Many universities throughout the world apply student-centered approaches. Common to these is that projects, problems, challenges etc. stem from "real life". Mathematics is an effective tool to solve problems, but in this paper, we discuss how we reconcile the fact that mathematics is both a pure and an applied discipline with…

In this article, I argue that the common practice across many school mathematics curricula of using a variety of different representations of number may diminish the coherence of mathematics for students. Instead, I advocate prioritising a single representation of number (the number line) and applying this repeatedly across diverse content areas.…

As members of a research group taking initial steps for creating mathematics curriculum in an Indigenous language (Yakama Ichishkíin), we engaged with an unanticipated outcome: the ways Indigenous identities and homelands are fractionated, as part of ongoing colonizing harm. Our work centers on how mathematics instruction can help heal, by…

The crucial reason for the common dislike, fear, and even hatred of mathematics by students and others is probably not the nature of mathematics itself, but the way the subject is portrayed and taught. We propose that instead of a mathematics curriculum that focuses on concepts and techniques (which is often seen), it might be more productive if…

It has become a truism to state that mathematical knowledge or "meaning" and the norms and practices of (school) mathematical communities are negotiated and socially constructed before individuals construct (internalize) them for themselves. In this study I suggest that the social in existing conceptualizations is based on a trivial…

In this article I discuss an investigation of handwritten mathematics manuscripts known as navigation cyphering books. These manuscripts, which were prepared during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, are evidence of an educational tradition that was the primary means by which students in North America learned mathematics between 1607 and…

In the last two decades some researchers have been using elements of Critical Theory to rethink the aims and the possibilities of school mathematics. The field known as critical mathematics education has become an important research area, and has been informing teachers who felt the need to change their practices. In this article, we explore the…

The Math Wars have been raging since the 1990's in the United States, where the world of mathematics education has become polarised into two camps: the reformers and the traditionalists. In this article I explore the background to the Math Wars, with specific reference to conflicting ideologies of mathematics education. I draw parallels with…

This article explores the factors that may cause teachers to defer to the textbook as the ultimate authority on curriculum and pedagogy, drawing on Bakhtin's notion of authoritative and personally persuasive discourse. We found that although teachers deferred to the textbook as the "authority" of what should be taught, they did not fully implement…

A major component of student difficulty with algebra is the inability to make sense of the algebra symbol system as a language. Accordingly, remedies should be sought by considering algebra in a linguistic sense. (PK)

Mathematics is perceived as a boring subject by some secondary students. Lists and describes 10 types of mathematical surprises across the secondary mathematics curriculum that help to make mathematics more interesting. (YP)

This article addresses the concept of participation in the mathematics classroom, especially as it relates to students from certain ethnic and language groups and economically disadvantaged students. The authors are primarily concerned with seeking ways to develop approaches to mathematics education that are sensitive to the contexts and lived…

Suggests that it is possible to apply the principles of literary criticism to the mathematical text. Discussed are the areas of rhetoric, metaphor, and metonymy. (PK)

Discusses the writing of the book "Africa Counts: Number and Pattern in African Culture" and relates efforts to introduce multicultural perspectives into the mathematics curriculum at the elementary and secondary levels. Proposes what needs to be done to introduce ethnomathematical perspectives into the curriculum. (24 references) (MKR)

Discusses the question of whether to teach the mathematics of mathematicians and scientists or develop the mathematics as the set of skills and procedures that a cultural group knows and uses in life. Offers suggestions using examples from field work with Navajo Indians and Turkish immigrants. (10 references) (MKR)