Graphical Languages in Mathematics (GLIM)
‘How Primary School students become code-breakers of information graphics in Mathematics’ is an exciting collaborative project that is being undertaken by Professor Carmel Diezmann, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane and Professor Tom Lowrie, Charles Sturt University (CSU), Wagga Wagga. This research project is federally funded by the Australian Research Council and focuses on children’s understanding of graphics in mathematics.
The aim of this project is to understand how primary students learn about general purpose graphical languages that are important in mathematics (eg graphs, diagrams, charts, tables and maps). In this day and age, it is essential that all children have the skills to interpret the graphical languages that are such a large part of the Mathematics curriculum. By monitoring the development of student’s knowledge of information graphics over three years, it is hoped that an understanding can be formed of how children ‘code-break’ the different types of graphics that they encounter in their everyday mathematics lessons.
This project will be undertaken from 2005 to 2007. During the project children will undertake two interview sessions involving 12 mathematical problem items on an annual basis. In 2005, Year 5 students (QLD) and Year 4 students (NSW) participated in the study. These students continue to participate in the study during 2006 and 2007. Over the three-year period the children will:
- Solve mathematical problems
- Be video-taped whilst describing how they solved these problems in an interview.
The interviews will be conducted at the participants’ schools by research staff from either QUT or CSU. Video-tapes, audio-tapes, photographs or work samples from the project may be used in reporting the outcomes of this research.
The expectant benefits of this study will allow mathematics programs to be written that are specifically designed to concentrate on the findings of this study, which will in turn provide a more effective way of teaching and learning in mathematics. It is expected that the results will provide a comprehensive understanding of the development of students mathematical graphics skills during the primary years. This in turn will help teachers and educators design appropriate and improved student programs, teacher education programs and curriculum materials and documents to improve the teaching of mathematics in the primary years. It will also help to select and design appropriate print and electronic resources to support this learning. Essentially, these improved mathematics programs and resources will expose essential skills and the necessary knowledge to comprehend this type of information.