Writing a seminar paper : Mathematics Educations

            Writing a seminar paper

1.Conference, Seminar and Symposium

§Conference:  A meeting for consultation or discussion.

§Seminar: A meeting for an exchange of ideas; a conference.

 }Symposium: A meeting or conference for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants form an audience and make presentations.

 §In short, a conference is any meeting of a group of people on a particular general topic(computer networking, Educational  law, etc).

§Seminar is usually a smaller gathering (and often conferences have seminars within them), generally considered more "intimate," concentrating on a specific topic (Research methodology as an example). Often audience/members are able to directly interact with the presenters, asking questions, etc.

}A symposium is similar to a seminar, except the presenters often form the audience, as well. Example: a bunch of educationist get together, each making a presentation on a different topic.

}All seminars and symposiums are types of conferences. Not all conferences are seminars or symposiums.

2. What is a seminar?

§A colloquium

§A theme-based discussion

§A coherent presentation

§A planned sharing

§An exposition of issues

3. Writing a seminar paper

§Identification of issue/s

§Setting the scene

§Exposing the issue

§Analysing the issue

§Concluding the paper

4. Identification of issue/s

§Personal experience

úHow disempowering...?

úHow did I learn...?

úHow could  I learn better...?

§Literature

úThe phenomenon of mathematics anxiety

úDifferent learning styles in mathematics

ú Teaching geometry through technology

§Scenario

úStudents’ disengagement in mathematics

úInteraction in mathematics 

5. Examples of issues

§Views about the nature of mathematics: Contradiction and

complementation

§ Action research in mathematics

§Ethnomathematics in school curriculum

§How do Nepalese children learn mathematics?

§Mathematics and Gurung/Newar/Tamang/Magar culture

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§Socio-political dimension of mathematics (history of mathematics, misappropriation of culturally situated knowledge ...)

§Pedagogical dimensions (different learning styles...)

§Philosophical dimensions (socially constructed, platonic , quasi-empirical)

§Mathematics education for all?!

6. Setting the scene 

§What?: what is the issue?

§How?: how does it manifest?

§Why?: why so?

§Who?: who has done similar works?

7. Analysing the issue

§Point of views

§Paradoxes

§Complementation

§Dilemma situations

§Different forms of logic : dialectical, metaphorical, narrative, ...

§ Implications

8. Analysis: Implications 

§What are the possible effects/impacts of issue/s?

9. Conclusion(s) of the paper

§More than one conclusion...

§Conclusion as a learned wisdom

§Conclusion as a point of view

§Conclusion as  new knowledge

§Conclusion as thesis statement