Fostering students' mathematical creativity is important for their understanding and success in mathematics courses as well as their persistence in STEM, but it necessitates intentional instructional actions, such as designing and implementing tasks that have the potential to foster creativity. As teaching innovation requires support for…

This article details how certain mathematical "discoveries" that Cavazos' fourth graders made were recorded throughout the year. Cavazos invited a math professor, a biologist, a literacy professor, a chemist, a statistician, and an engineering student, as well as their school principal and computer lab technician, both of whom are…

Described are features of a methods course in elementary school mathematics at Colorado State College. An essential purpose of the course is to orient the prospective teacher to the utilization of discovery processes in classroom learning situations. (RP)

A one-to-one teaching session with a student is described and analyzed in an attempt to communicate how student attempts at discovery in mathematics can be thwarted by teachers who do not allow room for creativity. (MP)

Discusses an activity-based, exploratory-centered model of instruction based on the Piagetian theory of developmental learning that bridges the gap between the expected and actual levels of student reasoning. Applies the method to learning the mathematical concepts of circumference, area and volume, and division by zero. (22 references) (MDH)

Describes the Microworld Chance, a simulation-oriented computer environment that allows students to explore probability concepts in five subenvironments: coins, dice, spinners, thumbtacks, and marbles. Results of a teaching experiment to examine the effectiveness of the microworld in changing students' misconceptions about probability are…

Examines the use of spreadsheets for solving equations by the method of iterations. The combination of the spreadsheets and graphical representation is shown to be appropriate both for teaching and learning the method of iterations and for investigating properties of equations. (Author)

Presents an alternate form of assignment, called "Special Problems," that incorporates writing in journals into the mathematics classroom. The method requires students to provide process narratives to accompany selected homework exercises. Allows the teacher to monitor the student's thought processes and development. (MDH)

Presents a worksheet on graph paper that allows students to determine the perpendicular bisectors of given segments by folding the paper. Students then determine the slopes of the perpendicular bisectors and use inductive thinking to discover the relationship between the slopes of perpendicular lines. (MDH)

Explores the use of dialogue and dramatization to reconstruct the formation of mathematical concepts. An appendix provides the synopsis of a 6-scene play that portrays the rise of negative numbers over a period of 300 years. (MDH)

Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)

Describes an activity that demonstrates a teaching-learning model in which students ask yes or no questions to determine an unknown number on a number line. Provides a sequence of five steps to carry out the activity and suggestions for extending and expanding the activity for different grade levels. (MDH)

Proposes that problem scenarios are activities that give students opportunities to employ mathematics across the curriculum by asking them to define problems, identify information needed and potential sources of data, and make related conjectures. Discusses an example of a scenario involving transportation. (MDH)