Taylor series play a ubiquitous role in calculus courses, and their applications as approximants to functions are widely taught and used everywhere. However, it is not common to present the students with other types of approximations besides Taylor polynomials. These notes show that polynomials construed to satisfy certain boundary conditions at…

Differential equations are an important mathematical concept used to model processes in many disciplines. However, the literature shows that students experience many difficulties when studying this topic. We investigate the effect of using context while teaching differential equations on engineering students' ability to construct and interpret…

This study examines the behavior of individuals when two intuitive rules in their minds lead to two different outcomes concerning a problem. In the absence of the formal knowledge, intuitive rules can affect the mathematical thinking. Hence, studies have usually compared the correct answer of the related formal knowledge with the incorrect one…

Recently, Lima lamented on the 'time-consuming and tiresome' pedagogical nature of repeated integration by parts, throwing down the challenge of providing a pencil-and-paper solution to a related problem in a few seconds. Lima put forth a simple formula as an alternative. In this work, I offer a response to Lima's challenge and his formula.…

In this study, we propose an integrated hierarchical model of computational estimation strategies (IHMCES), which can be used to organize a set of computational estimation strategies, used by a group of individuals, in strategy ranges. IHMCES can be used for the description of the repertoire, profile and flexibility of individuals regarding the…

College calculus plays an important role in STEM students' degree and career aspirations. One of the key factors considered in assessing a student's ability to be successful in calculus is their proficiency in topics from prior mathematics courses such as algebra and precalculus. This study set out to examine the impact of students' precalculus…

Teachers' and students' values influenced the teaching and learning process in the mathematics classroom. Few studies were conducted to compare teachers' and students' value in mathematics learning. This paper explores Malaysian mathematics teachers' and students' values in mathematics learning. Fifty-three mathematics teachers and 354 secondary…

The goal of this study is to characterize how pre-service teachers recognize students' reasoning, based in the unitizing process, when students solve ratio comparison problems and, how they consider the unitizing process as a Key Development Understanding to propose teaching decisions. Ninety-one pre-service primary teachers interpreted primary…

This research explores the use of guided notes in a post-secondary calculus course and the extent to which use enhanced students' success in a first year calculus course. Guided notes have been previously shown to be perceived as helpful to learning by students, and one study showed that the use of guided notes improved pass rates in a first year…

Capitalizing on cognitive load theory and learning by analogy, we propose two instructional methods to learn a complex linear equation (e.g. two-step equation) by building on prior knowledge of a simpler linear equation (e.g. one-step equation). We will examine the proposal theoretically in this paper. In line with the design principles of…

The purpose of this work is to explore alternative geometric pedagogical perspectives concerning justifications to 'fast' multiplication algorithms in a way that fosters opportunities for skill and understanding within younger, or less algebraically inclined, learners. Drawing on a visual strategy to justify these algorithms creates pedagogical…

In undergraduate mathematics education, students' collaborations have gained a reputation as a 'good' learning practice. A more complex image emerges once collaborations are construed as an arena where cognitive, social, and affective matters intertwine in ways that can fuel and impede learning. In this study, I take a close look at a…

In this paper, we investigate how a research mathematician conjectures and proves when conducting her research. To be precise, the aim of this study is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the way this research mathematician develops these mathematical practices and thus gain insight to improve the teaching and learning of these two…

This study used a modified mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) framework to compare the "common content knowledge" (CCK) of two groups of purposively selected pre-service primary mathematics teachers (n = 86) in relation to spatial visualization. Specifically, thirty-five pre-service teachers (n[subscript 1] = 35) with a pure…

The purpose of the study was to explore students' consistency in their notions encountering different methods in solving the same task of comparing values of certain infinite series. The participants were 93 male students aged 16-17. Applying cognitive conflict approach and the data were collected through a questionnaire administrated in two…