Question 2

As Mary glanced through the mathematics test paper, she was elated that she had studied all the key

terms. The first term in a list to be defined was: Translation. Mary was not worried as she had read the

meaning over and over again. She quickly wrote: Translation is defined as the process of translating a

foreign language to another native language to convey meaning. Having completed the first part of the

item, Mary turned to the second part of the same test item. She noticed that it required her to justify

the preferred meaning for one of the list of terms. Mary was taken aback at the nature of the item. She

found herself wondering if a preferred meaning should be the same as a preferred definition. During her

primary school days, the meaning of a word was the same as its definition. Had this changed? Although

she was unsure, she decided to try by discussing her experiences that influenced the personal

significance of the term, translation. She knew she would have to check her perspective after the test

and make changes before her teacher did any review. Focus Questions/Items:

(a) What is your view on the problem Mary was facing during the test?

(b) How are you like or unlike Mary in terms of your learning behaviours?

(c) Review the online source below after you have recorded your response.