Abstract concepts of mathematics are always difficult for the students to comprehend. These concepts are a continuous source of low achievement in mathematics. A study was conducted to explore the effect of Synectics Model of teaching in enhancing understanding of abstract concept of mathematics. It was a form of quasi-experimental study using…

The calculus concepts of concavity and inflection points are often given meaning through the shape or curvature of a graph. However, there appear to be deeper core ideas for these two concepts, though the research literature has yet to give explicit attention to what these core ideas might be or what it might mean to "understand" them.…

Students in grades 3 and 4 attending a traditional public elementary school in a northeastern state did not meet proficiency levels in mathematics as measured by the state's assessment system. Published reports indicated that students attending the Montessori programs were more proficient in solving math problems compared to students in…

At the end of primary school all children more of less know what a percentage is, but yet they often struggle with percentage problems. This article describes a study in which students of 13 and 14 years old were given a written test with percentage problems and a week later were interviewed about the way they solved some of these problems. In a…

This article outlines a theoretical model for teaching elementary mathematical concepts that we have developed over the past 10 years. We begin with general ideas about the abstraction process and differentiate between "abstract-general" and "abstract-apart" concepts. A 4-phase model of teaching, called Teaching for Abstraction, is then proposed…