In this paper, we describe an experience within mathematics teacher preparation that engages preservice teachers (PSTs) in Making and design practices that we hypothesized would inform their conceptual and pedagogical thinking. With a focus on the design of new tools to support mathematics teaching and learning, this Learning by Design experience…

Interactions with technology have become a focus of education research, revealing specific constructs relevant to these interactions. Attributes of users and tools contribute to physically embodied interactions with technology and both users and tools modify attributes throughout these interactions. This study examines patterns of user-tool…

The main purpose of the present study is to elucidate any differences which may exist in the FMSs of children between the ages of six and nine. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a total of 485 participants (244 boys and 241 girls) in Chiayi City and Chiayi County. All of the participants were between the ages of six and nine and had no…

Marble tracks are a very popular toy and big ones can be found in science centres in many countries. If children want to make a marble track themselves it is quite a job. It takes a long time, they can take up a lot of space and most structures are quite fragile, as the materials used can very quickly prove unfit for the task and do not last very…

Geometry belongs to branches of mathematics that develop students' visualisation, intuition, critical thinking, problem solving, deductive reasoning, logical argument and proof (Jones, 2002). It provides the basis for the development of spatial sense and plays an important role in acquiring advanced knowledge in science, technology, engineering,…

This paper presents the analysis of two teaching experiments carried out in the context of the mathematics laboratory in a primary school (grades 3 and 4) with the use of the pascaline Zero + 1, an arithmetical machine. The teaching experiments are analysed by coordinating two theoretical frameworks, i.e. the instrumental approach and the Theory…

A "tessellation" is a pattern of geometric shapes that fulfills three conditions: (1) No gaps exist between the shapes; (2) The shapes do not overlap; and (3) The pattern can go on forever in all directions. Tilings (such as tiling a floor) are familiar to children and provide a rich resource at all grade levels for learning many…

Mr. Buxton is a perplexed elementary mathematics teacher. He co-teaches a second-grade classroom, with Ms. Snyder. In their classroom they have 25 students; five are identified as academically at risk, and three receive special education services. In the past Mr. Buxton successfully used an instructional approach consisting of (a) modeling, (b)…

Calculus students' difficulties in understanding integration have been extensively studied. Research shows that the difficulty lies with students understanding of the definition of the definite integral as a limit of a Riemann sum and with the idea of accumulation inherent in integration. We have created a set of manipulatives and activities…

Manipulative objects have long been an essential tool in the development of mathematics knowledge and skills. A growing body of evidence suggests using manipulative letters for decoding practice is an also an effective method for teaching reading, particularly in improving the phonological and decoding skills of students at risk for reading…

The intermolecular forces activity presented in this article is designed to foster concept-building through students' use of concrete, manipulative objects, and it was developed to be pedagogically sound. Data analysis via pre- and posttesting and subsequent exam questions indicated that students who had the opportunity to participate in the…

The study was designed to investigate the efficacy of using algebra tile manipulatives in junior high school students' performance. The study sample comprised 56 students from two schools purposely selected from two towns within the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem municipality. The students were made up of two groups; the experimental and the control…

The concept of specificity of enzyme action can potentially be abstract for some students as they fail to appreciate how the three-dimensional configuration of enzymes and the active sites confer perfect fit for specific substrates. In science text books, the specificity of enzyme-substrate binding is typically likened to the action of a lock and…

Using a Mixed Methods approach, this study investigated changes in levels of self-efficacy among elementary preservice teachers following a semester course on teaching elementary students' mathematics. Participants in this study included 347 preservice elementary teachers at a mid-size regional university who had just completed an elementary…

Addition of fractions is an important foundation for students to experience success in mathematics. This mixed-methods study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of robotics as a mathematics manipulative with seventh grade students. Two groups of students were established: control and treatment. The control group received teacher-centered…