This study investigates how a variety of resources mediated collaborative problem solving for a group of preservice teachers. The participants in this study completed mathematical, combinatorial tasks and then watched a video of a sixth grader as he exhibited sophisticated reasoning to recognize the isomorphic structure of these problems. The…

The authors explore the teaching of trigonometry using a method developed by Jeremy Burke of Kings College. A series of lessons was planned using an approach which looks at moving from a mathematical description of the topic, to a sequence plan, to a set of activities, which students can use to help them come to understand the topic. This is…

In this article, the authors discuss the use by teachers of "Type 2 tasks" within the Task Types in Mathematics Learning (TTML) Project, i.e., those in which the mathematics is situated within a contextualised practical problem. It is argued that these kinds of tasks have great potential for challenging and engaging students, and showing…

This paper presents findings from a larger study that examined the roles that parents and caregivers are given and/or choose to enact to support their children's mathematics learning, particularly in relation to their children's math homework. Based on interviews with parents of elementary-age children from three different urban school districts…

To capture aspects of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) not illuminated in an earlier written survey, an interview protocol was used with 40 middle school teachers. The scenarios were intended to elicit teachers' understanding of the big ideas, ability to anticipate students' answers, and intervention strategies for the classroom. This was…

The author drew the 2008 Easter conference to a close. During the final address, the author chose to focus on the domain of perimeter and area both because it is a topic accessible to teachers of all ages and because learners display considerable confusion between them. The core difficulty seems to lie in the necessity to attend either to the…

This article presents a guided investigation into the spacial relationships between the centres of the squares in a Fibonacci tiling. It is essentially a lesson in number pattern, but includes work with surds, coordinate geometry, and some elementary use of complex numbers. The investigation could be presented to students in a number of ways…

Games are a useful and fun way to review material in class, and encourage students to actively participate in review sessions. In fact, researchers have concluded that playing games can be an effective learning tool, especially in mathematics, in situations where the goal is to reinforce specific ideas or concepts. Two places this type of…

This article describes instructional activities designed to help students develop an understanding of the multiple relationships between fractions and percents and unit price as they develop their mental-math abilities. (Contains 4 figures.)

We present a general formula for a triple product involving four real numbers. As a particular case, we get the sum of a triple product of four odd integers. Some interesting results are recovered. We derive a general formula for more than four odd numbers.

Technology is increasingly used to aid the teaching of statistics. Personal Response Systems (PRS) involve equipping students with a handset allowing them to send responses to questions put to them by a lecturer. PRS allows lectures to be more interactive and can help reinforce material. It can also allow the lecturer to monitor students'…

Explore successful models of intervention. No Child Left Behind has set the high expectation that every child meet grade level expectations. This publication synthesizes the research on intervention programs and best practices related to mathematical instructional pedagogy and differentiation to assist teachers, schools, and school districts in…

This article focuses on a secondary mathematics teacher education program where traditional field placements are prevalent in grades 9-12. Traditional, for this article, is defined as and comprised of: (a) straight-rowed desks in classrooms, (b) explicitly direct instruction (teacher-centered classrooms), (c) predominantly repetition of low-level…

Over the past decade, research on the use of technology in the mathematics classroom has focused primarily on issues of student learning and engagement. In this article, we focus on middle grades mathematics teachers' use of The Geometer's Sketchpad, and study both the decisions they make about when to use technology, and their motivations for…

This observational study of 106 pre-K classrooms in Tulsa, Oklahoma provides descriptive data on children's classroom experiences--classroom climate and exposure to academic instruction--and comparisons of Tulsa classrooms with a multi-state sample of pre-K and Head Start classrooms led by comparably educated teachers. We also examined teacher and…