathematics graduates traditionally are recognised for their problem solving, critical thinking, ... more Mathematics graduates traditionally are recognised for their problem solving, critical thinking, and analytic skills. However, the methods often used to hone these skills at university are often abstract and decontextualized. This can often create a disconnect between expected capabilities of a mathematics graduate from employers and the actual problem-solving skills required in their career. In this case-study we will outline how the programme team has developed our approach to authentic learning and authentic problems to bridge this gap and ensure graduates are prepared for the workforce.
Sophia studies in cross-cultural philosophy of traditions and cultures, Dec 31, 2022
Chapman and Hall/CRC eBooks, Nov 26, 2019
Scientific research in the field of mathematics education experiences a lack of institutional and... more Scientific research in the field of mathematics education experiences a lack of institutional and financial support in some Western Balkan countries. Mathematics experts and researchers face different obstacles in their attempt to establish regional research communities in the area of mathematics education and to integrate themselves into the existing international research community. The training conference titled History of Mathematics in Mathematics Education was held at the Faculty of Education, University of Kragujevac, from 26th to 30th October 2018. The main goal of the conference was to investigate the possibilities of integrating the history of mathematics into primary, secondary and higher educational settings and exploring historical traditions in mathematics education. The broader, overaching aim was to enable scholars from neighbouring Western Balkan countries to engage in common research and establish or re-establish relationships between their mathematics education communities
Inovacije u nastavi, 2014
Whilst the world is indebted to the Greeks for their development of geometry and to Islamic mathe... more Whilst the world is indebted to the Greeks for their development of geometry and to Islamic mathematicians for their development of algebra, the history of violence and wars of the Balkan peninsula meant that neither heritages of these two great mathematical cultures survived into the 19th century. Th is paper is based on the research done for the history of mathematics in the Balkans and will be limited to the development of mathematical education in three Balkan societies: Greek, Ottoman, and Serbian, culminating in the early 20 th century. It will try to explain how the three cultures of mathematics education were conceptualized, and how their development was infl uenced by the mathematical cultures of Western Europe. Th e systems of schools and universities, the fi rst professors of mathematics at the universities in the three countries, mathematical syllabi, and some of the fi rst textbooks in mathematics will be mentioned.
Chapman and Hall/CRC eBooks, Nov 26, 2019
MSOR connections, Mar 30, 2023
The graduate skills expected of mathematics students from employers has changed over the past dec... more The graduate skills expected of mathematics students from employers has changed over the past decade. Traditionally, mathematics graduates are recognised for their logical approaches, critical thinking and analytical skills as well as their ability to solve complex problems. The nature of the employment market is also changing with many industries increasingly seeking digital and technology-driven employees. Digitally fluent graduates with a broad skill set are highly sought after. For mathematics programme teams this mean that these skills need to be updated for the modern economy. Previously Middlesex University's mathematics programmes have embedded problem solving and communication skills in two modules. In this case-study we will outline how the programme team has developed our approach to teaching these skills to enhance students' skills.
Chapman and Hall/CRC eBooks, Nov 26, 2019
CERME9 was the fourth time of the TWG on “History in Mathematics Education”. For CERME9 the group... more CERME9 was the fourth time of the TWG on “History in Mathematics Education”. For CERME9 the group had fourteen papers and two posters, and around twenty participants in the sessions. TWG12 covers a range of topics related to history in mathematics education, but on an overall scale, submissions to the group may be distinguished by either concerning “History in Mathematics Education” (HiMEd) or “History of Mathematics Education” (HoMEd). This time round, the group had five papers addressing topics of HoMEd, while the remaining nine papers and two posters were concerned with issues of HiMEd at various educational levels, which also included teacher education.
Nexus Network Journal, Jan 8, 2015
The fourth dimension, whilst contemplated from as far back as antiquity, was only studied in math... more The fourth dimension, whilst contemplated from as far back as antiquity, was only studied in mathematics from the nineteenth century. Here we trace the history of these investigations, and place them in the context of their manifestations in architecture, whether real or imagined. As we take a look at the social milieu within which the study of the fourth dimension flourished, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we investigate the biographies and works of the protagonists, and note that the study of the fourth dimension, and dimensionality itself, was strongly coloured by considerations of ethics and even religiosity. Finally we look at a few examples of architecture which offer different interpretations of the fourth dimension.
MSOR connections, Mar 30, 2023
In the academic year 2020-21 Middlesex University maths students accessed all learning sessions r... more In the academic year 2020-21 Middlesex University maths students accessed all learning sessions remotely. Each of these interactive sessions was live-streamed, recorded and uploaded to our Virtual Learning Environment, providing hundreds of hours of recorded, unedited maths lectures for students to review. This case study reports on a project (partially funded by an IMA Education Grant) in which we invited undergraduates to reflect on their remote learning experiences and curate these video lectures. Students were asked to identify the most engaging, useful and interesting segments, and categorise and explain their choices in free-text comments to help us develop our approach to remote lectures and video resources. A total of 33 video clips were identified by students across levels 4 to 6 on our specialist BSc Mathematics and BSc Mathematics with Computing programmes. In this paper we will discuss our findings, illustrate with example clips, identify themes in the student choices, and conclude with tips to produce engaging content. We will also discuss applications of video curation as a social pedagogic tool for the current Generation Z students. We will argue that sharing how students interact with digital learning resources can help address the significant digital divide in education.
This chapter presents a project for the learning of mathematics based on its relationship with ar... more This chapter presents a project for the learning of mathematics based on its relationship with art, conducted with secondary mathematics teachers in training. It aimed to use a reorientation process in order to reenergize students’ interest in mathematics by giving them a problem that puts a mathematical concept under a new light, thus showing them different ways of teaching. The initial images were chosen by the author (Rafael’s The School of Athens, and de’Barbari’s Luca Pacioli, both containing mathematical diagrams referring to Euclid’s Elements, book XIII) and their interpretations were investigated offering new insights related to the Elements. Students were then introduced to the project by putting mathematics in historical and cultural context through its relationship with art, and encouraged to seek new information in an area of mathematics they were already familiar with. The project’s results relate to both the historical analysis of these images, and the use of such rese...
Mathematicians have an issue with their image – this chapter deals in particular with how this im... more Mathematicians have an issue with their image – this chapter deals in particular with how this image influences mathematics education. It looks at the popular perceptions of mathematicians and the more scientifically based ones, and investigates the consequences of defining characteristics that an able mathematician supposedly holds. It further investigates the ways in which mathematics is compared to mathematics education or school mathematics and the process by which these images of mathematics and mathematicians influence mathematics education.
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Papers by Snezana Lawrence