Imagine a math classroom that recognizes the power of mathematics and uses it as a tool to understand the world so that the mathematics can enjoin a larger conversation. What is it like to live on a minimum wage? How is wealth distributed throughout the country or world? When will a country first experience a shortage of food? Mathematics…

In the set of fractal activities described in this article, students will accomplish much more than just creating a fun set of cards that simply resemble an art project. Goals of this activity, designed for an algebra 1 class, are to encourage students to generate data, look for and analyze patterns, and create their own models--all from a set of…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) recommends that students at all grade levels be provided with instructional programs that enable them to "create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas; select, apply, and translate among mathematical representations to solve problems; and use…

In the project described in this article, students work together to model real-life phenomena. They also think about the modeling process as they develop rubrics for evaluating their peers' work.

This article describes an engaging, data-gathering activity that allows students to explore relationships between latitude and average monthly temperatures of cities in the Western Hemisphere. This data-gathering activity covered interesting and important mathematical ground and engaged students from the start. While students searched for their…

Number sequence patterns for counting boundaries of familiar figures are extended to higher dimensions. (JP)

Certain properties of lenses provide a physical model of the mathematical concepts of multiplication of integral numbers and of similarity transformations in geometry. Further, they can provide a realistic concrete representation for rules governing multiplication of signed numbers. Suggestions for problems and classroom demonstrations involving…

Introduces students to the study of dynamical systems through a number of learning activities that explore functions in general and linear and exponential functions in particular. Students use calculators to interpret graphs, find patterns in tables of data, and also use algebra. (DDR)

Discussed are several common aspects of teaching functions and statistics including graphing relations, exploring relations, transforming relations, and modeling situations. Examples of each are provided. (CW)

Presents an analysis of the question in the title which involves a discussion of fractions, number theory, and probability through modeling, exploring, and other mathematical connections. (MKR)

Describes activities in which students perform experiments with physical models that they create. Students develop geometric intuition and build a concrete foundation upon which abstract principles can be built. (DDR)

Provided are three program listings which may be used to illustrate this fractal figure. Extensions of these algorithms and their use in the study of chaos and fractals are suggested. (CW)

Presented is an activity designed to develop a concrete linear model to assist students in estimating answers to percentage problems and developing an understanding of the concept of percentage. (CW)

Discusses research involving instruction to help students develop their mental managerial processes or metacognition, the role of a framework for problem-solving activities, the teacher as model or moderator, problem solving involving groups or pairs, and weaving writing into problem solving. (Contains 18 references.) (MKR)