The NCTM Algebra Standard suggests that students use technology to explore the effects of varying the parameters in y = ax2 + bx + c. This article discusses an extension of this task that incorporates dynamic geometry software to engage students in generating, testing, and proving mathematical conjectures.

When thinking about student reasoning and sense making, teachers must consider the nature of tasks given to students along with how to plan to use the tasks in the classroom. Students should be presented with tasks in a way that encourages them to draw connections between algebraic and geometric concepts. This article focuses on the idea that it…

Geometry students need challenges. They need to apply what they already know to new contexts. As a result, high school teacher Wayne Nirode is always looking for groups of related problems of theorems to challenge his geometry students. He came across one such group or problems when reading Jun's (2012) one-page abstract posted online for the 12th…

Several interactive geometry software packages are available today to secondary school teachers. An example is The Geometer's Sketchpad[R] (GSP), also known as Dynamic Geometry[R] software, developed by Key Curriculum Press. This numeric based technology has been widely adopted in the last twenty years, and a vast amount of creativity has been…

Many students at all levels--from middle school to graduate programs for in-service teachers--struggle with visualizing three-dimensional shapes. Many also are challenged to locate appropriate centers of rotation, placement of lines of symmetry, and translation vectors for transformations on the plane. Hands-on experience helps with these…

The inquiry-based approach to learning has gained popularity in recent times. Those who promote this approach maintain that mathematical investigation should be used to engage students. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommends that problem solving be the center of mathematics teaching in promoting student learning through…

Data analysis plays a prominent role in various facets of modern life: Schools evaluate and revise programs on the basis of test scores; policymakers make decisions on the basis of information gleaned from polling data; supermarkets stock shelves on the basis of data collected at checkout lanes. Data analysis provides teachers with new tools and…

Describes features and uses of the Geometry Forum, a National Science Foundation funded Internet project which includes a set of electronic newsgroups for people interested in geometry. (MKR)

Discusses the use of a dynamic geometry software package to improve teaching of graph theory in basic graph sketching and in isomorphic, bipartite, and planar graphs. (JRH)

Discusses the distinction between drawing and constructing in dynamic geometry environments. (MKR)

Describes a method of effectively introducing the concept of radian measure that uses Cabri Geometry II software to construct a circle of arbitrary radius and to measure that radius. The goal is to determine how many of these radii fit around a circle. (DDR)

Examines research relevant to the debate about the relative emphasis that formal proof should play in high school geometry. Discussion includes establishing truth in geometry, research in students' learning of proof, developing the notion of proof, alternatives to axiomatic approaches, computer construction programs, and classroom recommendations.…

Discusses several dynamic geometry constructions with rectangles. Advocates use of software like Geometer's Sketchpad and Cabri Geometry for fostering fresh insight into traditional geometric theorems. Illustrates problem-solving methods not possible with pencil and paper. (MTE)

The question "What shape will have the largest area for a given perimeter?" identifies an important relationship between area and perimeter that has long been intuitively realized in many cultures. Historically, numerous cultures have made use of this relationship between area and perimeter when struggling to build dwellings with shapes…

Presents an activity that integrates biology and mathematics. Involves students in actual biological research and uses geometry, statistics, and computers to interpret data about the leaves of a tree. (ASK)