This article documents the classroom mathematical practices observed in a collegiate level teacher education course related to the circle topic. The course, which was prepared as design research, utilized a dynamic geometry environment which influenced the type and nature of the evolved mathematical practices. The study uses emergent perspective…

Because new learning technologies are enabling students to build and explore probability models, we believe that there is a need to determine the big enduring ideas that underpin probabilistic thinking and modeling. By uncovering the elements of the thinking modes of expert users of probability models we aim to provide a base for the setting of…

The study explores the development of 11-year-old students' informal inference about random bunny hops through student talk and use of computer simulation tools. Our aim in this paper is to draw on dialogic theory to explain how students make shifts in perspective, from intuition-based reasoning to more powerful, formal ways of using probabilistic…

As a consequence of the increased use of data in workplace environments, there is a need to understand the demands that are placed on users to make sense of such data. In education, teachers are being increasingly expected to interpret and apply complex data about student and school performance, and, yet it is not clear that they always have the…

In this research, we examine how problem solving frameworks differ between Mathematics and Software Development. Our methodology is based on the assumption that the words used frequently in a book indicate the mental framework of the author. We compared word frequencies in a sample of 139 books that discuss problem solving. The books were grouped…

Nonroutine function tasks are more challenging than most typical high school mathematics tasks. Nonroutine tasks encourage students to expand their thinking about functions and their approaches to problem solving. As a result, they gain greater appreciation for the power of multiple representations and a richer understanding of functions. This…

In this article, the author talks about his experiences when he started a mathematics degree with the Open University. He shares what happened during a course on mathematical models and methods and his major influences in mathematics. He also offers his current pedagogy that is based purely on his experiences and time spent talking to other…

Examines the model of interacting nerve systems based on a switching theory, which uses a mathematical structure familiar to many high school students and requires little knowledge of biology. Reviews the basic operation of nerves, and demonstrates how Boolean algebraic statements are applied to synaptic interactions. (PR)

Reviews the underpinnings of synthetic division. Shows how to quickly obtain the coefficients of the Taylor expansion of a polynomial about a point, and a partial fraction decomposition of a polynomial. (MVL)

Presented are geometric interpretations of the Riemann-Stieltjes integral and a few associated theorems (without proofs). Such graphical explanations can aid some students in understanding real analysis. (MNS)