Analogical reasoning has played an important role in the development of modern mathematics. However, there has been critique of analogies for the purpose of learning new mathematics. In this article, I counter that students can productively reason by analogy to learn new mathematics and even develop new mathematics themselves. I display examples…

In this paper, we provide an elaboration of the notion of mathematical structure -- a term agreed upon as valuable but difficult to define. We pull apart the terminology surrounding the notion of structure in mathematics: relationship, generalising/generalisation and properties, and offer an architecture of structure that distinguishes and…

Within a study of student reasoning in abstract algebra, we encountered the claim "division and multiplication are the same operation." What might prompt a student to make this claim? What kind of influence might believing it have on their mathematical development? We explored the philosophical roots of "sameness" claims to…

A poetic structure occurs when a speaker's comment repeats some of the syntax and words of a previous comment. During a collaborative algebra task, a student explained a property five times over a few minutes, in slightly different ways. He consistently used poetic structures that were marked elaborately through discursive modes such as pause,…

Advancement of self-regulation during complex problem solving and the development of strategical reasoning are among the central educational goals linked to 21st century skills. In this paper we introduce the notion of "Stepped Tasks", which are specially designed in Top-Down structure to achieve these goals in mathematics instruction.…

The purpose of this paper is to reclaim the place of specific examples. It is argued that a plausible step in experiencing the general is to start with a certain general process that can be applied to an already known and specific-for-the-learner object; the specific object is supposed to be there to be treated as a non-specific, particular…

This is the first of a two-part article that presents a theory of unit construction and coordination that underlies radical constructivist empirical studies of student learning ranging from young students' counting strategies to high school students' algebraic reasoning. My explanation starts with the formation of arithmetical units, which presage…

To learn means coming to know something new at the end of, or subsequent to, a (learning) process. Because students do not yet know at the beginning of the process what they will know subsequent to the process, they cannot actively orient towards the object of learning. In this article, I propose a phenomenological perspective that theorizes…

The curriculum for eleven-year old students in the United Kingdom, currently adopted by most schools, includes solving linear equations with the unknown on one side only before moving onto those with the unknown on both sides in later years. School textbooks struggle with the balance between developing algebraic understanding and training…

A description of De Morgan's life and work is followed with quotations of his thoughts and insights on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The purpose is to illustrate the sharpness of his ideas, his creative insights, and his wit for the enjoyment of the reader. (DC)

Discusses using the computer to promote versatile learning of higher order concepts in algebra and calculus. Generic organizers, generic difficulties, and differences between mathematical and cognitive approaches are considered. (YP)

Presents a selection of solutions of the "Three Hungry Men" problem from grade three to college students with three different strategies used: backward, forward, and forward/backward strategies. Provides error patterns in each strategy. Discusses some implications for teaching of problem solving. (YP)