In this article, the authors share their favorite "Construct It!" activity, which focuses on rate of change and functions. The initial approach to instruction was procedural in nature and focused on making use of formulas. Specifically, after modeling how to find the slope of the line given two points and use it to solve for the…

Background: Many students face difficulties with algebra. At the same time, it has been observed that fraction understanding predicts achievements in algebra; hence, gaining a better understanding of how algebra understanding builds on fraction understanding is an important goal for research and educational practice. Objectives: However, a wide…

Units Coordination and Covariational Reasoning are powerful frameworks for modeling students' mathematics in arithmetic reasoning and construction of relationships between changing quantities, respectively. This case study of an advanced stage 2, 8th-grade algebra student, Daniel, investigated connections between his units coordination and…

In this paper, we provide an elaboration of the notion of mathematical structure -- a term agreed upon as valuable but difficult to define. We pull apart the terminology surrounding the notion of structure in mathematics: relationship, generalising/generalisation and properties, and offer an architecture of structure that distinguishes and…

An introductory course in algebra may cover various types of polynomial manipulation, here we cover the background of these topics and a relatively unknown property of polynomials, namely Viete's relations. We define relevant operations and properties of polynomials over the real numbers as well as their algebraic forms, divisibility properties,…

The paper focuses on four upper secondary students' collaborative small-group mathematical reasoning (MR) with respect to a sinusoidal function. The students were collaboratively engaged in a process of MR regarding the relationships between mathematical theoretical descriptions of parameters in the algebraic expression of the sinusoidal function…

Measurement in geometry is one of the key areas of school mathematics, however, pupils make serious mistakes when solving problems involving measurement and hold misconceptions. This article focuses on the possible links between lower secondary pupils' (n = 870) success in solving non-measurement tasks and calculations tasks on area and volume and…

The attainment and retention of later algebra skills in high school has been identified as a factor significantly impacting students' postsecondary success as STEM majors. Researchers maintain that learners develop meaning for algebraic procedures by forming connections to the basic number system properties. In the present study, the connections…