There is a renewed debate about whether educated adults solve simple addition problems (e.g., 2 + 3) by direct fact retrieval or by fast, automatic counting-based procedures. Recent research testing adults' simple addition and multiplication showed that a 150-ms preview of the operator (+ or ×) facilitated addition, but not multiplication,…

Students learning to separate variables in order to solve a differential equation have multiple ways of correctly doing so. The procedures involved in "separation" include "division" or "multiplication" after properly "grouping" terms in an equation, "moving" terms (again, at times grouped) from…

Parity helps us determine whether an arithmetic equation is true or false. The current research examines the development of sensitivity to parity cues in multiplication in typically achieving (TA) children (grades 2, 3, 4 and 6) and in children with mathematics learning disabilities (MLD, grades 6 and 8), via a verification task. In TA children…

Algorithms and representations have been an important aspect of the work of mathematics, especially for understanding concepts and communicating ideas about concepts and mathematical relationships. They have played a key role in various mathematics standards documents, including the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. However, there have…

We show that students rearranging the terms of a mathematical equation in order to separate variables prior to integration use gestures and speech to manipulate the mathematical terms on the page. They treat the terms of the equation as physical objects in a landscape, capable of being moved around. We analyze our results within the tradition of…

Experts think in patterns and structures using the specific "language" of their domains. For mathematicians, these patterns and structures are represented by numbers, symbols and their relationships (Stokes, 2014a). To determine whether elementary students in the United States could learn to think in mathematical patterns to solve…

This article explores how a focus on understanding divisibility rules can be used to help deepen students' understanding of multiplication and division with whole numbers. It is based on research with seven Year 7-8 teachers who were observed teaching a group of students a rule for divisibility by nine. As part of the lesson, students were shown a…

Of the "big four", division is likely to regarded by many learners as "the odd one out", "the difficult one", "the one that is complicated", or "the scary one". It seems to have been that way "for ever", in the perception of many who have trodden the learning pathways through the world of…

The transition from whole numbers to integers involves challenges for both students and teachers. Leadership in mathematics education calls for an ability to translate depth of understanding into effective teaching methods, and this landscape includes alternative treatments of familiar topics. Noting the multiple meanings associated with the…

A procedure for generating quasigroups from groups is described, and the properties of these derived quasigroups are investigated. Some practical examples of the procedure and related results are presented.

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) call for an in depth, integrated look at elementary school mathematical concepts. Some topics have been realigned to support an integration of topics leading to conceptual understanding. For example, the third-grade standards call for relating the concept of area (geometry) to multiplication…

Estimation is more than a skill or an isolated topic. It is a thinking tool that needs to be emphasized during instruction so that students will learn to develop algorithmic procedures and meaning for fraction operations. For students to realize when fractions should be added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided, they need to develop a sense of…

Using qualitative data collection and analyses techniques, we examined mathematical representations used by sixteen (N=16) teachers while teaching the concepts of converting among fractions, decimals, and percents. We also studied representational choices by their students (N=581). In addition to using geometric figures and manipulatives, teachers…

Although learning mathematics certainly depends upon accurate understanding of the facts of multiplication, it requires much more. This study examines the relationship between a meaningful understanding of arithmetic operations and the mastery of basic facts. The study began with a joke about a mistaken mathematical fact. The children appreciated…

PEMDAS is a mnemonic device to memorize the order in which to calculate an expression that contains more than one operation. However, students frequently make calculation errors with expressions, which have either multiplication and division or addition and subtraction next to each other. This article explores the mathematical reasoning of the…