This paper substantiates the notion of inclusive materialism by illustrating the role of signs and micro-perception in the learning process of multiplication. Inclusive materialism, offered by de Freitas and Sinclair, considers mathematical learning a process of becoming a learning assemblage, which embodies various materials in a Deleuzian sense.…

This article is concerned with cognitive aspects of students' struggles in situations in which familiar concepts are reconsidered in a new mathematical domain. Examples of such cross-curricular concepts are divisibility in the domain of integers and in the domain of polynomials, multiplication in the domain of numbers and in the domain of vectors,…

This paper provides an analysis of a teaching episode of the multidigit algorithm for multiplication, with a focus on the influence of the teacher's mathematical knowledge on their teaching. The theoretical framework uses Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, mathematical pertinence of the teacher and structuration of the milieu in a descending and…

In our exploration of the order of operations we focus on the following claim: "In the conventional order of operations, division should be performed before multiplication." This initially surprising claim is based on the acronym BEDMAS, a popular mnemonic used in Canada to assist students in remembering the order of operations. The…

While the general planning advice offered to mathematics teachers seems to be to start with simple examples and build complexity progressively, the research reported in this article is a contribution to the body of literature that argues the reverse. That is, posing of appropriately complex tasks may actually prompt the use of more sophisticated…

Children who experience difficulties with learning mathematics should be taught by teachers who focus on the child's best way of learning. Analyses of the mathematical difficulties are necessary for fine-tuning mathematics education to the needs of these children. For this reason, an instrument for Observing and Analyzing children's Mathematical…

This study examined 361 Chinese and 345 Singaporean sixth-grade students' performance and problem-solving strategies for solving 14 problems about speed. By focusing on students from two distinct high-performing countries in East Asia, we provide a useful perspective on the differences that exist in the preparation and problem-solving strategies…

In order to give insights into cross-national differences in schooling, this study analyzed the development of multiplication and division of fractions in two curricula: "Everyday Mathematics" (EM) from the USA and the 7th Korean mathematics curriculum (KM). Analyses of both the content and problems in the textbooks indicate that…

This study involved 48 students ages 9 to 12. The 29 experimental group students, divided into small groups, performed learning exercises designed to improve skills in analyzing and processing expressions frequently included in addition and multiplication problems. The exercises helped significantly to improve problem-solving performance. (MNS)