Crystal Atlantique

CASMI

Principal investigator: Viktor Freiman

1. Brief description of the project

Project history and context
CASMI is an on-going innovative design-based research project which aims to develop a virtual collaborative science and mathematics problem-solving community. It is rooted in the 6 years of success story of CAMI project (Vézina, Langlais, 2002, Freiman, Vézina, Langlais, 2005, Freiman, Vézina, Gandaho, 2005). Aiming to meet the educational needs of all students, the project aims build an informal mathematics and science problem solving and communication activity that involve K-12 schoolchildren, their teachers, university students, ICT professionals and science, mathematics and education researchers.

Research goals
The major goal of the CASMI project is to multiply positive experiences in mathematics and science in young learners, to enrich their intellectual potential as problem solvers reinforcing strong community links. In order to reach our goals, we are developing and implement a virtual collaborative learning community which is multidisciplinary, problem based, and interactive.

Research questions
An exploratory study on the CAMI project and WIKI collaborative learning spaces in science and math education conducted in 2004-2005 showed a positive impact on all participants . At the same time, it showed a need for new development adding new modules (for example, the integration of a science module with new and interesting science topics problems). From a researcher point of view, we are looking at the development of scientific and mathematical literacy through problem solving using a collaborative learning space. The CRYSTAL funding allows for closer investigation of the functioning of a collaborative virtual environment in mathematics and science education and how it contributes to the realization of student’s intellectual potential. At the same time, we will study the role of this learning space in a pre-service teacher’s development as help for understanding of student’s thinking and use of technology in formative evaluation. Finally, research data collected from schoolchildren responses will help us to look at children’s reasoning, cognitive strategies, and communication.

2. Progress to date

Year 1 :
In 2005-2006, here is what has been accomplished in the project: According to the major goals and research objectives, our work has been conducted in several directions: (using CRYSTAL funding along with other funds)

Technological and pedagogical support of the ongoing CAMI project (www.umoncton.ca/cami)

Database of challenging mathematical problems (84 new problems posted on our website)
Database of K-12 students’ solutions, their analysis, and general comments posted on our website) – 3000 solutions + personal feed-back provided for each solution
Several workshops in local schools with children and teachers

Study of the educational impact of CAMI on teaching and learning

Construction of the theoretical framework
Analysis of our yearly online survey for children (N=111) and teachers (N=25)
Analysis of the paper-pencil questionnaires and interviews with university students involved in the communication with schoolchildren

New design-based research in order to transform a CAMI site into a virtual collaborative learning community in science and mathematics CASMI (Communauté d’Apprentissages Scientifiques et Mathématiques Interactifs)

Needs analysis by mean of the new online survey for children and teachers (September 2005)
Systemic analysis of technological process to set up a new development of more interactive and automatic database management
Programming of a new database structure and interactive tools
Creating a new interface with new options (like ‘My portfolio’, ‘Discussion Forum’)
Adding science and chess problems

Year 2: Since the last report to CRYSTAL (March 2006), here is what has been accomplished: Constructing and study of the virtual collaborative learning community in science and mathematics CASMI (Communauté d’Apprentissages Scientifiques et Mathématiques Interactifs, www.umoncton.ca/casmi )

Building of theoretical framework and methodological tools (March – August 2006)
Testing of the new web tools for the CASMI site (March – May 2006)
Experimentation in three middle schools (June 2006)
Exploratory analysis of CAMI math problems (what is a good and interesting problem?) – May – June 2006
Developing of new problems in math, science and chess (March – September 2006);
Participation in the ICMI-16 Study on Challenging Mathematics in and beyond the classroom writing a chapter on mathematical challenge enhanced by technology beyond the classroom (using CASMI as a case study, July – October 2006).
Conducting of surveys among participants (university and school students) and interviews with school students and teachers (study of participant perceptions, April -May 2006)
Conducting an exploratory study of formative feed-backs made by university students on children’ solutions (in collaboration with Manon LeBlanc and her math didactics class): theoretical framework and research instruments
Data analysis (September 2006 – in process);
Launching of the CASMI website (real-time testing) in October 2006: statistical data of participation to the February, 2007: 120 new problems; 1000 solutions; more then 3500 members (3000 schoolchildren; 500 teachers).

3. Research Findings

Our first set of research findings is related to the technological development of the CASMI site: a dynamic database structure of the virtual collaborative learning community has been created. It includes several innovative pedagogical ideas and sophisticated methods of programming in order to create membership form, so each group of members, schoolchildren, teachers and parents, university students, and site administrative get their personal username and a password and thus an access to the different spaces some of them are shared, others are of limited access (smaller community or individual space). Users have now a new response form to present their solutions using graphics and links along with standard editing tools. Each member can now submit a solution and return to it as along as the problem is active to continue her work. New system of feed-backs allowed us to eliminate e-mail as mean of communication. All interaction between university students and schoolchildren is made inside of the community using portfolio concept. The archive of all previous problems is available to each member who can now benefit from a new search engine. A completely new discussion forum gives a possibility of richer interaction between members of the community. Finally, each member can propose a problem. On the administrator side, a dynamic database structure provides us with all necessary tools to conduct all pedagogical activities.

Following research-based design methodology, we continued to monitor participants’ satisfaction with the project using online surveys and interviews. Obtained data allow us to conclude that problems provided by CASMI team are interesting and motivating for schoolchildren giving them a good variety of mathematical and scientific challenges. Schoolchildren appreciate a personal feed-back given them by university students which gives them important advise how improve problem solving skills and communication.

The majority of university students think that the project gives them a chance to communicate with real students and a better understanding of children’ reasoning and therefore is a useful part of the initial teacher training. Teachers also find CASMI as important educational tool helping them to integrate technology and problem solving in both, formal and informal way. As the must urgent aspect of improvement, some participants indicate the need for problems and technological tools better adapted to younger children and to learners who are having difficulties in reading and writing. As for the content of the problems, results of our analysis of CAMI archive shows that problems on numbers and patterns are more popular and better solved than problems on geometry, statistics and probability. Our data show that children like problems with clear links to the real-life context but also like problems with a pure mathematical content presented in the form of mathematical challenge (puzzles, enigmas, etc.). The quantity of the text is another factor of success of the problem: less text = more success.

4. Impact of the Project

The project has a potential impact on all groups that belong to the CASMI community, collaborate with it, or may benefit from its success:

Participating teachers, schoolchildren, and university students;
Organizations that support and collaborate with us;
Researchers in mathematics, science, technology, and education
Graduate and undergraduate students;
Parents and other categories of interested public;
Employers (who would benefit from better math and science knowledge and problem solving abilities of further generation of workers)

5. Future plans

Depending on amount of money, in 2007-2008, we intend to:

Continue to maintain the functioning of the CASMI community giving personal feed-back to each participant;
Develop new interaction tools between members of the community
Develop interactive guides for all categories of users;
Develop a system for tracking each participant’ behaviour while working on the site (what part is visited, how often, for how long, etc.)
Continue impact evaluation studies (data collection and publications)

6. Dissemination

a) Academic

Articles :

Freiman, V., Kadijevich, D., Kuntz, G., Pozdnyakov, S., Stedoy, I. (the names of the authors are listed in alphabetical order). Challenging mathematics beyond the classroom enhanced by technology. A chapter to be included in the ICMI Study-16 Volume (Eds. E. Barbeau & P. Taylor). Will be published by Springer in 2009.

Freiman, V. Vézina, N. (2006). Challenging Virtual Mathematical Environments: The Case of the CAMI Project. Paper accepted for the ICMI Study 16 Conference. Challenging mathematics in and beyond the classroom, Trondheim, Norway, 28.06 – 3.07. 2006, http://www.amt.canberra.edu.au/icmis16.html

Vézina, N., Freiman, V. (2006). Using Technology to Build Problem Solving Skills and Mathematical Communication : The CAMI Project. In Proceedings of the 2006 Hawaii International Conference on Education (pp. 6189 – 6192). Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii.

ADOP (2006). Les effets de l’utilisation de l’ordinateur portatif individuel sur l’apprentissage et l’enseignement. Rapport final. Présenté au MENB par le CRDE et l’équipe de recherche ADOP, Université de Moncton, Décembre, 2006. (A chapter written for the rapport on Mathematics learning with Laptop by Viktor Freiman and Dominic Manuel)

Freiman, V., Lirette-Pitre, N. (2006). WIKI MATH-SCIENCE : un outil de débats interdidactiques pour la formation initiale des enseignantes et des enseignants au Nouveau-Brunswick. (The paper will be publish in the proceeding of the conference : Bednarz, N., Mary, C. (dir.) (2007) L'enseignement des mathématiques face aux défis de l'école et des communautés. Actes du colloque emf2006 (cédérom). Sherbrooke: Éditions du CRP )

Presentations:

Freiman, V. (2007). Développement des communautés virtuelles collaboratives en mathématiques: un regard réflexif, séminaire dedidactique des mathématiques, UQAM.

Freiman, V. (2006). Understanding children talking mathematics: analysis of communication in the virtual problem solving environment CAMI, communication at the International Congress of Mathematicians ICM 2006, Madrid, August 22-30, 2006.

Lirette-Pitre, N. & Freiman, V. (2006). Design of virtual learning environments WIKI Math-Science and CASMI to develop a new didactical culture to initial teacher training. Presentation at The Atlantic Educators Conference, UNB/St. Thomas University, Fredericton, NB. November 17-18.

b) General public

Freiman, V., Lirette-Pitre, N., Manuel, D. (2006). Communauté d’apprentissages scientifiques et mathématiques CASMI. Atelier au Congrès APTICA, mai, 2006.

Roy, G., Ménard, M.-P., Manuel, D., Landry, L. Guide d’accompagnement CASMI (sous direction de Viktor Freiman). Université de Moncton, 2006-2007, 41 pages.

Workshops presented by CASMI team at :

Centre d’apprentissage du Haut Madawaska (June 2006)
École Abbey-Landry (June 2006)
École Le Tremplin (June 2006)
École Étincelle (October 2006)
École Cité des jeunes (November 2006)
École Odysée (October 2006)
École Marguerite-Michaud (November, 2006)
École Grande Digue (November, 2006)
District scolaire 1 (October, 2006)
District scolaire 3 (December 2006)
District scolaire 5 (October, 2006)
District scolaire 9 (November, 2006)
Ministère de l’Éducation du NB

CASMI

1. Brief description of the project

2. Progress to date

3. Research Findings

4. Impact of the Project

5. Future plans

6. Dissemination

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