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Biography

Elizabeth Oldham's main work is in the field of mathematics education. She has a long association with cross-national studies of curriculum and attainment: she was a member of the international Curriculum Analysis Group for the Second International Mathematics Study in the 1980s; she worked with the Educational Research Centre in Dublin with regard to curriculum aspects of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in the 1990s; and was a member of the National Advisory Committee for the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and is a member of the National TIMSS [Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study] Post-Primary Advisory Group. She served as an Education Officer (Mathematics) for the Irish National Council for Curriculum and Assessment while the school mathematics courses were being revised in the 1990s. Her current work is chiefly on aspects of teaching and learning mathematics, particularly with regard to teachers' and prospective teachers' philosophies of mathematics and mathematical identities, but also on prospective teachers' understanding of concepts. Her other main field of interest is the use of ICTs in education. She served on the ICT Steering Committee of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and now works especially with colleagues in the Trinity College Centre for Research in IT in Education. With the revival of interest in computer programming in schools, she is also engaged in research in this area. She is a former President of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (2000-2002). At present she is co-chair of a Research and Development Community ("Science and Mathematics Education") of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe. She is currently Treasurer of the Dublin Branch of the Irish Mathematics Teachers' Association and has chaired the Dublin Branch of the Computer Education Society of Ireland; she serves on the national executives of both bodies. A former teacher at Alexandra College, Dublin, she served on the school's Council (governing body) for over thirty years.

Research Tags

Comparative Education Computer Education/Literacy Educational/Instructional Technology Elementary/Secondary Education Mathematics Education Precollegiate Education--Science/Mathematics Teacher Education

Research Projects

Project Title

The Programming Studio

From

2013

2015

Summary

After decades in which there has been little focus on the teaching and learning of programming in schools, the topic has returned to prominence. In some countries, attempts are being made to balance the teaching of ICT skills, and/or using ICT in teaching and learning, by providing curricular opportunities for students to learn to program and to develop their computational thinking skills. This is the case in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. However, in both jurisdictions, there are concerns about the readiness of teachers to teach the relevant courses so that students reach an acceptable level of skill and understanding for national certification. "The Programming Studio," a collaborative project between Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College,addresses this issue. The chief aims of the project are to document the levels of programming expertise and readiness among teachers likely to be interested in teaching programming courses, and to allow a pilot group of teachers to experience programming as a "digital literacy" by mastering appropriate programming language(s) through games-based learning.

Funding Agency

SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South)

Project Type

Research project

Project Title

An exploration of Mathematical Identity using Narrative as a Tool (MINT)

From

May 2011

October 2014

Summary

The project involves investigating the Mathematical Identity of cohorts of student teachers and others who are, will be, or may be involved in mathematics teaching. The chief aim is to propose an efficient and effective protocol by which third level mathematics educators can explore the Mathematical Identities of their students, with a view to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. The project is a partnership between mathematics educators at St. Patrick's College (Drumcondra), Stranmillis University College (Belfast), Trinity College Dublin, the University of Limerick, and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Dun Laoghaire). A colleague from NUI Galway is acting as a consultant.

Funding Agency

SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South)

Project Type

Research project

Project Title

The effect of calculator use on mathematics in schools and in Certificate examinations

From

1999

2008

Summary

Investigation of the effect of introducing calculators into the Junior Cycle Mathematics syllabus and the Junior Certificate examination

Funding Agency

Department of Education and Science

Project Type

Research project

Representations

Details	Date
Reviewer for Irish Educational Studies	Current
Reviewer for the European Journal of Teacher Education	Current

Languages

Language	Skill Reading	Skill Writing	Skill Speaking
English	Fluent	Fluent	Fluent
French	Medium	Medium	Medium
German	Medium	Basic	Basic
Irish	Medium	Basic	Basic

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details	Date From	Date To
Educational Studies Association of Ireland	1977	Present
Association for Teacher Education in Europe	1981	Present
Irish Mathematics Teachers' Association	1970	Present
Computers in Education Society of Ireland	1973	Present
Irish Mathematical Society	2014	Present

Publications and other Research Outputs

Reforming Junior Cycle: Lessons from Project Maths in, editor(s)Damian Murchan and Keith Johnston , Curriculum Change within Policy and Practice: Reforming Second-Level Education in Ireland, Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp125 - 142, [Chris Byrne, Mark Prendergast and Elizabeth Oldham], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED

Cornelia Connolly, Jake Byrne and Elizabeth Oldham, The trajectory of Computer Science education policy in Ireland: A document analysis narrative, European Journal of Education, 2021, Journal Article, ACCEPTED

Laurinda Leite, Elizabeth Oldham, Ana S. Afonso, Floriano Viseu, Luís Dourado and Maria Helena Martinho, Science and Mathematics Education for 21st Century Citizens: Challenges and Ways Forward, Hauppage, NY, Nova Science Publishers, 2020, i-xxvii, 1-407pp, Book, PUBLISHED

Introduction - Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics in the 21st Century: Challenges and Aspirations in, editor(s)Laurinda Leite, Elizabeth Oldham, Ana S. Afonso, Floriano Viseu, Luís Dourado and Maria Helena Martinho , Science and Mathematics Education for 21st Century Citizens: Challenges and Ways Forward, Hauppage, NY, Nova Science Publishers, 2020, ppxv - xxvii, [Elizabeth Oldham and Elsa Price], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham, Maria Helena Martinho, Floriano Viseu, Rook Doggen, Elsa Price and Laurinda Leite, Investigating prospective science and mathematics teachers' meanings for and representations of functions: An international study, ATEE Annual Conference 2019: Teacher education in a changing global context, Bath Spa, England, 14-16 August 2019, edited by Leah Shagrir & Davide Parmigiani , ATEE, 2020, pp80 - 102, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham and Mark Prendergast, Investigating prospective mathematics teachers' meanings for and representations of functions: A study of pre-service teachers and of students of mathematics in an Irish university , ATEE Annual Conference 2019: Teacher education in a changing global context, Bath Spa, England, 14-16 August 2019, edited by Leah Shagrir & Davide Parmigiani , ATEE, 2020, pp38 - 61, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham, The role of voluntary teacher groups in providing leadership in education: A case study of the work of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland, 1st S3i International Innovation Conference IBCMED: innovative practices on Management, Education, Technology and Health, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 7-11 December 2020, 2020, Notes: [Keynote lecture], Oral Presentation, PRESENTED

Elizabeth Oldham, The new normal in Ireland: COVID-19 + use of technology = a change in the culture of education?, AUCEi Annual Meeting, Florida, USA, 30-31 July 2020, 2020, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED

Pre-Service Teachers' Technological Self-Efficacy : An Irish Perspective. in, editor(s)D. Gibson & M. Ochoa , Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2019 , Chesapeake, VA, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), 2019, pp149 - 158, [Egan, A., Fitzgibbon, A., Johnston, K., & Oldham, E. ], Notes: [DOI: http://www.learntechlib.org/p/210591/], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED DOI

Elizabeth Oldham, Megan Colhoun and Donal O'Donovan, The influence of an undergraduate module including classroom experience on perceptions of teaching and intention to take up teaching as a career: A study of prospective teachers of mathematics, 2018 ATEE Annual Conference Proceedings: A future for all: teaching for a sustainable society, Gavle, Sweden, 20-22 August 2018, Association for Teacher Education in Europe, 2019, pp18 - 32, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

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Elizabeth Oldham, Changes in curriculum and assessment for school mathematics: Ireland in international context, Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium , Maynooth University, 4th November 2020, 2020, Department of Mathematics and Staistics, Maynooth Unversity, Invited Talk, PRESENTED

Richard Millwood and Elizabeth Oldham, Shaping tomorrow today ... starting with yesterday, Computers in Education Society of Ireland Annual Conference 2018 (CESIcon 2018), Dublin City University, Dublin, 10th March 2018, 2018, Computers in Education Society of Ireland, Notes: [Keynote address], Invited Talk, PRESENTED

Richard Millwood and Elizabeth Oldham, Computer Science in Schools in England and Ireland - context and current developments in 2017, 22º Seminário de Educação, Tecnologia e Sociedade (22nd Conference on Education, Technology and Society), Facultades Integradas de Taquara, Taquara, Brazil, 10-16 October 2017, 2017, Notes: [Invited keynote paper for online conference - video available at https://youtu.be/U8jjupSeMzk], Conference Paper, PRESENTED

Elizabeth Oldham, Setting the scene, Symposium on the proposed new Leaving Certificate course on Computer Science, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, 16 September 2017, 2017, Notes: [Invited presentation at the symposium run by the Computers in Education Society of Ireland.], Oral Presentation, PRESENTED

Patsy Stafford, Elizabeth Oldham and Valerie O'Dowd, Ratio and proportional thinking: a study in an Irish context, British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics Day Conference, Dublin, 27-28 February 2015, edited by C. Smith , 35, (1), BSRLM, 2015, pp78 - 83, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham, Fr. Ingram Memorial Lecture, 2014: Celebrating the past, embracing the present and preparing for future change, Irish Mathematics Teachers Association Newsletter, 114, 2014, p6 - 9, Notes: [Invited lecture on the occasion of the Annual Conference and Golden Jubilee Dinner of the Irish Mathematics Teachers Association], Journal Article, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham, Mathematics education: Taking stock, examining practice, developing policy?, Why Maths Matters - responding to the challenges of mathematics education in Ireland: Taking stock, examining practice, developing policy, University of Limerick, 8 March 2013, edited by Gráinne O'Donovan , Higher Education Authority, 2013, pp50 - 62, Notes: [Keynote address], Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

Elizabeth Oldham, Mathematics education reform in Ireland: directions and dilemmas, Trends in Mathematics Education, University College Cork, 26 November 2012, 2012, Notes: [Invited paper; extended abstract available in the Book of Abstracts, edited by Paul Conway, Vanessa Rutherford and Michael Delargey, pp42 - 44], Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

Logo as part of the B. Ed. course: Helping students to think and to learn mathematics? in, editor(s)Robbie O'Leary and John O'Mahony , ICTs in the primary school: Teaching and learning for the 21st Century, Dublin, Dublin West Education Centre, 2010, pp219 - 224, [Elizabeth Oldham], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED

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Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

Mathematics education, in particular mathematics curriculum, teaching and learning; philosophies of mathematics education and their implications for teaching and learning; mathematical identity; teaching and learning (especially teaching and learning mathematics) with ICTs; computer programming and computational thinking in school curricula

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Ms. Elizabeth Oldham

Ms. Elizabeth Oldham

Adjunct Assistant Professor (Pure & Applied Mathematics)

eoldham@tcd.ie

http://people.tcd.ie/eoldham

Biography

Research Tags

Research Projects

Representations

Languages

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Publications and other Research Outputs

Publications

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests