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In this paper, we describe an educational experience in the context of the Master's degree that is compulsory in Spain to become a secondary education mathematics teacher. Master's students from two universities in Madrid (Spain) attended lectures that addressed—emphasizing the concourse of a dynamic geometry software package—some historical, didactic and mathematical issues related to linkage mechanisms, such as those arising in the 18th and 19th centuries during the development of the steam engine. Afterwards, participants were asked to provide three different kinds of feedback: (i) working on an assigned group task, (ii) individually answering a questionnaire, and (iii) proposing some classroom activity, imagining it would be addressed to their prospective pupils. All three issues focused on the specific topic of the attended lectures. In the framework of Mason's reflective discourse analysis, the information supplied by the participants has been analyzed. The objective was to explore what they have learned from the experience and what their perception is of the potential interest in linkages as a methodological instrument for their future professional activity as teachers. This analysis is then the basis upon which to reflect on the opportunities (and problems) that this particular bar-joint linkages methodological approach could bring towards providing future mathematics teachers with attractive tools that would contribute to enhancing a STEAM-oriented education. Finally, the students' answers allow us to conclude that the experience was beneficial for these pre-service teachers, both in improving their knowledge on linkages history, mathematics, industrial, technological and artistic applications, and in enhancing the use in the classroom of this very suitable STEAM context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study commemorates this event by presenting a retrospective of the publications related to the use of mathematical tools for the analysis of economic, ecological, and environmental phenomena. We analyzed 1257 scientific publications using bibliometric techniques to examine the most productive and influential authors and their contributions in the economic, ecological, and environmental fields. Co-authorship among the top authors and countries, co-occurrence of the keywords, bibliographic coupling of the documents and authors, and author co-citation were analyzed by applying network analysis techniques using VOSviewer software, identifying the intellectual structure of the research and the collaborative networks in the fields. The results show that mathematics has grown impressively in terms of publication and citation. The contributions come from all over the world, but the majority are from the People's Republic of China and Spain. The results also show themes and trends in the economic, environmental, and ecological fields and a predominant use of mathematical tools in optimization processes in order to rigorously substantiate the decisions of investors and policymakers. Thus, our study offers support for any researcher to understand the current state of the art and develop a comprehensive understanding of journal publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to examine how the learning of mathematics in early childhood is developed in different policies, particularly within the processes of formal education and care in early years institutions. A comparative analysis of early mathematics education policies across countries must consider cultural differences, teaching practice, structural differences and institutional framework conditions, as well as the initial training and professional knowledge of teachers and educators. Extracted from the official country regulations, the following pages include some of the main characteristics of the national systems of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, as well as a comparison of the ECEC guidelines concerning mathematics education between these three countries. There is an international consensus on an approach to early mathematics education inspired by realistic mathematics education (RME), i.e., on the importance of working mathematically in context, as well as on the idea of doing so through play, developing the language to communicate mathematical ideas. However, we found that these three aspects are reflected very differently in the official regulations of the three countries: while in Spain the development is very detailed and emphasizes the holistic approach and the role of mathematics in exploring the environment, the Portuguese curriculum emphasizes the role of mathematics as a form of language. The Slovenian curriculum, at last, focuses on the concepts and procedures associated with each mathematical sense. Furthermore, there are structural features concerning the regulation and type of ECEC system that have an influence in the implementation of the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History of mathematics and mathematics education research allows us to know, among other issues: the influence that certain textbooks have had on the teaching of school mathematics, in academic or professional training, during a certain historical period; as well as the scientific advances achieved in each historical period and their incorporation into the teaching of the subject matter. In this work, we focus our attention on the applications of the method of finding maxima and minima included in the textbooks published during the 18th century in Spain. Specifically, we identify the approach of the algorithm used, the shortcomings or deficiencies that the posing of the proposed problems may have, the verification of the nature of the optimal points obtained and the consideration—or not—of the negative solutions in the process of resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old mathematics books and textbooks have focused different researchers onto the history of mathematics and mathematics education. However, books are not the only information source for this field; for example, researchers can also study periodical-type publications from the past (such as diaries, weeklies, newspapers, etc.). Considering this, this study developed an instrument to analyze publications about mathematics and mathematics education included in newspapers, weeklies, journals, etc., which were not exclusively devoted to science, from the perspective of the history of mathematics and mathematics education. In order to do so, a descriptive research focused on the analysis of historical texts was carried out using the content analysis technique. The different labels and categories of this instrument are here exemplified by the categorization of some entries included in several periodical publications published in the 18th century in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In industrial engineering degrees in Spain, mathematics subjects are usually taught during the first two academic years. Consequently, it is often the case that students sometimes do not feel motivated to learn subjects such as Mathematics II (calculus). Nevertheless, this subject is fundamental for understanding other subjects in the degree study plan, as well as for the graduate's future professional career as an engineer. To address this, a problem-based teaching methodology was carried out with the help of a fourth-year student who explained an activity to first-year students in a manner which was both friendly and approachable. In this experiment, the student went through a series of practical problems taken from different engineering subjects, which required multivariable integrals to be calculated and which he had learned in mathematics as a first-year student. In addition, a method based on pre-test and post-test assessments was applied. From this work, various benefits were observed in terms of learning, as well as an increase in the level of motivation of first-year students. There was a greater appreciation of the usefulness of calculus and computer programs to solve real-life problems, and the students generally responded positively to this type of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Economic Society of Friends of the Country of Asturias, Spain, was an instrument of enlightened reformism which operated in a region with serious economic backwardness. It was born in 1780 at the initiative of Campomanes and responds to the Matritense model, meaning that it focused on economic development and popular education. It is known that Jovellanos directly participated in the establishment of the Royal Institute of Nautical Studies and Mineralogy of Gijón. In this work, the historical method of research in education was used with the objective of determining the sociogenesis of the kind of technical mathematics that was taught in this Institute. The results show the role of the Asturian Economic Society in the creation of the Institute and we also analysed the teaching and curriculum of mathematics that was taught there, and if it was in line with the internal debates of the discipline in that historical moment. The limitations of the Jovellanista model of the Technical Training School for Sailors and Miners created in Gijón are made clear, although the attempt to start it up in such a peripheral place is no less remarkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a multiple case study in which we analyse Brazilian and Spanish mathematics teachers' opinions about and predispositions toward gamified activities in STEAM education. To obtain data, we administered a survey to 56 in-service mathematics teachers in primary and secondary education from these countries. The survey had been previously validated throughout an expert judgement process. Our results show a high percentage of teachers who think this kind of activity has positive effects on students' development, improving their affective domain toward mathematics and required skills for mathematical competency. Notwithstanding, many teachers report insecurity and lack of training for employing such educational methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A textbook constitutes the hegemonic material of the educational institution. It acts as a mediator between the official curriculum and the educational practice. Given its potential influence in the classroom, this study analyzes the treatment of word problems included in the mathematics textbooks published by the publishing houses with the greatest diffusion in Spain at every primary education grade. Three variables were analyzed: their semantic structure, their degree of challenge, and their situational context. The results indicate that most of the problems included in textbooks are characterized by low complexity and variability regarding their semantic structure. They are also characterized by a limited degree of challenge and by being presented in highly standardized situational contexts. Likewise, it is found that there is no evolution in the treatment of these problems with respect to previous studies carried out in the Spanish context. Therefore, it is concluded that the mathematics textbooks currently used in schools are not effective tools to address the process of teaching-learning problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]