Two decades ago, in an award-winning paper, Dan Kennedy (1995) likened learning mathematics to climbing a tree, for which there was only one way to climb: up a large and solid trunk. In the limited time that is available, many students give up the climb, impede others, fall off the trunk, or fail to climb the tree sufficiently well. In the case of…

Australian secondary school systems offer three levels of senior (year 12) mathematics studies, none of them compulsory: elementary, intermediate and advanced. The intermediate and advanced studies prepare students for further mathematics studies at university level. In the state of Victoria, there are two versions of intermediate mathematics: one…

For almost all students, what happens when they push buttons on their calculators is essentially magic, and the techniques used are seemingly pure wizardry. In this article, the author draws back the curtain to expose some of the mathematics behind computational wizardry and introduces some fundamental ideas that are accessible to precalculus…

Technology impacts students' learning experiences. The increased use of calculators, computer algebra systems, and computer-based and Web-based assessments opens up new opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning mathematics. Students' lives are becoming busier, and they have less time to dedicate to homework outside the classroom.…

Many empirical investigations concerning the use of computer algebra systems (CAS) and symbolic calculators (SC) are restricted to a period of only a few weeks. They do not show long-term effects on students understanding. Therefore, a long term project (2003-2012) was started to test the use of symbolic calculators in Bavarian…

Using data from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, students' use of calculators in the learning of high school mathematics was profiled based on their family background, curriculum background, and advanced mathematics coursework. A statistical method new to educational research--classification and regression trees--was applied…

The solutions of the discrete logistic growth model based on a difference equation and the continuous logistic growth model based on a differential equation are compared and contrasted. The investigation is conducted using a dynamic interactive spreadsheet. (Contains 5 figures.)

The use of machinery to compute numbers approaching a limit is discussed. A convergence theorem and several examples are provided. (SD)

Reviews tasks and techniques to help students develop an appropriate instrumental genesis for algebra and functions to prepare for calculus. Focuses on the potential of the calculator to connect enactive representations and theoretical calculus. Discusses strategies to help students experiment with symbolic concepts in calculus. (Contains 32…

Illustrates three examples usually delayed until sufficient terminology, concepts, and methods have been developed unless using calculators or computers. The three examples are on exponential growth, triangle construction, and end behavior of certain function. Discusses the advantages of technology-enhanced mathematics teaching. (YP)

Reports 17 recommendations that focus primarily on curriculum in grades 11-13 for students who take a four-year college-preparatory program. Appropriate curricular patterns for students who are intending to pursue careers that depend on mathematics are indicated. (PK)

Discussed are supercalculator capabilities and possible teaching implications. Included are six examples that use a supercalculator for topics that include volume, graphing, algebra, polynomials, matrices, and elementary calculus. A short review of the research on supercomputers in education and the impact they could have on the curriculum is…

Discusses research findings related to students' ability to make connections between analytical (symbolic) and graphical representations of functions in calculus. Describes graphing tasks and typical student interpretations. Implications for teaching are suggested. (Contains 17 references.) (MKR)

This article presents teaching ideas designed to support the belief that students at all levels (preservice teachers, majors, secondary and elementary students) need exposure to non-routine problems that illustrate the effective use of technology in their resolution. Such use provides students with rapid and accurate data collection, leading them…

This document contains the second volume of the proceedings of the 28th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Conference presentations are centered around the theme "Inclusion and Diversity". This volume features 65 research report papers: (1) Constructing Meanings and Utilities within Algebraic…