Loose parts is often an ambiguous term with different interpretations depending on the context. Using the search parameters, a scoping review was implemented to narrow down over 2,400 articles related to "loose parts," "early childhood," and "outdoor classrooms" to 15 articles for in-depth review. From the selected…

In this article we outline the role evidence and argument plays in the construction of a framing theory for Proof Based Teaching of basic operations on natural numbers and integers, which uses tiles to physically represent numbers. We adopt Mariotti's characterization of a mathematical theorem as a triple of statement, proof and theory, and…

The natural experiment proposed in this article extracts three stories from boxes of "100 paper clips". The activity requires students to apply three lessons from inferential statistics, starting with a hypothesis test and including confidence intervals as well as tolerance intervals.

This systematic review provides an overview of existing evidence regarding the effect of touchscreen technology on young children's learning. Using PRISMA principles, we identified 53 studies in our review. The literature generally advocated positive effects of touchscreen devices on young children's learning with 34 studies reporting positive…

Algebra is considered by many to be a gateway to higher-level mathematics and eventual economic success yet students with and without disabilities often struggle to develop algebra skills. This study builds on the limited understanding of how virtual manipulatives support students with disabilities in the area of algebra by investigating their use…

Introduction: Three-dimensional (3D) printing can be used to produce tactile teaching materials for individuals with visual impairments. Although 3D and 2.5D teaching materials are based on realistic content, no systematic conversion model for 2D materials exists. Here, we combined the previous findings and this study's results and technology to…

The purpose of this research was to compare the effectiveness of physical and virtual tangrams on preschool children's learning engagement and achievement. Children listened to an e-storybook narration and solved puzzles individually. The experimental group (N = 31) completed puzzles embedded in the e-storybook using virtual tangrams, while the…

Abundant prior research has compared effects of physical and virtual manipulatives on students' conceptual learning. However, most prior research has been based on conceptual salience theory; that is, it has explained mode effects by the manipulative's capability to draw students' attention to conceptually relevant (visual or haptic) features.…

With the impact of the COVID pandemic, many students have been learning mathematics online. This article shows how emojis can be used as a virtual manipulative in online and digital learning platforms.

"Research Findings:" Promoting children's science knowledge by adequate measures such as guided or free play is a cardinal goal of preschool. However, there is considerable variability in preschool teachers' instructional quality in block play, which might be associated with children's domain-specific science skills but also their…

Background: Previous research has shown that students often struggle to understand algebraic expressions and solve equations, and that traditional instructional approaches may not be sufficient to address these challenges. While the use of technology and physical manipulatives independently has been shown to support students' conceptual…

Manipulatives are an effective mathematical tool to support students with disabilities in the area of mathematics. Yet, there remain inconsistencies in terms of which type -- concrete or virtual -- is more effective for students with disabilities working on algebra related content and which type is preferred by students. The researchers used an…

Digital instructional tools, such as virtual manipulatives, have been widely adopted as an enhanced approach to inquiry-based learning. However, the optimal ratio of mobile devices to students in instructional settings remain controversial. This research introduced a counterbalanced quasi-experiment to compare the learning performance and…

Limited knowledge is currently available regarding the efficacy of mathematics education in online distance learning and the strategies that can be implemented to enhance its effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in rural students' spatial skills when engaging in activities that necessitate the use of isometric…

Although positive effects of lesson study on teachers learning are reported, only some studies have investigated teacher noticing as an analytical tool for supporting teachers with an explicit focus, as in LS, and more empirical evidence is needed. This qualitative interpretive case study design aims to investigate the noticing processes of a…