Creative thinking in mathematics is an essential 21st Century skill that can be developed and encouraged through an exploration of mathematical concepts. In the context of the new "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics," this article explores the possibilities that are unlocked when students engage with tasks creatively in mathematics. By…

Creativity plays an important role in mathematics, but it can be overlooked in undergraduate courses. This article describes three ways an existing first-year math seminar was modified to increase its focus on creativity: introducing readings and discussions related to creativity, drawing connections to creativity in other disciplines, and adding…

In "Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching" mathematics education expert and best-selling author Jo Boaler delivers a blueprint to banishing math anxiety and laying a foundation for mathematics success that anyone can build on. Perfect for students who have…

In this article, I discuss how teaching of mathematics can develop and encourage creative thinking, not only in mathematics, but also in general. I begin by discussing creativity as a habit that teachers can help students develop. Then I briefly present the investment theory of creativity. The basic idea of the investment theory is that creative…

Professionals throughout the education system are recognizing that standardized testing is holding students back. Schools tend to view children as "outcomes" rather than as "individuals" who require guidance on thinking critically and creatively. "Awesome Math" focuses on team-based problem solving to teach discrete…

In this paper, we compare and contrast our experiences in using standards-based grading in different courses and across two separate institutions to explore the related tradeoffs and subtleties in designing and implementing such grading systems, guided by innovation diffusion theory. We summarize our individual courses, use Linda Nilson's criteria…

In the authors' attempts to incorporate problem solving into their mathematics courses, they have found that student ambition and creativity are often hampered by feelings of risk, as many students are conditioned to value a produced solution over the actual process of building one. Eliminating risk is neither possible nor desired. The challenge,…

The innovative volume seeks to broaden the scope of research on mathematical problem solving in different educational environments. It brings together contributions not only from leading researchers, but also highlights collaborations with younger researchers to broadly explore mathematical problem-solving across many fields: mathematics…

The United States is dependent on innovations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields for the growth of its economy and improvements to quality of life, but too few students are prepared for them. To help meet the challenges in filling the STEM pipeline, teachers of gifted elementary students can nurture important talents,…

What better way to engage young students in physical science concepts than to have them engineer flying toy rockets? The integration of engineering into science classrooms is advocated by the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) and researchers alike (Brophy et al. 2008), as engineering provides: (1) A "real-world…

These proven, practical early childhood teaching strategies help teachers identify young gifted children, differentiate curriculum, assess and document students' development, and build partnerships with parents. Chapters focus on early identification, curriculum compacting, social studies, language arts, math and science, cluster grouping,…

"Using the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics With Gifted and Advanced Learners" provides teachers and administrators examples and strategies to implement the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with advanced learners at all stages of development in K-12 schools. The book describes--and demonstrates with specific examples from the…

Both writing and math require purposeful teaching. This article describes how one teacher discovered that she could teach math in a way that paralleled how she taught writing by researching what students know and then nudging them ahead to the next level of understanding. Just as effective writers employ creativity, perseverance, and revising,…

Great strides in the real world are usually accompanied by failure. Mathematics teachers should accept some failure as their students take risks during mathematical explorations. This is not to imply that students should fail an entire course, but they should have opportunities to take risks that may lead to failure, especially in the area of…

The increase in the diversity of students and the complexity of their needs can be a rich addition to a mathematics classroom. The challenge for teachers is to find a way to include students' interests and creativity in a way that allows for rigorous mathematics. One method of incorporating the diversity is the development of "open-ended…