Problem solving has been the focus of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. Helping students acquire critical-thinking and problem-solving skills has become the primary goal of mathematics education across all grade levels. However, research has found that many students struggle with word problems because of poor text…

Math problem solving frequently involves choices among alternative strategies. Strategy choices, and effects of problem features on strategy choices, both vary among individuals. We propose that individual differences in strategy choices can be well characterized in terms of parametric variation in three types of influence: global bias, relevant…

Even though there is a great temptation as teachers to share what is known, many are aware of an idea called "rules that expire" (RTE) and have realized the importance of avoiding them. There is evidence that students need to understand mathematical concepts and that merely presenting rules to carry out in a procedural and disconnected…

Algebraic Thinking Skills (ATS) are one of the skills that students need to master in order to solve nonroutine problems. These skills are also necessary as a foundation for students preparing to enter university studies and fields of work that require logical and analytical thinking. However, Malaysian students' performance in solving algebraic…

To understand misconceptions with rational numbers (i.e., fractions, decimals, and percentages), we administered an assessment of rational numbers to 331 undergraduate students from a 4-year university. The assessment included 41 items categorized as measuring foundational understanding, calculations, or word problems. We coded each student's…

The way mathematics teaching and learning activities are presented to learners can make them hate or like the subject. The question of accomplishing the mathematics education of the learner from primary to post-secondary school levels is one which necessarily tasks, not only the teacher's stock of mathematical knowledge but also his skill, his…

This paper uses a post-qualitative philosophical perspective to find new ways of understanding teaching and learning. The paper presents a series of examples that were used in a longitudinal study, with the aim of creating variation patterns that would make it possible for students to discern the use of the four basic arithmetic operations in…

Over the last two decades, students in Singapore consistently scored above students from other nations on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS; Provasnik et al., 2012). In contrast, students in the United States have not performed as well on international and national mathematics assessments and students with…

Math fluency, which refers to the ability to solve single digit arithmetic problems quickly and accurately, is a foundational mathematical skill. Recent research has examined the role of phonological processing, executive control, and number sense in explaining differences in math fluency performance in school-aged children. Identifying the links…

This paper addresses the continuing need for mathematics teachers to enrich their mathematical knowledge beyond the school curriculum, in order to effectively engage students in creative and imaginative thinking, particularly, but not exclusively, students who show exceptional promise. The author, a retired university professor, works staff and…

Mathematical knowledge in classrooms is mediated through the use of both technical and informal language. This paper is a report of a study of the language use of teachers as they examine students' work and discuss teaching for the topic of fraction operations. This provides a window on their pedagogical content knowledge and also on the way in…

This article presents different approaches to a problem, dubbed by the author as "the consecutive pages problem". The aim of this teaching-oriented article is to promote the teaching of abstract concepts in mathematics, by selecting a challenging amusement problem and then presenting various solutions in such a way that it can engage the attention…

This study compared one lesson across four U.S. "traditional" textbook series, two U.S. reform-based textbook series, and one Chinese mathematics textbook series in teaching the connection between multiplication and division. The results showed the differences across U.S. and Chinese lessons in both the teaching and the practice parts of…

This paper presents the results obtained from a study comparing the strategies used by 1,070 Chinese students and 1,002 Singaporean students from primary grade 6 to secondary year 2 in solving three fraction-related problems. It is part of the author's Ph.D. study, which involves more word problems on speed. The Chinese students performed better…

Arithmetic word problems are often presented accompanied by illustrations. The present study examined how different types of illustrations influence the speed and accuracy of performance of both good (n = 67) and poor arithmeticians (n = 63). Twenty-four arithmetic word problems were presented with four types of illustrations with increasing…