Soo Hwan Kim

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 87-98, 2001

The Center for Science Gifted Education (CSGE) of Chongju National University of Education was established in 1998 with the financial support of the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation (KOSEF). In fact, we had prepared mathematics and science gifted education program beginning in 1997. It was possible due to the commitment of faculty members with an interest in gifted education. Now we have 5 classes in Mathematics, two of which are fundamental, one of which is a strengthened second-grade class gifted elementary school students, and one a fundamental class, and one a strengthened class for gifted middle school students in Chungbuk province. Each class comsists of 16 students selected by a rigorous examination and filtering process. Also we have a mentoring system for particularly gifted students in mathematics. We have a number of programs for Super Saturday, Summer School, Winter School, and Mathematics and Science Gifted Camp. Each program is suitable for 90 or 180 minutes of class time. The types of tasks developed can be divided into experimental, group discussion, open-ended problem solving, and exposition and problem solving tasks. Levels of the tasks developed for talented elementary students in mathematics can be further divided into grade 5 and under, grade 6, and grade 7 and over. Types of the tasks developed can be divided into experimental, group discussion, open-ended problem solving, and exposition and problem solving task. Also levels of the tasks developed for talented elementary students in mathematics can be divided into the level of lower than grade 5, level of grade 6, and level of more than grade 7. Three tasks developed and practiced are reported in this article.

Sang Sook Choikoh

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 99-106, 2001

We have known that ethno-mathematics is a field of a study that emphasizes the socio-cultural environment in which a person $quot;does$quot; mathematics as stated by D`Ambrosio(Ethno mathematics and its Place in the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics, 1985). Measurement is an important mathematical topic, which leads students to relate math to the real-world applications, particularly with socio-cultural aspects. The purpose of this article is to review the history of the measurement system in Korea briefly and to adapt the measurement system into real-world problems so that children acquire measurement knowledge in the most natural way.

Byoung Gon Ahn

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 107-118, 2001

Mathematics subject of the seventh national curriculum in Korea, which has been effective since 2000, strongly encourages the use of calculators and computers to help children gain a better understanding of basic mathematical concepts and develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills without spending too much time and effort on making mechanical computations. Despite the recommendation by the national curriculum, however, only a small segment of elementary school teachers have been using calculators because of the fear that children`s dependence on calculators might bring about negative consequences. As a result, little research has been conducted in this area as well. This study has been conducted on the assumption that calculators have the potential for being a useful instructional tool in certain areas of elementary school mathematics education. To investigate the usefulness of calculators, a review was made of the scanty literature in the area. The literature review indicates that calculators are effective when they are used for the following purposes: understanding concepts and properties in numbers and operations, deducing mathematical rules, and solving problems. In view of the available research findings, we will give some concrete learning and teaching models of such uses of calculators. The teaching-learning models are organized around three categories: concept formation, discovery of principles and rules, and problem solving. Such organization is intended to help teachers use the models with ease.

Kyeong Hwa Lee

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 119-126, 2001

In this paper we deal with two questions: 1) How have prospective teachers reflected mathematics curriculum reform in their planning of mathematics lessons? 2) To what extent were the pre-service teachers able to be reflective about their planning of mathematics lessons? From analyses of videotapes, field notes, discussions among the college students, we found four features in the prospective teachers` lesson plans and their teaching.

Dae Hee Han

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 127-132, 2001

Mathematics holds a key position among many subjects of school education. Besides having an instrumental value, mathematics for the general public has been underestimated. Thus, in this paper we examine how western educational theorists have emphasized the value of mathematics as humanities form of education. First of all, we discuss Platonism as a philosophical basis of the ancient Greek mathematics education. Next, we examine the thoughts of Froebel, who provided the theoretical basis for the public education since 19th century, and discuss the value of mathematics teaching in their humanistic educational thoughts. Also, we examine the humanistic value of mathematics education in Dewey`s educational philosophy, which criticized the traditional western ethics and epistemology, and established instrumentalism. In this paper, we recognize the humanistic values of mathematics education through the historical examination of the philosophies of mathematics education.

Young Han Choe

DOI: Vol.5(No.2) 133-141, 2001

One of the most fundamental problems in education in Korea up to yet is that teaching-learning activities in the classroom are carried out without considering each student`s interest, ability, aptitude and other attributes. In 1995, National Committee on Educational Reform of Korea recommended big changes on various aspects of the education system of the nation. In 1997, just before so-called the $quot;International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis$quot; in Korea, Ministry of Education announced the seventh amendment of national curriculum. The foundation of new national curriculum is the implementation of a $quot;differentiated$quot; curriculum. Also, the new curriculum strongly suggests $quot;performance assessment$quot;, which was introduced to the nation in mid 1990`s. However, most mathematics teachers have reluctant to both new curriculum and performance assessment