As online spaces for mathematics content and lesson plans become more accessible, teachers are exploring these websites to make decisions about instructional materials for their courses. These resources then have an impact on what is enacted in the classroom and what opportunities students have to learn mathematics. One of the most popular online…

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to explore middle and high school students' intuitively-based (mis)conceptions in probability, particularly availability and representativeness heuristics. Second, to investigate teachers' awareness of these intuitively-based (mis)conceptions and the effectiveness of their instructional practices to…

Solving word problems is a large part of algebra coursework and statewide testing. However, solving secondary mathematics word problems is difficult for most students and extremely challenging for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD). In recent meta-analyses, two problem solving strategies emerged as effective for secondary students…

It's often useful extending students beyond the limiting geometry of triangles and quadrilaterals to regularly consider generalizations of results for triangles and quadrilaterals to higher order polygons. A brief heuristic description is given here of the author applying this strategy, and which led to an interesting result related to the…

Knowing how best to respond to students' mathematical inquiries is an important skill for all teachers to develop. A class of pre-service teachers (PSTs) was presented with a scripting task in which a student conjectured that 1/6.5 was "exactly in between" fractions 1/6 and 1/7. However, instead of addressing the student's inquiry…

This study examined whether learning with heuristic worked examples can improve students' competency in solving reality-based tasks in mathematics (mathematical modeling competency). We randomly assigned 134 students in Grade 5 and 180 students in Grade 7 to one of three conditions: control condition (students worked on reality-based tasks),…

Designers of critical mathematics instruction have documented difficulties in simultaneously fostering the development of critical consciousness while supporting students in developing understandings of new mathematics. However, confining justice-oriented tasks to applications of previously learned mathematics limits the degree to which these…

This paper presents a fine-grained process analysis of 22 students in a classroom-based learning setting. The students engaged (and failed) in problem-solving attempts prior to instruction (i.e., the Productive-Failure approach). We used the HeuristicsMiner algorithm to analyze the data of a quasi-experimental study. The applied algorithm allowed…

Task design is increasingly recognised as crucial for enhancing student learning of mathematics. Even so, and despite the significance of mathematical activity related to proofs and counterexamples in school mathematics, the task design principles underpinning students' success in proof-related activity remains under-explored in mathematics…

There has been a large amount of research about the impact of dynamic geometry software (DGS) on the learning of mathematics mainly related to different representations of mathematical concepts and functional dependences. This paper goes beyond these investigations by suggesting meaningful connection and integration of DGS with physical resources…

The main aim of this research is to examine the effect of an instructional design based on the Algo-Heuristic Theory of Instruction (AHTI) on students' mathematics performance and logical thinking skills in the subject of 7th grade mathematics. The research is grounded in a mixed method. In the quantitative part of the research, a…

A more motivating way of introducing students to probability theory is through real-world problems. Since heuristics play an important role in our probabilistic judgement, knowing how to avoid incorrect probabilistic reasoning, which leads to several biases, could help students to develop more critical thinking skills. In this paper, we present a…

One of the major aims of STEM education is the development of mathematical thinking. The common misconception is that "doing mathematics" is the same as getting involved in "mathematical thinking". Rallying to such argument, many would agree that mathematics should be taught as a thinking activity. Thus, this study endeavours…

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics highlight the importance of not only content standards for mathematics but also mathematical practices such as communication, representation, and reasoning, skills that are often difficult for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through a single-case multiple-probe-across-participants…

The process of proofs and refutations described by Lakatos is essential in school mathematics to provide students with an opportunity to experience how mathematical knowledge develops dynamically within the discipline of mathematics. In this paper, a framework for describing student processes of proofs and refutations is constructed using a set of…