Time management is crucial to success in online courses in which students can schedule their learning on a flexible basis. Procrastination is largely viewed as a failure of time management and has been linked to poorer outcomes for students. Past research has quantified the extent of students' procrastination by defining single measures directly…

This paper proposes a new technique for analysing the behaviour of students on an online course. This work considers a range of social learning behaviours supported in our recently designed and implemented collaborative learning system which supports students giving and receiving feedback on each other's developing work and practice. The course…

In this paper, we introduce a mathematical model for collaborative learning and the answering process for multiple-choice questions. The collaborative learning model is inspired by the Ising spin model and the model for answering multiple-choice questions is based on their difficulty level. An intensive simulation study predicts the possibility of…

Students explored variation and expectation in a probability activity at the end of the first year of a 3-year longitudinal study across grades 4-6. The activity involved experiments in tossing coins both manually and with simulation using the graphing software, "TinkerPlots." Initial responses indicated that the students were aware of…

Often, quantitative and mathematical models are used to study complex dynamic systems--where collections of individual components interact to produce an emergent pattern of behavior. To interpret such models involves 'unpacking' the collective behaviors and interactions that underlie a given pattern. We investigate what representational supports…

In this paper seventh-grade pupils' ways of handling aspects of probability have been investigated. The aspects in question were embedded in a dice game, based on the total of two dice. Four different set-ups of dice were included in the situation in which they were up to explore optimal strategies for winning the game. How children understand…

This collection of activities is designed to show how graphing calculators can be used to explore statistics. The activities address such topics as data representation, distributions, and statistical tests. Teaching notes and calculator instructions are included as are blackline masters. (MM)

This document suggests sources from children's literature useful in teaching a variety of mathematical concepts. The mathematical concepts discussed are: (1) numbers and numeration; (2) place value; (3) shapes; (4) addition and subtraction; (5) multiplication and division; (6) telling time; (7) probability, estimation and prediction; (8) fractions…

The Probability Inquiry Environment (PIE) is being designed as a computer-mediated collaborative inquiry environment to aid middle school students in learning elementary probability. This paper reports on a study in which seventh grade students engaged in probabilistic reasoning while interacting with a preliminary version of PIE. By analyzing the…

This paper describes the development of curriculum materials for teaching the Sum of Squared Errors (SSE) to one class of 25 eighth graders in Hawaii. Microcomputers were used in class. Prior to explicit introduction of the SSE students were given repeated contact with a data base of various statistics collected from members of their class. Then a…