Describes two kinds of elements in mathematics: Euclid's and Bourbaki's. Discusses some criticisms on the two concepts of elements from a philosophical, methodological, and didactical point of view. Suggests a complementarist view and several implications for mathematics education. (YP)

The author reports research findings on the approaches used to teach mathematical concepts in technology education. Appropriate methods of teaching mathematically based concepts are recommended and discussed, and curriculum materials that employ these approaches are introduced. Findings concerning receptivity among teachers to the recommended…

Written questionnaires were given to (n=213) preuniversity students to assess their judgments of association and their solution strategies with contingency tables in statistics. Compares results with previous psychological research. Qualitative analysis found three misconceptions concerning statistical association. Includes questionnaire.…

Analysis of interviews with children ages 10-12, focused on prediction and generalization, reveals a category of words associated with uncertainty. These hedges--about, around, maybe, think--are used as shields against accusation of error. Linguistic frameworks are used to categorize different types of hedges. (Author/MKR)

Discusses student difficulties with probability concepts and argues that a key difficulty is the lack of transferability of pupils' curriculum-based knowledge. Presents several probability game activities to help students with these difficulties. (MKR)

Presents ideas, techniques, and examples to illustrate how to focus on the behavior of solutions of differential equations, including: assigning meaning to a differential equation, performing computer experiments, playing roulette with a pendulum, analyzing the pictures, and addressing the theory. (MKR)

Discusses the ethnomathematics movement, the emergence of concepts related to ethnomathematics, ethnomathematics as a field of research that studies mathematics in its relationship to the whole of cultural and social life, and the beginning of ethnomathematical research in Mozambique. (41 references) (MKR)

Applies methods of formal concept analysis to an analysis of objectives in the domain of educational mathematics, including sequences and hierarchies of topics within the syllabi, establishing plans for single lessons, analysis of students' mistakes in calculating, and the development of students' mathematical concepts. (33 references) (Author/MKR)

A workplace literacy project involved complex math and science concepts and applications integral to foundry operations. It demonstrates that, despite lack of formal schooling or English proficiency, workers can learn complex concepts through practical experience and reflection, using their knowledge and skills with contextual cues. (SK)

This article proposes use of a restructured hundreds chart that involves a right-to-left sequence of numbers (similar to the direction of computations) and inclusion of zero. Specific instructional activities using the restructured chart are suggested for teaching such skills as counting, number identification, numerical relationships, place…

Using play learning and real-world problem solving, an alternative Arizona program is cultivating confidence and love of learning in bilingual first-graders. Children learn by using their own language (Spanish), learning styles, and thought processes. Besides problem-solving, the "cube train" teaches estimation, number relationships,…

This article traces the historical development of fractal geometry from early in the twentieth century and offers an explanation of the mathematics behind the recursion formulas and their representations within computer graphics. Also included are the fundamentals behind programing for fractal graphics in the C Language with appropriate…

Discusses the historical, cultural, and pedagogical roots, as well as reasons inherent in mathematical thought that may explain U.S. students' resistance to learning mathematics. Concludes that bridging the gap between theory and practice can be facilitated by a hands-on approach that employs experiments and model making. (PR)

Describes an observation study of a second-grade classroom where a problem-centered approach to mathematics is used. Discusses analogies between scientific communities and social life in the class. Authors discuss analogies that helped them cope in the classroom with the complexity of children's beliefs, their dialogues about mathematics, and the…

Described are various ways that a computer algebra system (MAPLE) was used to facilitate the resequencing of skills and applications within an elementary college-level business calculus course. Experimental results confirmed earlier findings that skills acquisition is not a prerequisite to conceptual understanding or problem-solving ability. (JJK)