TIMSS Monograph Series

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study is an international investigation of mathematics and science education in over fifty countries sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The monographs in this series report on different aspects of this important educational research.

TIMSS Monograph No.4
Assessing Mathematics and Science Literacy
Graham Orpwood and Robert A. Garden
This new monograph in the timss series will be of particular interest to participants in the project, as well as scholars in the area of mathematics and science education, educational researchers, and policy-makers and educational administrators wishing to know how their country compares internationally. One aspect of the research was the assessment of the relative levels of mathematics and science literacy in the students tested during the research project, and this monograph reports in detail on how such literacy was conceptualized and tested. The monograph includes a broad selection of the test items used with students in grades 4, 7, and in their last year of secondary school, explains the research process, and concludes with a chapter on how the data may be used.

Graham Orpwood is a professor in the Faculty of Education at York University and the author of several books on education topics. Robert A. Garden lives in New Zealand where he works on educational research projects.

Contents
Chapter 1: Context of the TIMSS Study
Chapter 2: Mathematics and Science Literacy: The Concept and Its Measurement
Chapter 3: Measuring Mathematics Literacy in TIMSS
Chapter 4: Measuring Science Literacy in TIMSS
Chapter 5: Measuring Reasoning & Social Utility
Chapter 6: Using the Data

Publication Date: March 1998
Paper, 104 pp, 6 x 9
Bibliography, index, appendices
ISBN 1-895766-35-4 $17.95

A Recent Title from TIMSS

National Contexts for Mathematics & Science Education: An Encyclopedia of the Education Systems Participating in TIMSS
Edited by David F. Robitaille

This encyclopedia is a compendium of detailed analyses of national education systems, with a specific focus on mathematics and science education, curricula, textbooks, and assessment. The authors, curriculum experts within their own countries, used nationally published sources, official curriculum documents, and textbooks, as well as unpublished data and policy materials from ministries of education in preparing their entries. The resulting volume will serve as a resource and reference text for all countries participating in timss, for researchers interested in comparative education, and for policy-makers interested in refining education legislation within their own countries.

Countries represented in the encyclopedia are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Reference
Cloth, 424 pp, 8-1/2 x 11
Appendices
ISBN 1-895766-25-7 $75.00

TIMSS Monograph No. 1: Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics & Science
David F. Robitaille, William H. Schmidt, Senta Raizen, Curtis McKnight, Edward Britton, and Cynthia Nicol

Now in its third printing, this first TIMSS monograph explains the study's foci and its key first step: the development of the curriculum frameworks that served as the guide for designing the study's achievement tests. The structure of the frameworks is described, accompanied by discussions of how they were intended to fit into the study as a whole. The frameworks themselves are included in a series of appendices.

Contents

TIMSS: An Introduction
TIMSS and Cross-National Comparisons in Education
The TIMSS Frameworks for School Mathematics and Science
Appendix A: The Mathematics Framework
Appendix B: The Science Framework
Appendix C: Detailed Mathematics Framework Categories
Appendix D: Detailed Science Framework Categories

Paper, 102 pp, 6 x 9
Bibliography, index
ISBN 0-88865-090-6 $17.95

TIMSS Monograph No. 2: Research Questions & Study Design
David F. Robitaille and Robert A. Garden, Editors

The second monograph in the TIMSS publication series, Research Questions & Study Design presents the study's research objectives along with discussions about the impact of predecessor studies on the design of TIMSS, how the research questions were derived from timss's conceptual framework, and how both the research questions and test items were tailored to meet the diverse student, teacher, and systemic contexts of the fifty participating countries.

Contents
The Character and the Context of TIMSS
The Conceptual Framework and Research Questions for TIMSS
Design of the Study
Development of the TIMSS Achievement Items
Design of the TIMSS Achievement Instruments

Paper, 112 pp, 6 x 9
Tables, bibliography, index
ISBN 1-895766-02-8 $17.95

TIMSS Monograph No. 3: Mathematics Textbooks: A Comparative Study of Grade 8 Texts
Geoffrey Howson

This comparative study examines eight mathematics textbooks for 13-year-olds for their pedagogical and philosophical similarities and differences. Textbooks from the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Japan are carefully considered.

Professor Howson is a distinguished scholar in the field of mathematics education. He has published extensively in the field of mathematics education and has been closely involved in curriculum development for over thirty years. He lives in Southampton, UK.

Contents
Introduction
The Textbook: Its History & Role
The Pedagogy & Philosophy of Mathematics
Close-up on the Texts: Contents & Aims
Some Conclusions

Paper, 96 pp, 6 x 9
Bibliography, index
ISBN 1-895766-03-6 $17.95

For more information,
visit the TIMSS website.

It's Elementary!
Investigating the Chemical World
Douglas Hayward and Gordon Bates

It's Elementary! introduces the science of chemistry to students 10+ through information and experiments that are not only safe, economical, and educational-but also a lot of fun! The book is divided into eight thematic chapters. It begins with the formation of the chemical elements in the Big Bang, and goes on to explore simple elements like gold and simple compounds like water. The book builds on simple chemistry with chapters on more complex chemical processes.

Young chemists will enjoy experiments using raisins, flowers, fingernails, cabbage juice, and other everyday substances found in most homes. Along the way, they'll learn about the role science plays in our daily lives and read a wealth of interesting details about science and scientists past and present. All the activities use safe household materials that kids can use without bangs, stinks, or hazards.

A videotape of Douglas Hayward demonstrating a selection of chemistry experiments to a grade 5 class is available for professional reference.

For students in grades 5+
Paper, 96 pp, 8-1/2 x 10
100+ b&w illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-088-4 $12.95
"Do-It-Yourself" Videotape $29.95

Did you know that the walkie-talkie was invented by a B.C. resident? Or that the Jolly Jumper was inspired by First Nations cradle boards and invented by a part-Native B.C. woman? British Columbia: Frontier for Ideas is an encyclopedia of interesting and important science innovations from B.C. Co-authors Cullis and Suzuki inform the reader about many scientific achievements that have occurred in B.C. in such diverse fields as architecture (earthquake-proof buildings), medicine (TRIUMF's PET brain scanner), fire-fighting techniques in forestry, and transportation and communications innovations for rugged terrain. Find out more about the people behind the ideas and inventions while browsing through Frontier for Ideas, which aims to encourage curiosity and innovation in the next generation of Canadians.

"This material is easily understood by the reader and is placed in a context of one century's search for answers."-Canadian Museum of Civilization Newsletter

• Authorized for B.C. Grade 11 Science
• Recommended for Science 10 in Saskatchewan

A student resource for grades 8-12
Paper, 184 pp, 8-1/2 x 11
Bibliography, index, illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-052-3 $21.95

Kids and Kites
Frank Heyman

An accessible and engaging teacher's guide to both simple and complex kites. Plenty of practical diagrams make these twelve kite designs easy for teachers and young students to construct and fly.

A teacher resource for K-3 classes
Paper, 48 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
Bibliography, 40+ b&w illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-049-3 $10.95

Forest Studies

This collection of teacher's guides focusses on one of Canada's most important resources: forests. The guides will help classroom teachers develop theme units on forests for the elementary grades or integrate forest studies into other science or resource industry teaching units. Each guide contains a wealth of activities and information as well as valuable teaching suggestions and strategies. Although the forests of B.C. are emphasized, the information and activities are adaptable for other forest settings in different regions.

Touch a Tree
Develop tree awareness in primary classrooms through sensory activities as well as integrated music, art, drama, and language arts activities.

A teacher resource for K-3
Paper, 40 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 1-895766-44-3 $10.95

The Stump Book
This guide will provide hours of interesting ideas for science study. Activities include tree, animal, and insect identification, examinations of moss and soil, and more.

A teacher resource for grades 4-7
Paper, 28 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 1-895766-40-0 $10.95

There's Dirt in the Forest
A guide that focusses on the forest floor, soil types, the place of water in the forest ecosystem, the issue of erosion, and animal life.

A teacher resource for grades 4-7
Paper, 28 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 1-895766-42-7 $10.95

A new edition of this indispensible guide to the trees of British Columbia. Completely updated, this is a guidebook with a difference! Forget trying to match an individual tree specimen with one of hundreds of photographs in a guidebook. Instead, readers can use Wild Trees of British Columbia to identify trees themselves by observing and comparing a tree's natural features with a simple identification key included in the book. There's a special chapter just for kids, and the book is published in a convenient field guide size, perfect for carrying on hikes. Details on planting, exploring, history, and, of course, in-depth descriptions of the trees themselves make this book a necessity.

"A wonderful introduction not only to the trees themselves, species by species, but also to the process of getting acquainted with them. . . . This volume is a true learning tool."-Canadian Book Review Annual

"Comprehensive . . . wide-ranging."-Books in Canada 1992

"This is the best book on British Columbia trees."-Discovery

For teachers, and students aged 10+
Paper, 224 pp, 4-1/2 x 8-1/4
Index, bibliography, glossary, maps, b&w illustrations, 24 colour plates
ISBN 1-895766-19-2 $21.95

Water Studies

Children love water, and they love to explore. These creative and inspiring teacher's guides contain hundreds of ideas for using and focussing that sense of curiosity through indoor and outdoor science activities. Subjects encountered include geography, math, visual and language arts, and ecology, as well as physics, biology, and chemistry. The emphasis is on leading stimulating and innovative field trips, but teachers can also set up classroom models and experiments and adapt the activities to their regions and climates. Illustrated by Wendy Stockstad with detailed line drawings and numerous identification diagrams of wildlife, as well as black and white photographs, these superior activity books also contain "For Your Information" definition sections, glossaries, further references and bibliographies, poems, games, and dozens of project and experiment ideas. They have been fully tested in the classroom and are excellent resources for self-motivating student experiences that are fun at the same time that they are educational. There are six different titles available, two for students in grades K-3, two for grades 4-7, and two for secondary students.

The Rain Book
A teacher resource for K-3 classes
Paper, 48 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 0-88865-003-5 $10.95

The Beach Book
"Most useful to teachers in coastal communities but the innovative inland teacher could construct a classroom 'beach'."-Green Teacher

A teacher resource for K-3 classes
Paper, 48 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 0-88865-002-7 $10.95

 

The Creek Book
A teacher resource for grades 4-7
Paper, 40 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 0-88865-000-0 $10.95

The Pond Book
Recommended for B.C. Grades 4-7 Science Programs

A teacher resource for grades 4-7
Paper, 40 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 1-895766-30-3 $10.95

The Estuary Book
"A great supplement to our school's green activities."-Green Teacher

A teacher resource for grades 8-12
Paper, 40 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 0-88865-006-X $10.95

 

 

 

The Lake Book
A teacher resource for grades 10-12
Paper, 64 pp, 11 x 8-1/2
ISBN 0-88865-005-1 $10.95

Pacific Educational Press
Faculty of Education
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4
CANADA

Telephone: +604-822-5385
Fax: +604-822-6603