Using Epistemic Network Analysis to understand core topics as planned learning objectives

Epistemic Network Analysis is a tool developed by the epistemic games group at the University of Wisconsin Madison for tracking the relations between concepts in students discourse (Shaffer 2017). In our current work we are applying this tool to learning objectives in teachers digital preparation.
The danish mathematics curriculum is organised in six competencies and three topics. In the recently implemented learning platforms teacher choose which of the mathematical competencies that serves as objective for a specific lesson or teaching sequence. Hence learning objectives for lessons and teaching sequences are defining a network of competencies, where two competencies are closely related of they often are part of the same learning objective or teaching sequence. We are currently using Epistemic Network Analysis to study these networks. In the poster we will include examples of different networks from a corpus of learning objectives from a project, “The goal arrow”, developing a prototype learning platform (Misfeldt et al 2015).
The analysis suggest a two dimensional space of mathematical competencies where one dimension is characterised by having communication at one end and mathematical problem solving at the other, and the other dimension is characterised by a dimension going from thinking to articulation. The poster will include analysis of networks for grade 1-3, grade 4-6 and grade 7-9 using these dimension to suggest a way to look at the progression in mathematical competence focus in Danish compulsory school.