- Table View
- List View
Artificial Superintelligence: A Futuristic Approach
by Roman V. YampolskiyA day does not go by without a news article reporting some amazing breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI). Many philosophers, futurists, and AI researchers have conjectured that human-level AI will be developed in the next 20 to 200 years. If these predictions are correct, it raises new and sinister issues related to our future in the age of
The Artist and the Mathematician
by Amir AczelNicolas Bourbaki, whose mathematical publications began to appear in the late 1930s and continued to be published through most of the twentieth century, was a direct product as well as a major force behind an important revolution that took place in the early decades of the twentieth century that completely changed Western culture. Pure mathematics, the area of Bourbaki's work, seems on the surface to be an abstract field of human study with no direct connection with the real world. In reality, however, it is closely intertwined with the general culture that surrounds it. Major developments in mathematics have often followed important trends in popular culture; developments in mathematics have acted as harbingers of change in the surrounding human culture. The seeds of change, the beginnings of the revolution that swept the Western world in the early decades of the twentieth century -- both in mathematics and in other areas -- were sown late in the previous century. This is the story both of Bourbaki and the world that created him in that time. It is the story of an elaborate intellectual joke -- because Bourbaki, one of the foremost mathematicians of his day -- never existed.
Arto Salomaa: A Thematic Biography
by Jukka PaakkiThis book outlines the scientific career of Arto Salomaa, a pioneer in theoretical computer science and mathematics. The author first interviewed the subject and his family and collaborators, and he then researched this fascinating biography of an intellectual who was key in the development of these fields.Early chapters progress chronologically from Academician Salomaa's origins, childhood, and education to his professional successes in science, teaching, and publishing. His most impactful direct research efforts have been in the areas of automata and formal languages. Beyond that he has influenced many more scientists and professionals through collaborations, teaching, and books on topics such as biocomputing and cryptography. The author offers insights into Finnish history, culture, and academia, while historians of computer science will appreciate the vignettes describing some of the people who have shaped the field from the 1950s to today. The author and his subject return throughout to underlying themes such as the importance of family and the value of longstanding collegial relationships, while the work and achievements are leavened with humor and references to interests such as music, sport, and the sauna.
Arts, Sciences, and Economics: A Historical Safari
by Tönu PuuThis book deals with the economic aspects of changing attitudes in arts and sciences. The effects of the public good character of culture, along with the very long production period and lifetime for its products, are emphasized, since both contribute to the failure of normal market solutions. Embodiment of ideas and the consequences of modern reproduction technology for protection of property rights are closely examined. The evolution within arts and sciences, which often seems to return to previously scrapped ideals, is illustrated by detailed case studies, in which the importance of changing tastes, rather than progress proper, is emphasized. The author attempts an understanding for this using Darwinian evolution in combination with modern mathematical complexity theory, expressed in terms accessible to the general reader. The second edition is extended and updated especially as regards the illustration material.
AS and A Level Maths For Dummies
by Colin BeveridgePass your AS & A level maths with flying colours Looking to pass your AS and A level maths? Look no further. AS & A Level Maths For Dummies offers detailed, simple steps for all of the main types of problems you'll face in your exams, offering explanations of how the topics link together, advice on how to remember the key facts and methods, and ways to structure revision. Even if your head is spinning and you don't know where to begin, this fun and friendly guide gives in-depth support on exactly what you need to know. In the big data and digital age, maths skills have never been more important to career success. AS & A Level Maths For Dummies guides you through the skills needed to pass the exams taken at the end of the first and second year of the course. It begins with the knowledge needed to get a top grade at GCSE, followed by sections on Algebra (functions, graph-sketching, and logarithms), Geometry (coordinate geometry, trigonometry, and working with shapes) and Calculus (differentiation, integration, and differential equations). Helps you build the confidence you need to pass your exams Serves as an excellent supplement to classroom learning Makes difficult maths concepts easy to understand Offers in-depth support in a fun and friendly style If you're an AS & A level student looking to do your very best at exam time, AS & A Level Maths For Dummies makes it easier.
As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West
by Guido Alfani"In this masterly book, [Alfani] offers an insightful long-run perspective and fascinating lessons for the future. A must-read!"—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyA sweeping narrative that shows how the rich historically justified themselves by helping their societies in times of crisis, why they no longer do, and what that may mean for social stabilityThe rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act 'as gods among men&’; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds—despite the different paths to wealth in different eras—fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity.Alfani argues that the position of the rich and super-rich in Western society has always been intrinsically fragile; their very presence has inspired social unease. In the Middle Ages, an excessive accumulation of wealth was considered sinful; the rich were expected not to appear to be wealthy. Eventually, the rich were deemed useful when they used their wealth to help their communities in times of crisis. Yet in the twenty-first century, Alfani points out, the rich and the super-rich—their wealth largely preserved through the Great Recession and COVID-19—have been exceptionally reluctant to contribute to the common good in times of crisis, rejecting even such stopgap measures as temporary tax increases. History suggests that this is a troubling development—for the rich, and for everyone else.
El ascensor mágico: Elevator Magic (Spanish Edition) (MathStart 2)
by Stuart J. Murphy“Kids, young and old, fall in love with math when they see how real-life and effortless it becomes thanks to these books.” —Kimberly D. Mueller, Ed.D., First Grade Teacher, Ashbrook School, Lumberton NJThis high-quality Spanish-language book can be enjoyed by fluent Spanish speakers as well as those learning the language, whether at home or in a classroom.Pasea junto a Ben mientras resta pisos para llegar a la planta baja. ¡Verás que encuentra maravillas donde quiera que va!Math skills are life skills, and the MathStart series supports success!This award-winning series by Stuart J. Murphy teaches math through stories and visual models63 books divided into three levels with 21 books in eachFun activities kids will love are included to help parents and teachers emphasize the lessonsEngaging and relatable stories, with each story revolving around practical applications of the math concept presentedLively art from top-notch illustratorsCharts and other visual representations help children understand how the math works and promote deeper comprehensionMathStart's unique combination of stories, illustrations, and visual models helps teachers and parents in the teaching of math and provides all children with the opportunity to succeed.The math concepts taught in MathStart books conform to state and national standards. Level 1 is Pre-K–Kindergarten; Level 2 is Grades 1–3; Level 3 is Grades 2–4. The series follows math topics across grades so there is a foundational path to learning that runs through the levels.Help kids with their math skills plus their reading skills with the engaging and fun MathStart series!
Asia-Afria- Multifaceted Engagement in the Contemporary World (Africa's Global Engagement: Perspectives from Emerging Countries)
by Yongkyu Chang Ute FendlerThis book provides an insight into the complex entanglements between African countries and India, China, and South Korea from multidisciplinary perspectives connecting approaches from cultural, anthropological, literary, and music studies and art history. The three parts present a regional focus, namely Africa-India, Africa-South Korea, and Africa-China while the single contributions speak to each other and offer complementary insights. At the same time, the chapters also link across the regional realms as they deal with similar topics, such as travelling music genres. In part I, for Pombo material culture is the starting point to investigate the connections between the islands of the Indian Ocean and India by questioning the construction of memory. It highlights various aspects of the multilayered history of connections between Africa, the islands, and India. Part II gathers contributions that are complimentary to each other and therefore contribute to the understanding of the complex entanglements in area studies. Part III (Africa-South Korea) explores the impact of African-American arts and artists on South Korea's popular culture as well as the changing perception of artists of African descent in visual popular culture. It shows the impact of Korean content in South Africa.
Asia and Pacific: Shifting Risks, New Foundations for Growth
by International Monetary FundA report from the International Monetary Fund.
Asia-Pacific STEM Teaching Practices: From Theoretical Frameworks to Practices
by Ying-Shao Hsu Yi-Fen YehThis book offers various perspectives on the complex and crosscutting concepts of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the classroom context. Presenting empirical studies, it reveals how researchers in the Asia-Pacific Region planned and implemented STEM education in the classroom. Further, it discusses the assessment of STEM learning to clarify what important elements should be included and how researchers and educators frame and design assessment tools. The book consists of four parts: potential and trends in STEM education; teachers’ practical knowledge for STEM teaching; STEM teaching practices; and assessment of STEM learning. Providing evidence on developing curriculums, implementing instructional practices and educating classroom teachers, it is intended for readers wanting to explore STEM education from multiple perspectives.
Asian America: Sociological And Interdisciplinary Perspectives
by Pawan Dhingra Robyn Magalit RodriguezAsian Americans are the fastest growing minority population in the country. Moreover, they provide a unique lens on the wider experiences of immigrants and minorities in the United States, both historically and today. Pawan Dhingra and Robyn Magalit Rodriguez’s acclaimed introduction to understanding this diverse group is here updated in a thoroughly revised new edition. Incorporating cutting-edge thinking and discussion of the latest current events, the authors critically examine key topics in the Asian-American experience, including education and work, family and culture, media and politics, and social hierarchies of race, gender, and sexuality. Through vivid examples and clear discussion of a broad range of theories, the authors explore the contributions of Asian American Studies, sociology, psychology, history, and other fields to understanding Asian Americans, and vice versa. The new edition includes further pedagogical elements to help readers apply the core theoretical and analytical frameworks encountered. In addition, the book takes readers beyond the boundaries of the United States to cultivate a comparative understanding of the Asian experience as it has become increasingly global and diasporic. This engaging text will continue to be a welcome resource for those looking for a rich and systematic overview of Asian America, as well as for undergraduate and graduate courses on immigration, race, American society, and Asian American Studies.
Asian Research in Mathematics Education: Mapping the Field (Mathematics Education – An Asian Perspective)
by Bill Atweh Lianghuo Fan Catherine P. Vistro-YuThis book focuses on the development of research in mathematics education cultures and its products from the perspective of local educators. It consists of contributions from Mainland China, Indonesia, Korea, Macao, Singapore, the Philippines, and Turkey. This book examines the development of the culture of research in the respective countries and also reviews the research conducted in the recent past in mathematics education. It takes a critical stance through identifying the various accomplishments, and identifying challenges for the future of research in terms of its diversification and quality. Divided into two sections, the first section considers factors around the development of a research culture in the respective countries by focusing on the means used to develop research expertise and quality. The second section consists of overviews of the area of research and methodologies conducted in mathematics education in the various countries, with the intention of highlighting the research topics conducted as well as discussing omissions of such research.
Asianization of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries
by S. Irudaya Rajan Ginu Zacharia OommenThis edited volume contains sixteen chapters by eminent scholars on one of the largest migration corridors in the world i.e., between South and South-East Asia and the Gulf region. Asia’s trade and cultural contact with the Gulf date back to ancient historical times. Since the 1970s, the economic rise of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries owing to the discovery of oil has inspired a huge influx of migrant workers from Asia. At present, out of roughly 15 million expatriates in the Gulf region, Asians constitute around 12 million (80 percent). The chapters in this book look at migration from countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and Philippines to the different GCC countries. A few chapters also focus on migration from the India state of Kerala- a state where migration to the Gulf is prominent and where remittances make up over 36 percent of the state GDP. Furthermore, the issues covered range from labour practices and policies, citizenship and state protection, human rights, gender and caste as well as diaspora. This book explores the multifaceted nuances of the ‘Asia-Gulf migratory corridor’ and unearths future prospects and strategic implications. The book examines remittance behaviour, changing gender roles of immigrants, social-spatial mobility, migrant policies, human rights, sense of belonging and identity and perception, and the interaction between nationals and non-nationals. The book will be of interest to researchers in the areas of demography, migration and gender studies as well as social science researchers, policy makers, human rights lawyers, civil society institutions working on migration, Gulf studies programmes and centres on South-Asian and Middle-Eastern studies.
Aspect-Oriented Requirements Engineering
by Awais Rashid João Araújo Ana Moreira Ruzanna ChitchyanBroadly-scoped requirements such as security, privacy, and response time are a major source of complexity in modern software systems. This is due to their tangled inter-relationships with and effects on other requirements. Aspect-Oriented Requirements Engineering (AORE) aims to facilitate modularisation of such broadly-scoped requirements, so that software developers are able to reason about them in isolation - one at a time. AORE also captures these inter-relationships and effects in well-defined composition specifications, and, in so doing exposes the causes for potential conflicts, trade-offs, and roots for the key early architectural decisions. Over the last decade, significant work has been carried out in the field of AORE. With this book the editors aim to provide a consolidated overview of these efforts and results. The individual contributions discuss how aspects can be identified, represented, composed and reasoned about, as well as how they are used in specific domains and in industry. Thus, the book does not present one particular AORE approach, but conveys a broad understanding of the aspect-oriented perspective on requirements engineering. The chapters are organized into five sections: concern identification in requirements, concern modelling and composition, domain-specific use of AORE, aspect interactions, and AORE in industry. This book provides readers with the most comprehensive coverage of AORE and the capabilities it offers to those grappling with the complexity arising from broadly-scoped requirements - a phenomenon that is, without doubt, universal across software systems. Software engineers and related professionals in industry, as well as advanced undergraduate and post-graduate students and researchers, will benefit from these comprehensive descriptions and the industrial case studies.
Aspects of Integrability of Differential Systems and Fields: A Mathematical Primer for Physicists (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Costas J. PapachristouThis book serves as an introduction to the concept of integrability as it applies to systems of differential equations as well as to vector-valued fields. The author focuses on specific aspects of integrability that are often encountered in a variety of problems in applied mathematics, physics and engineering. The following general cases of integrability are examined: (a) path-independence of line integrals of vector fields on the plane and in space; (b) integration of a system of ordinary differential equations by using first integrals; and (c) integrable systems of partial differential equations. Special topics include the integration of analytic functions and some elements from the geometric theory of differential systems. Certain more advanced subjects, such as Lax pairs and Bäcklund transformations, are also discussed. The book is written at an intermediate level for educational purposes. The presentation is as simple as the topics allow, often sacrificing mathematical rigor in favor of pedagogical efficiency.
Aspects of Integration: Novel Approaches to the Riemann and Lebesgue Integrals (Chapman & Hall/CRC Monographs and Research Notes in Mathematics)
by Ronald B. Guenther John W. LeeAspects of Integration: Novel Approaches to the Riemann and Lebesgue Integrals is comprised of two parts. The first part is devoted to the Riemann integral, and provides not only a novel approach, but also includes several neat examples that are rarely found in other treatments of Riemann integration. Historical remarks trace the development of integration from the method of exhaustion of Eudoxus and Archimedes, used to evaluate areas related to circles and parabolas, to Riemann’s careful definition of the definite integral, which is a powerful expansion of the method of exhaustion and makes it clear what a definite integral really is.The second part follows the approach of Riesz and Nagy in which the Lebesgue integral is developed without the need for any measure theory. Our approach is novel in part because it uses integrals of continuous functions rather than integrals of step functions as its starting point. This is natural because Riemann integrals of continuous functions occur much more frequently than do integrals of step functions as a precursor to Lebesgue integration. In addition, the approach used here is natural because step functions play no role in the novel development of the Riemann integral in the first part of the book. Our presentation of the Riesz-Nagy approach is significantly more accessible, especially in its discussion of the two key lemmas upon which the approach critically depends, and is more concise than other treatments.Features Presents novel approaches designed to be more accessible than classical presentations A welcome alternative approach to the Riemann integral in undergraduate analysis courses Makes the Lebesgue integral accessible to upper division undergraduate students How completion of the Riemann integral leads to the Lebesgue integral Contains a number of historical insights Gives added perspective to researchers and postgraduates interested in the Riemann and Lebesgue integrals
Aspects of Scattering Amplitudes and Moduli Space Localization (Springer Theses)
by Sebastian MizeraThis thesis proposes a new perspective on scattering amplitudes in quantum field theories. Their standard formulation in terms of sums over Feynman diagrams is replaced by a computation of geometric invariants, called intersection numbers, on moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces. It therefore gives a physical interpretation of intersection numbers, which have been extensively studied in the mathematics literature in the context of generalized hypergeometric functions. This book explores physical consequences of this formulation, such as recursion relations, connections to geometry and string theory, as well as a phenomenon called moduli space localization. After reviewing necessary mathematical background, including topology of moduli spaces of Riemann spheres with punctures and its fundamental group, the definition and properties of intersection numbers are presented. A comprehensive list of applications and relations to other objects is given, including those to scattering amplitudes in open- and closed-string theories. The highlights of the thesis are the results regarding localization properties of intersection numbers in two opposite limits: in the low- and the high-energy expansion. In order to facilitate efficient computations of intersection numbers the author introduces recursion relations that exploit fibration properties of the moduli space. These are formulated in terms of so-called braid matrices that encode the information of how points braid around each other on the corresponding Riemann surface. Numerous application of this approach are presented for computation of scattering amplitudes in various gauge and gravity theories. This book comes with an extensive appendix that gives a pedagogical introduction to the topic of homologies with coefficients in a local system.
Aspekte des Unendlichen: Eine kleine Erzählung für Nichtmathematiker (Die blaue Stunde der Informatik)
by Lutz PrieseEin Buch über die Unendlichkeit Wer glaubt, dass sich Rechnen auf trockene Formeln und Zahlen beschränkt, wird mit „Aspekte des Unendlichen – Eine kleine Erzählung für Nichtmathematiker“ sein blaues Wunder erleben. Dieses Buch spricht alle Leser an, die nicht nur die Logik, sondern auch die Poesie der Unendlichkeit erforschen möchten. Anstatt Laien mit kryptischem Akademikerjargon zu verwirren, übersetzt es komplexe Sachverhalte in leicht verständliche Erklärungen. So können auch Einsteiger erfahren, welche Überraschungen die Mengenlehre bereithält. Von nicht abzählbaren Größen und unentscheidbaren Fragen Die Wissenschaft der mathematischen Unendlichkeit umfasst zahlreiche Problemstellungen, die ebenso anspruchsvoll wie spannend sind. Dazu gehören unter anderem:· die Bibliothek von Babel· diskontinuierliche Kontinua· Unmengen· Paradoxien und Antinomien Um solche theoretischen Ansätze in ihren Grundzügen zu begreifen, braucht es keinen Hochschulabschluss. Lutz Prieses Buch über die Mathematik der Unendlichkeit verwandelt abstrakte Konzepte in lebensnahe Zusammenhänge. Der Autor ist promovierter Logiker und hält seit seiner Pensionierung regelmäßig Vorlesungen zu Themen der Mathematik und Informatik. Dank seiner langjährigen Tätigkeit als Hochschuldozent gelingt es ihm, mit einer unterhaltsamen Sprache Anfänger und Experten gleichermaßen zu fesseln. Dabei steht vor allem die Verbindung zwischen mathematischen und philosophischen Problemen im Vordergrund:· Wie genau können wir mit Zahlen die unendlichen Weiten des Weltalls erfassen?· Inwiefern spiegeln die Grenzen des Rechnens die Grenzen des menschlichen Daseins wider?· Wie können wir Unvorstellbares vorstellbar machen? Prieses Buch über die Unendlichkeit in der Mathematik liefert keine endgültigen Antworten auf diese Fragen. Vielmehr regt es Leser dazu an, sich selbst auf die Suche zu machen und eigene Ideen zu entwickeln. Wie es der Titel verspricht, lädt „Aspekte des Unendlichen“ zu einer schier endlosen Reise durch die Gedankenwelt ein.
The Assamese: Religion, Caste and Sect in an Indian Village (Routledge Revivals)
by Audrey CantlieFirst published in 1984, The Assamese is an anthropological exploration of Assam. The many tribes living in the hill tracts of Assam early engaged the attention of anthropologists but no significant studies have been made of the people living in the Assam valley who call themselves Assamese, the distinctive features of whose culture are inseparably connected with their religious institutions. The purpose of this book is to give an account of the way of life which the Assamese people are seeking to preserve, and its chief claim to attention is that it is the very first field-study of the village foundations of social life in Assam, containing a plenitude of detailed information on local aggregates, caste divisions, modes of livelihood, devotional practices, marriage patterns, and much else. This book will be of interest to students of anthropology, ethnic studies, history and cultural studies.
Assembly Line Balancing under Uncertain Task Time and Demand Volatility (Engineering Applications of Computational Methods #8)
by Yuchen LiThis book introduces several mathematical models in assembly line balancing based on stochastic programming and develops exact and heuristic methods to solve them. An assembly line system is a manufacturing process in which parts are added in sequence from workstation to workstation until the final assembly is produced. In an assembly line balancing problem, tasks belonging to different product models are allocated to workstations according to their processing times and precedence relationships among tasks. It incorporates two features, uncertain task times, and demand volatility, separately and simultaneously, into the conventional assembly line balancing model. A real-life case study related to the mask production during the COVID-19 pandemic is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed framework and methodology. The book is intended for graduate students who are interested in combinatorial optimizations in manufacturing with uncertain input.
Assessing and Improving Prediction and Classification: Theory and Algorithms in C++
by Timothy MastersThis book begins by presenting methods for performing practical, real-life assessment of the performance of prediction and classification models. It then goes on to discuss techniques for improving the performance of such models by intelligent resampling of training/testing data, combining multiple models into sophisticated committees, and making use of exogenous information to dynamically choose modeling methodologies. Rigorous statistical techniques for computing confidence in predictions and decisions receive extensive treatment. Finally, a hundred pages are devoted to the use of information theory in evaluating and selecting useful predictors. Special attention is paid to Schreiber's Information Transfer, a recent generalization of Grainger Causality. Well commented C++ code is given for every algorithm and technique. The ultimate purpose of this text is three-fold. The first goal is to open the eyes of serious developers to some of the hidden pitfalls that lurk in the model development process. The second is to provide broad exposure for some of the most powerful model enhancement algorithms that have emerged from academia in the last two decades, while not bogging down readers in cryptic mathematical theory. Finally, this text should provide the reader with a toolbox of ready-to-use C++ code that can be easily incorporated into his or her existing programs.
Assessing Building Performance
by Wolfgang F.E. Preiser Jacqueline C. VischerThe building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse.The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.
Assessing COVID-19 and Other Pandemics and Epidemics using Computational Modelling and Data Analysis
by Subhendu Kumar Pani Sujata Dash Wellington P. dos Santos Syed Ahmad Chan Bukhari Francesco FlamminiThis book comprehensively covers the topic of COVID-19 and other pandemics and epidemics data analytics using computational modelling. Biomedical and Health Informatics is an emerging field of research at the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care. The new era of pandemics and epidemics bring tremendous opportunities and challenges due to the plentiful and easily available medical data allowing for further analysis. The aim of pandemics and epidemics research is to ensure high-quality, efficient healthcare, better treatment and quality of life by efficiently analyzing the abundant medical, and healthcare data including patient’s data, electronic health records (EHRs) and lifestyle. In the past, it was a common requirement to have domain experts for developing models for biomedical or healthcare. However, recent advances in representation learning algorithms allow us to automatically learn the pattern and representation of the given data for the development of such models. Medical Image Mining, a novel research area (due to its large amount of medical images) are increasingly generated and stored digitally. These images are mainly in the form of: computed tomography (CT), X-ray, nuclear medicine imaging (PET, SPECT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound. Patients’ biomedical images can be digitized using data mining techniques and may help in answering several important and critical questions related to health care. Image mining in medicine can help to uncover new relationships between data and reveal new and useful information that can be helpful for scientists and biomedical practitioners. Assessing COVID-19 and Other Pandemics and Epidemics using Computational Modelling and Data Analysis will play a vital role in improving human life in response to pandemics and epidemics. The state-of-the-art approaches for data mining-based medical and health related applications will be of great value to researchers and practitioners working in biomedical, health informatics, and artificial intelligence..
Assessing Mathematical Literacy: The PISA Experience
by Kaye Stacey Ross TurnerThis book describes the design, development, delivery and impact of the mathematics assessment for the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). First, the origins of PISA's concept of mathematical literacy are discussed, highlighting the underlying themes of mathematics as preparation for life after school and mathematical modelling of the real world, and clarifying PISA's position within this part of the mathematics education territory. The PISA mathematics framework is introduced as a significant milestone in the development and dissemination of these ideas. The underlying mathematical competencies on which mathematical literacy so strongly depends are described, along with a scheme to use them in item creation and analysis. The development and implementation of the PISA survey and the consequences for the outcomes are thoroughly discussed. Different kinds of items for both paper-based and computer-based PISA surveys are exemplified by many publicly released items along with details of scoring. The novel survey of the opportunity students have had to learn the mathematics promoted through PISA is explained. The book concludes by surveying international impact. It presents viewpoints of mathematics educators on how PISA and its constituent ideas and methods have influenced teaching and learning practices, curriculum arrangements, assessment practices, and the educational debate more generally in fourteen countries.
Assessing Model-Based Reasoning using Evidence- Centered Design: A Suite of Research-Based Design Patterns (SpringerBriefs in Statistics)
by Robert J Mislevy Geneva Haertel Michelle Riconscente Daisy Wise Rutstein Cindy ZikerThis Springer Brief provides theory, practical guidance, and support tools to help designers create complex, valid assessment tasks for hard-to-measure, yet crucial, science education standards. Understanding, exploring, and interacting with the world through models characterizes science in all its branches and at all levels of education. Model-based reasoning is central to science education and thus science assessment. Current interest in developing and using models has increased with the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, which identified this as one of the eight practices of science and engineering. However, the interactive, complex, and often technology-based tasks that are needed to assess model-based reasoning in its fullest forms are difficult to develop. Building on research in assessment, science education, and learning science, this Brief describes a suite of design patterns that can help assessment designers, researchers, and teachers create tasks for assessing aspects of model-based reasoning: Model Formation, Model Use, Model Elaboration, Model Articulation, Model Evaluation, Model Revision, and Model-Based Inquiry. Each design pattern lays out considerations concerning targeted knowledge and ways of capturing and evaluating students' work. These design patterns are available at http://design-drk. padi. sri. com/padi/do/NodeAction'state=listNodes&NODE_TYPE=PARADIGM_TYPE. The ideas are illustrated with examples from existing assessments and the research literature.