This article presents several mathematics problems on the same theme that can be used in class or for independent study. It is very difficult to show students how mathematics research is done by mathematicians, so the author first introduces a problem that can be tackled solely by arithmetic and then gives an idea of how a mathematician might…

What is a teacher to do when students share an idea with underlying mathematics that is different from that of the student contribution being discussed? Could such situations be avoided to begin with? In this article, the authors share strategies that can help teachers better keep the mathematics related to the student contribution under…

This article explains how explorations into the quadratic formula can offer students opportunities to learn about the structure of algebraic expressions. In this article, the author leverages the graphical interpretation of the quadratic formula and describes an activity in which students derive the quadratic formula by quantifying the symmetry of…

The surface area of a sphere as a function of radius, "r," is a derivative of the volume of the sphere, and a few other families of solids with this property are known. Sometimes, the derivative relationship can be reached with a tricky choice of size parameter "r." This paper presents an activity for students that discovers…

Off You Go is a PK-12 mathematical routine that leverages children's home resources and assets to help students take a concept with which they have initial or informal understanding and explore and test its boundaries to support defining or estimating with precision. The authors provide a guide for how to adapt this routine to engage students at…

Valid proofs need not be in the traditional two-column format. This classroom activity allows students to explore, discuss, and use specialized facts to create a general statement of truth.

Minecraft is an open world survival computer game that was originally created in Sweden in 2011 and later purchased by Microsoft® in 2014. It is among the most popular computer games with students of all ages because it gives players a sense of ownership and opportunities for creative exploration. The game has three unique features: (1) no clear…

Many ways exist to engage students without detracting from the mathematics. Certainly some are high-tech options, such as video games, online trivia sites, and PowerPoint® presentations that follow the same model as Jeopardy; but sometimes low-tech options can be just as powerful. One exciting way to connect with students is by incorporating…

Fermi problems are problems which, due to their difficulty, can be satisfactorily solved by being broken down into smaller pieces that are solved separately. In this article, we present different sequences of activities involving Fermi problems that can be carried out in Secondary School classes. The aim of these activities is to discuss…

Mathematical models are conceptual processes that use mathematics to describe, explain, and/or predict the behaviour of complex systems. This article is written for teachers of mathematics in the junior secondary years (including out-of-field teachers of mathematics) who may be unfamiliar with mathematical modelling, to explain the steps involved…

The advent of dynamic geometry software has changed the way students draw, construct, and measure by using virtual tools instead of or along with physical tools. Use of technology in general and of dynamic geometry in particular has gained traction in mathematics education, as evidenced in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI…

Do your students think a triangle can be constructed from any three given line segments? Do they believe that a transformation affects only the pre-image--not the whole plane? Do they understand that examples--no matter how many they find--cannot prove a conjecture but one counterexample is sufficient to disprove it? "What tasks can you…

An important question for mathematics teachers is this: "How can we help students learn mathematics to solve everyday problems, rather than teaching them only to memorize rules and practice mathematical procedures?" Teaching students using modeling activities can help them learn mathematics in real-world problem-solving situations that…

Linear functions are an important part of the middle school mathematics curriculum. Students in the middle grades gain fluency by working with linear functions in a variety of representations (NCTM 2001). Presented in this article is an activity that was used with five eighth-grade classes at three different schools. The activity contains 15 cards…

Within the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" the Understanding proficiency strand states, "Students build understanding when they connect related ideas, when they represent concepts in different ways, when they identify commonalities and differences between aspects of content, when they describe their thinking mathematically and…