The COVID-19 pandemic provided students a rare opportunity to use their mathematical knowledge to make sense of a top-of-mind crisis. Based on a report in a major regional newspaper, we designed tasks that require an understanding of infection rates and an interpretation of a misleading claim made in the newspaper. Our analysis of 91 undergraduate…

In this article, we consider the phenomenon of improvisation by small groups of middle years students while engaged in rich mathematical tasks in a classroom setting. Working from the premise that improvisation comprises a spectrum of behaviour, we propose that there is a range of improvisational behaviours that may be observed as the students…

What tales would students tell about their mathematical experiences? Are they stories of triumph, boredom, despair, exhilaration, or, perhaps, all of these emotions? How do teachers access these stories to understand students' experiences and build from them? In this article, the authors describe a task, The Math Metaphor, and how it was used in a…

This article presents a mathematical modeling activity for students related to the process of memorization in which students collect their own data to drive their model development, parameterization, and validation. Engaging in the data collection gives them insight to critique and evaluate various models. This task is a low-floor high ceiling…

The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between Chinese preschool children's home numeracy experiences and their mathematical abilities. The parents of 515 4- to 5-year-old preschool children reported their frequency of participation in home numeracy activities, and the children were assessed on their math ability. The…

This book argues that mathematical challenge can be found at any level and at every age and constitutes an essential characteristic of any mathematics classroom aimed at developing the students' mathematical knowledge and skills. Since each mathematics classroom is heterogeneous with respect to students' mathematical potential, quality…

Daily plans are the key tool for teachers to ensure their delivery meets the expectations of the programme, and math activities are one of the important activities required to be offered daily in the early years to form the foundations of future math knowledge. As outdoor environments provide various learning opportunities, assessing the math…

In response to the challenge of geometry's abstract and less engaging nature for students, this study explored the potential of connecting geometry to cultural elements, specifically geometric ornaments found in various cultures worldwide. Geometric ornaments, laden with cultural and spiritual significance, serve as a bridge between mathematics…

Mastery motivation predicts achievement, but intricacies amongst preschoolers are unclear. In keeping with the Specificity Principle, school-age, and adolescent research demonstrates the importance of considering the "setting conditions" in which mastery motivation is observed. Here, Singaporean 4-year-olds' (N = 63)…

This study examined the engagement of preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) with mathematics tasks that were open in various ways and to varying extents. In K-12 settings, practitioners who have implemented recently popular open tasks report increased engagement and from a wider variety of students. While these anecdotal reports and related…

Parents play a vital role in shaping the ways young children understand the world around them. This paper reports on how the Community Mathematics Project (CMP)--a mathematics tutoring program for parents of diverse young children--affected the ways parents engaged in mathematical sensemaking while using virtual manipulatives and questioning to…

The ability to relate mathematics teaching to real life is the common goal of many countries' mathematics curriculum National Society for Experiential Education's (NSEE) [2011] "Eight Principles of Good Practice for All Experiential Learning Activities." (intention, originality, planning, clarity, monitoring and evaluation, reflection,…

This study examined parents' engagement in learning activities with their preschool-aged children and the frequency of that engagement during the COVID 19 pandemic. Participants in the study were from a midwestern state in the United States. Differences among parent engagement in learning activities with their children were found along a range of…

Home math interventions often incorporate informational priming--explicit prompts emphasizing parental math input. While effective in increasing math talk, its impact on child outcome is mixed. This study examined how informational priming shapes the content and dynamic of math interactions. In year 2023, 122 Chinese parent-child dyads…

Computational thinking and activity are vital aspects of what it means to conduct scientific and mathematical work. In light of this, some propose that students' mathematical education should include an integration of computing into their mathematical experiences, giving students opportunities to engage with computational tools as they reason…