On 24 June 1994 at Fairchild Air Force Base, during practice for an air show, a low-flying B-52H aircraft banked its wings vertically and crashed. Emphasizing the activity of modeling drag and gravity, these notes examine the possibility of recovery with several models. First, with algebra, historical data lead to a model where in a free fall near…

In this article, the authors share their favorite "Construct It!" activity, which focuses on rate of change and functions. The initial approach to instruction was procedural in nature and focused on making use of formulas. Specifically, after modeling how to find the slope of the line given two points and use it to solve for the…

Using a mixed methods approach, we explore a relationship between students' graph reasoning and graph selection via a fully online assessment. Our population includes 673 students enrolled in college algebra, an introductory undergraduate mathematics course, across four U.S. postsecondary institutions. The assessment is accessible on computers,…

This work explores the complex cognitive processes students engage in when addressing contextual tasks requiring linear and exponential models. Grounded within Piagetian constructivism and the Knowledge in Pieces (KiP) epistemological perspective (diSessa, 1993, 2018), this empirical study in a clinical setting develops a Microgenetic Learning…

This paper introduces the basic knowledge of integral factors of first-order ordinary differential equations and Lie symmetry analysis. It then discusses the principle of constructing an integral factor of the first-order ordinary differential equation by the Lie symmetric method. Finally, it presents some examples to show the process of…

The notion of function is central in all of the secondary curriculum, and indeed functional models appear in almost all higher education that is based on mathematics. However, in secondary education, functions usually appear in restricted and somewhat sterile forms. In this (mostly theoretical) paper, we present a proposal -- exemplified by a…

Large language models (LLMs) have significantly advanced smart education in the artificial general intelligence era. A promising application lies in the automatic generalization of instructional design for curriculum and learning activities, focusing on two key aspects: 1) customized generation: generating niche-targeted teaching content based on…

An algebraic model uses a set of algebraic equations to describe a situation. Constructing such models is a fundamental skill, but many students still lack the skill, even after taking several algebra courses in high school and college. For such students, we developed instruction that taught students to decompose the to-be-modelled situation into…

Simulation studies are the basic tools of quantitative methodologists used to obtain empirical solutions to statistical problems that may be impossible to derive through direct mathematical computations. The successful execution of many simulation studies relies on the accurate generation of correlated multivariate data that adhere to a particular…

It has been over thirty years since the nuclear reactor meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, but why there is still an officially designated exclusion zone? The Chernobyl Disaster Task combines the learning of exponential functions with properties of radioactive substances to help students understand the ongoing effects of the meltdown.…

Music provides an excellent setting for students to explore trigonometric functions in a setting which is independent of their utility in resolving triangles. In this paper, we present several investigations using trigonometric functions to model musical phenomena. From a mathematical technology point of view, most examples require only function…

The theoretical reflection on the nature of school algebra and the development of algebraic thinking from the first educational levels is a relevant topic in mathematics education. In this paper, we first summarize and clarify the positions held on this topic by two theoretical frameworks: the Theory of Objectification and the Onto-semiotic…

This paper presents results of a study aimed at describing and discussing evidence/features of advanced algebraic thinking processes. To achieve these objectives, we analysed the written production of students enrolled in engineering courses working on mathematical modelling tasks related to differential equations. Our guiding question was as…

This research examined the impact of the Cognitive-Communicative (C-C) model as a pedagogical strategy for teaching algebraic word problems (AWPs). The C-C model integrates structured dialogue, concept clarification, and systematic problem-solving steps to enhance students' comprehension and reasoning. Employing a mixed-methods framework, the…

The challenge posed by algebra story problems creates a significant hurdle for many students, transcending both the mathematical content of the problem and the specific instructional background received. This study offers a distinctive contribution to the existing literature by focusing on the cognitive conditions essential for comprehension in…