1. Paksuniemi, M., Keskitalo, P., & Brill Online Books. (2019). Introduction to the Finnish educational system. Brill Sense.
This source provides detailed information on the Finish education system which is a point of interest for my inquiry project. It gives the history, modern formulation, and even includes aspects of their system with relation to Indigenous education. I will be looking at the foundational ideals behind the Finnish education system this book discusses and relating them to how they help create better mathematics learners and genuine interest in those learners.
2. Yarborough, C. B., & Fedesco, H. N. (2020). Motivating students. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved Nov. 24 2021 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu//cft/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/.
This article is about motivating students and specific tools that can be used to increase intrinsic motivation. Interest and motivation are linked concepts and it is one aspect of my project that I will be exploring. Specifically, I will be using their expectancy-value-cost framework as an example and their insights on self-determination theory to provide concrete ideas for how teachers can create interest in students.
3. Stemhagen, K., Henney, C., & Taylor & Francis eBooks A-Z. (2021). Democracy and mathematics education: Rethinking school math for our troubled times. Routledge.
Democracy and mathematics education is about a modern approach to mathematics education that is founded in student inquiry and relates math to society and democratic practices. Figuring out what makes math interesting involves finding educational practices that motivate students and enable them to find interests in previously boring or uninspiring subjects. I will be using their tenets of democratic mathematics to argue for a more social and collaborative approach to math education.
4. Danesi, M., SpringerLink (Online service), & SpringerLINK ebooks - Education. (2016). Learning and teaching mathematics in the global village: Math education in the digital age (1st 2016. ed.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32280-3
This source also discusses modern mathematics education and how innovations in technology have transformed pedagogical practices. If students are to be interested in technical and sometimes challenging subjects we must modernize our teaching practices to remove barriers to education. I am personally an advocate for more technology use in the classroom, bringing the classroom outside of the school, giving students more autonomy and moving away from strict student teacher dynamics. This article provides insight and support for many of those ideas.
5. Tan, O., Low, E. L., Tay, E. G., & Yan, Y. K. (2021). Singapore math and science education innovation: Beyond PISA. Springer Singapore Pte. Limited.
Singapore is another country (along with Finland) that has received international attention for their success on global testing standards and their educational practices. I will be looking at their educational systems to see how they impact student interest and achievement. Specifically, I will be looking at their foundational curricular principals and inquiring about whether these help students to have genuine interest in what they are learning.
6. Elias, M. J. (2016, January 14). How and why Intrinsic Motivation Works. Edutopia. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-and-why-intrinsic-motivation-works-maurice-elias.
This article provides more insight into intrinsic motivation and how it can be harnessed in the classroom. If students are to be interested in a subject, they must be motivated to do it! My inquiry project will incorporate their suggestions of controlling versus supportive instruction and giving constructive feedback.
7. Rubach, C., & Bonanati, S. (2021). The impact of parents' home‐ and school‐based involvement on adolescents' intrinsic motivation and anxiety in math. Psychology in the Schools, https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22577
This article looks at intrinsic motivation from a different perspective, specifically home/parent involvement in student education. Often student interests come from influential people in their lives such as parents, so it is important to consider the role this might play in my inquiry. If we our goal as educators is to foster genuine interest in students, we must use all options and resources available to us and the parent involvement this article advocates for is one of those resources.
8. Besser, L. (2020, January 31). Why Finland's schools outperform most others ... - youtube. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xCe2m0kiSg.
This video is an interesting news piece done by ABC news in Australia that looks at differences in the finish education system and provides much more visual and intuitive reasons for why their system is so effective. I will be using this source as an audio-visual aid during my presentation to illustrate the Finnish education system for my peers because it gives the perspective of students, parents, teachers, and administration.
