Browsing by Author "Aljarrah, Ayman"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Addressing the Challenge of Differentiation in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Babb, Paulino Preciado; Metz, Martina; Sabbaghan, Soroush; Pinchbeck, Geoffrey; Aljarrah, Ayman; Davis, Brent; Werklund School of Education
    Addressing students’ diversity of skills and knowledge for mathematics instruction has been a common challenge for teachers. This paper reports results from an innovative partnership of school district, university and curricular material developers aimed at improving mathematics instruction at elementary level. We report successful cases of lessons enacting instructional practices that engage all students in the classroom, ensure they meet expected outcomes, and challenge them with further bonuses. The cases are analyzed based on mastery of learning, with a particular focus on continual assessment during class. We also include challenges we have faced in supporting teachers as they incorporate these practices in their daily teaching.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Creativity in Postsecondary Settings: Multiple Paths Are the Rule Not the Exception
    (2016-05) Aljarrah, Ayman
    The current paper addresses the need to consider creativity in postsecondary settings in different forms and at different levels. It can be considered as an invitation for educators to think about how to create and offer many genuine learning opportunities for students to exercise creativity.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Exploring Collective Creativity in Elementary Mathematics Classroom Settings
    (2018-04) Aljarrah, Ayman; Towers, Jo; Davis, Brent; Sinclair, Nathalie; Francis, Krista; Lock, Jennifer V.
    The purposes of this research study were to investigate the nature of collective creativity in mathematics learning, offer needed empirical findings concerning collective creativity in Canadian elementary schools, explore ways in which collective creativity might be fostered in such settings, and generate understandings about the role of teachers in this endeavor. To fulfil the objectives of this study, I adopted a design-based research methodology with(in) which I worked closely with the participant teachers and scholars in the field of mathematics education, co-developing classroom tasks that would prompt collective creativity in mathematics and studying the design, implementation, and re-design of these tasks. I used three data collection methods, selected to gain a deeper understanding of my research questions, including: classroom observations, video records, and interviews. In my analysis and interpretation of the data, the main sources of which were the video recordings of students’ problem-solving sessions and teachers’ interviews, I concentrated on the students’ (co)acting and interacting within the group and how such collaborative practices contribute to the emergence of the new. Based on an extensive review of the literature on creativity, I suggested seven metaphors of creativity. Those were then refined and (re)developed over successive iterations of data analysis and interpretation until I ended up with four metaphors to describe the experience of creativity with(in) the collective: summing forces, expanding possibilities, divergent thinking, and assembling things in new ways. These were embodied in, and a representation of, varied, emergent, yet interwoven and recursive learning acts, thus I used collaborative emergence as an overarching framework for them. Moreover, I determined four categories for features of mathematics learning environments that I believe were critical in the emergence of collective creativity in such environments, including: attendance to inquiry-based learning, cultivation of collaborative problem-solving, an engaging learning environment, and thoughtful, subtle interventions. I believe that my metaphors of creativity, their logical implications and entailments, and the construct of emergence of collective creativity, offer teachers a frame for designing, evaluating, structuring, and restructuring their practices—structured and improvised practices—that include choosing, adopting, amending and/or designing learning activities to prompt and promote effective creative learning.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Juxtaposing Mathematical Extensions with Cognitvely Loaded Questions in the Mathematics Classrom
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Sabbaghan, Soroush; Babb, Paulino Preciado; Metz, Martina; Pinchbeck, Geoffrey; Aljarrah, Ayman; Davis, Brent; Werklund School of Education
    Providing mathematical extensions (i.e. bonus questions) intended to evoke deep mathematical thinking after students complete assigned tasks is challenging for teachers. In this paper, we use the Variation Theory of Learning to challenge a common misconception that mathematical extensions should include many interrelated elements and impose a high cognitive load to promote deeper thinking. We present an analysis of observed extensions and provide alternative routes. Pedagogical implications for the design of mathematical extensions are presented.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Teachers' Awareness of Variation
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Metz, Martina; Babb, Paulino Preciado; Sabbaghan, Soroush; Pinchbeck, Geoffrey; Aljarrah, Ayman; Davis, Brent; Werklund School of Education
    Here, we report on a study of teachers’ evolving awareness of how they work with patterns of variation to structure and teach mathematics lessons. We identify a number of critical features regarding teachers’ awareness of variation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Transforming Mathematics Classroom Settings into Spaces of Expanding Possibilities
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Aljarrah, Ayman; Babb, Paulino Preciado; Metz, Martina; Sabbaghan, Soroush; Pinchbeck, Geoffrey; Davis, Brent; Werklund School of Education
    Transforming the classroom environment into a space of expanding possibilities requires learning experiences that challenge and expand learners’ understandings. Building on Metz et al’s. (2015) suggestion to structure mathematical variation in a responsive manner that keeps all students intrinsically engaged in deepening their mathematical understanding, this paper describes different forms of bonus questions generated by students, and how they were implemented.