An important approach for developing children's algebraic thinking involves introducing them to generalized arithmetic at the time they are learning arithmetic. Our aim in this study was to investigate children's attention to and expression of generality with the subtraction-compensation property, as evidence of a type of algebraic thinking known…

This paper shares a flexible activity for engaging people in mathematical inquiry that does not depend on fixed prior knowledge built on a famous property of Möbius strips. The discussion includes the implementation of the activity and its extensions, facilitator moves and common participant thinking, suggestions for adaptation and integration…

Mathematical thinking is a complex, multi-faceted process that has been described as messy and difficult but can also show growth and insights into conceptual understanding and knowing. This paper explores the application of Edward de Bono's practical thinking, in particular, the occurrence of porridge words to examine the mathematical thinking of…

Classification is a complex process that involves scientific concepts and higher-order mental processes such as abstraction, generalization, and pattern recognition. Even though it is an important competence for understanding the world, dealing with data and information, and solving complex problems, the education system embeds just its simplest…

This article discusses algebraic thinking regarding positive integers and rational numbers when students, 6 to 9 years old in multilingual classrooms, are engaged in an algebraic learning activity proposed by the El'konin and Davydov curriculum. The main results of this study indicate that young, newly arrived students, through tool-mediated joint…

3D geometry is an essential concept in mathematics because it relates to real-world experiences and numerous mathematical topics. However, some students still have difficulty understanding this geometry. Therefore, this study aims to identify and describe students' epistemological obstacles to the dimensions of representation, spatial structure,…

This study aimed to investigate the impact of inquiry-based indoor and outdoor mathematics activities on pre-school children's geometric and spatial thinking skills. Thirty-two children between 48 and 66 months old participated in the study. The study employed as a quasi-experimental research model and employed Non-equivalent Control Group Design.…

SCAMPER is an acronym that stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, and Rearrange (Eberle 1972). Each word in the acronym is related to a question stem designed to prompt creative thinking about a given topic (Flannagan and Sawyer 2015). Using these question stems requires students to systematically think…

The objective of this research is to study the "Scratch" programming language as a didactic tool to teach functions. The introduction of didactic tools allowing comprehension in simple and attractive ways is required. Given the traditional teaching/learning system, it is necessary to organize participatory and collaborative dynamic…

In this dissertation study, I report on six middle school students' construction and interpretation of graphs and associated dynamic situations. Constructing and interpreting graphs represents a critical moment in middle school mathematics due to its opportunity to provide a powerful foundation for learning. Nevertheless, researchers have…

Making patterning the basis of mathematics investigations for an entire year produced unexpected results for Bruce Ferrington. A Year 2 class used the spatial tasks from the Pattern and Structure Mathematics Awareness Program (PASMAP) with a specific emphasis on patterning, to develop their thinking mathematically skills. The result was students…

An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the use of magic activities in a math course for prospective middle-school math teachers. This research report focuses on a lesson using two versions of math magic: (1) the "5-4-3-2-1-½ Magic" involves having students choose a secret number and apply six arithmetic operations in sequence…

The importance of ratio and proportional reasoning is regularly emphasised, however, the teaching and learning of these concepts continues to present challenges. In this article the authors explore a hands-on task, designed to encourage student visualisation of the concept of ratio. Teacher perceptions of this task were positive, indicating the…

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the mathematical ways of thinking present in a 15-minute interaction between an African American mother and her preschool son as they worked together on a craft project as part of a family involvement activity. This analysis, which was conducted as part of a broader ethnographic research project,…

The first author's initial attempts at a whole-class mathematics discussion were woefully dysfunctional. Ten second graders showing their answers to a missing addend question about the number of children left riding a school bus did not result in the mathematical epiphany that the textbook promised. She did not give up on using mathematical…