Many youth do not pursue engineering because they do not see how it connects to their lives and interests. Concerned about this problem, the National Research Council (2012) suggested ways that teachers can make engineering more relevant and accessible to youth who have not traditionally pursued careers in this field. According to the National…

This article presents two innovative tools--the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist--which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these…

At the centennial annual meeting of the "Association of American Colleges & Universities" (AAC&U) in January 2015, there was an announcement to participants of the release of the "LEAP Challenge." The key concept at the center of the LEAP Challenge is that all college students need to prepare to contribute in a world…

Recent studies have shown that strengths in spatial skills are a key to success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers. However, these skills are undervalued in our educational system and thus seldom incorporated in classroom teaching. As a first step towards changing the current practices, we worked with a group of…

There has been a spike in negative comments about mathematics and standards since the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Regardless of whether the comments are fueled by social media or traditional media, educators need to be armed with strategies for helping parents understand, navigate, and embrace the Common Core's mathematics…

This paper discusses a classroom experience in which a group of prospective secondary mathematics teachers were asked to create, cooperatively (in class) and individually, problems related to Viviani's problem using a problem-posing framework. When appropriate, students used Sketchpad to explore the problem to better understand its attributes…

With the implementation of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommendations and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, modeling has moved to the forefront of K-12 education. Modeling activities not only reinforce purposeful problem-solving skills, they also connect the mathematics students learn in school…

In a recent issue of "Australian Senior Mathematics Journal" there has been published an interesting article by Galbraith and Lockwood (2010). In that article the problem of finding the most favorable points for a shot at goal in Australian football is considered from different points of view. A similar problem was considered by…

What does problem-based instruction do for students and teachers? The open-ended geometry problem presented in this article, along with examples of students' work on the problem, illustrates how problem-based instruction can help students develop their mathematical proficiency. Recent studies have shown that students who experience problem-based…

Before the "big test" did you use the following study strategies: highlighting, rereading, and cramming? As students many of us probably did, yet research shows that while these three strategies are commonly used, they have been ineffective in retaining information. Learning strategies have been discussed in almost every textbook on…

Equity Indexed Annuities (EIAs) are controversial financial products because the payoffs to investors are based on formulas that are supposedly too complex for average investors to understand. This brief describes how Monte Carlo simulation can provide insight into the true risk and return of an EIA. This approach can be used as a project…

This article describes some of the benefits derived from encouraging math drawing in a class of seventh-and eighth-grade students in line with promoting mathematical proficiency. The authors report teaching pictorial representations as part of the solution process, where both students and teachers gained insight into various areas of…

In this instructional article, we describe a non-traditional course assignment in which we ask students in our social problems courses to write, illustrate, and present a children's book about a social problem as part of the process of learning. Over the course of the semester, students utilize guided handouts to create a children's book exploring…

For teachers and parents, it is important to offer children opportunities for sensory exploration and wonder that capitalize on questioning and curiosity. This article discusses three areas to assist parents in addressing the scientific interests of their children, in terms of understanding what should be happening at school and how it can be…

Recalling the myth of Sisyphus repeatedly pushing the same boulder up a mountain in his new book, author and educator Frederick M. Hess explains how the K12 education leadership is faltering, and how it can rise above. "Cage-Busting Leadership" (Harvard Education Press, February 2013) is a new book and consequently, a small, growing…