We describe 24 third (8-9 years old) and 24 fifth (10-11 years old) graders' generalization working with the same problem involving a function. Generalizing and representing functional relationships are considered key elements in a functional approach to early algebra. Focusing on functional relationships can provide insights into how students…

This study aims to explore all the types of students' mental models of number patterns. The study used a qualitative approach with an explorative type. The subjects used to characterize the student's mental models in this study were 46 eighth grade students in Indonesia. To reveal the subjects' mental model, they were asked to solve the number…

This study reports an analysis of inductive reasoning of Mexican middle school mathematics teachers, when solving tasks of generalization of a quadratic sequence in the context of figural patterns. Data was collected from individual interviews and written answers to generalization tasks. Based on Cañadas and Castro's inductive reasoning model, we…

This paper discusses an interesting, classic problem that provides a nice classroom investigation for dynamic geometry, and which can easily be explained (proved) with transformation geometry. The deductive explanation (proof) provides insight into why it is true, leading to an immediate generalization, thus illustrating the discovery function of…

This research aims to describe the expectations of prospective teachers for students' mathematical thinking processes in solving problem-based on the Polya model. This model is perceived by the theory of mathematical thought processes proposed by Mason. A descriptive method with a qualitative approach was used in this research. The research…

This study investigated the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach in ratio and proportion on the mathematics reasoning skill of seventh-grade students. The study was carried out in a seventh-grade mathematics course in a middle school located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey during the 2016-2017 academic year. The IBL…

Research has shown that the types of tasks assigned to students affect their learning. Various authors have described desirable features of mathematical tasks or of the activity they initiate. Others have suggested task taxonomies that might be used in classifying mathematical tasks. Drawing on this literature, we propose a set of task types that…

This paper reports on the characterization of the inductive reasoning used by middle school mathematics teachers to solve a task of generalization of a quadratic pattern. The data was collected from individual interviews and the written answers to the generalization task. The analysis was based on the representations and justifications used to…

The purpose of the current study is to examine the ways in which preservice middle school mathematics teachers (PMSMT) apply and represent algebraic reasoning in their solution processes for the problems in the concept of sets. This model provides detailed information about the reasoning made through the process of the solution of set problems.…

This article presents a checklist of 10 evidence-based practices for educators to apply in mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities. The checklist is "actionable," meaning the items on the checklist can be put into action immediately. It provides practical strategies teachers can adopt to fit their lessons…

Generalization and proof are a foundation of mathematical practice and as such should be integral to K-12 mathematics instruction. However, if generalizing and proving are to become popular within K-12 mathematics classrooms, we must consider how to effectively enlist pre-service teachers (PSTs) into supporting these activities in their…

This paper explores students' ways of thinking about the average rate of change of a multivariable function and how they generalize those ways of thinking from rate of change of single-variable functions. I found that while students thought about the average rate of change of a multivariable function as the change in the independent quantity with…

This article presents "The Two Children Problem," published by Martin Gardner, who wrote a famous and widely-read math puzzle column in the magazine "Scientific American," and a problem presented by puzzler Gary Foshee. This paper explains the paradox of Problems 2 and 3 and many other variations of the theme. Then the authors…

Generalizing--along with conjecturing, representing, justifying, and refuting--are forms of mathematical reasoning important in all branches of mathematics (Lannin, Ellis, and Elliott 2011). Increasingly, however, generalizing is recognized as the essence of thinking in algebra (Mason, Graham, and Johnston-Wilder 2010; Kaput, Carraher, and Blanton…

Representation and justification are two central "mathematical practices". In the past, each has been examined to gain insights in the functions that they have in students' mathematical problem solving. Here, we examine the ways that representation and justification interact and influence the development of one another. We focus on the…