The present paper examines a patterning activity that was organised within a teaching experiment in order to analyse the different uses of variables by secondary school students. The activity presented in the paper can be categorised as a pictorial/geometric linear pattern. We adopted a student-oriented perspective for our analysis, in order to…

The present study investigated (a) whether the perceived cognitive load was different when geometry problems with various levels of configuration comprehension were solved and (b) whether eye movements in comprehending geometry problems showed sources of cognitive loads. In the first investigation, three characteristics of geometry configurations…

Initial exposure to algebraic thinking involves the critical leap from working with numbers to thinking with variables. The transition to thinking mathematically using variables has many layers, and for all students an abstraction that is clear in one setting may be opaque in another. Geometric counting and the resulting algebraic patterns provide…

Three activities that involve space perception, the concept of geometric equivalence, and Euler's formula regarding regular polyhedra are described. (JT)

A coordinate system is imposed on a geoboard to form a table that leads to the discovery of the formula n[(n+1)(n+1)] (n+2)/12. Proof is by induction. (MP)

Designs and arrangements of pentominoes are examined. (SD)

A square lattice is used to generate classroom activities, such as counting the number of squares in a lattice of a given size. (MP)

Using the overhead projector, or overlays on an original pattern, a variety of tessellations can be generated. Several illustrations are included. (SD)

This activity is designed to help students recognize and extend rectangular patterns and to use patterning to formulate rules for "nth" cases. Three worksheets are included. (MNS)

Introduces students to nonperiodic tiling and allows them to construct their own sets of kites and darts through a series of explorations, conjectures, and discoveries. (ASK)

This pamphlet introduces the student to the basic ideas and procedures of transformational geometry through a series of worksheets. After developing intuitively the idea of rigid motion, vector diagrams are introduced, and translations are discussed in some detail. (SD)

Similar rectangles are the basis of a set of activities using newspaper. Topics arising include infinite series and Pythagorean theorem. (MP)