In this article, the author describes the format of the Con Test, an Australian television game show which followed the same general rules and game play as the UK show PokerFace. At the end of each round a contestant needs to decide whether or not he or she should fold. A contestant needs to know how likely it is that he or she is in last place.…

Making connections between various representations is important in mathematics. In this article, the authors discuss the numeric, algebraic, and graphical representations of sums of absolute values of linear functions. The initial explanations are accessible to all students who have experience graphing and who understand that absolute value simply…

This paper reports the development and implementation of a collaborative professional experience learning community for a group of nine pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. The pre-service teachers and their methods lecturer made 12 school visits over one academic year to a local secondary school. The pre-service teachers observed and…

Computer-based instruction (CBI) programs have been implemented in classrooms for almost three decades. One advantage of CBI includes allowing the user to tailor instruction to their particular style of learning (Slavin & Lake, 2009). An essential part of individualizing CBI involves the students use of active electronic support tools, which…

Karabatsos and Walker (2011) introduced a new Bayesian nonparametric (BNP) regression model. Through analyses of real and simulated data, they showed that the BNP regression model outperforms other parametric and nonparametric regression models of common use, in terms of predictive accuracy of the outcome (dependent) variable. The other,…

The purposes of this study are to identify similar and different characteristics among middle and high school mathematics teachers who implement cooperative learning (CL) frequently, identify the factors that motivate them in continual employment of CL, and to examine how CL is implemented by frequent users of CL (i.e., components of CL used,…

The goal of the present study was to report an instrument designed to determine students' mathematical performances and preference for visual or analytic thinking for the calculus derivative and antiderivative tasks as well as examine the relationships among students' cognitive style, cognitive ability, and mathematical performance in calculus.…

In this paper we demonstrate that "lesson study" may be adapted from its primary use as a professional development strategy for use as a research strategy, especially to identify principles of good lesson design. We report on a project undertaken in two Australian secondary schools where lesson study research was used to investigate the…

In 2003 the University of Missouri (with the aid of US National Science Foundation funding) initiated an alternative certification program (CAP) to address the well-documented need in the US for increasing the quantity and quality of mathematics and science teachers for the middle and secondary levels. Nationwide current certification programs do…

Large numbers of students graduate high school unprepared for post-secondary education and ill-equipped for the labor force of the 21st century. Research on college readiness reveals the prominent role that mathematics preparedness plays in the fulfillment of hopes and dreams for a college degree. As requirements for post-secondary education and…

Given the importance of algebra, middle school mathematics teachers have a responsibility to help students transition from understanding arithmetic to understanding the algebra that will be necessary for success in high school. One method of transition involves introducing algebraic concepts in concrete ways using meaningful contexts. The series…

Most traditional models of academic motivation focus on a small number of specific factors. However, the Student Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES) (Martin, 2007b) includes a fairly comprehensive range of perspectives on general student motivation. The current study set out (a) to provide an independent test of the proposed 11-factor structure…

This study extends teacher coaching with written performance feedback as a means to increase behavior-specific praise statements (BSPS) in inclusion classrooms at the high school level. Three inclusion math teachers increased their use of BSPS during mathematics instruction. On-task intervals and frequency of BSPS were measured throughout the…

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Utah State University offers two courses for preservice secondary school mathematics teachers that complement each other in working toward a vision for school mathematics in which "all students have access to high-quality, engaging mathematics instruction." Through these courses, students…

Increasing rigor in secondary school classrooms for college and career readiness is a priority throughout the nation with the adoption of more challenging standards for student performance and is an important role for school leaders in creating conditions in schools to meet this challenge (Young, 2012). P-16 partnerships can assist by aligning the…