Multiplicative thinking is a critical component of mathematics which largely determines the extent to which people develop mathematical understanding beyond middle primary years. We contend that there are several major issues, one being that much teaching about multiplicative ideas is focussed on algorithms and procedures. An associated issue is…

The Smarties-Box Challenge encourages students to apply several different mathematical capabilities and concepts--such as, estimation, multiplication, and the notion of being systematic--to solve a complex, multistep problem. To effectively engage in the Smarties-Box Challenge, students are required to demonstrate aspects of all four proficiency…

This study examines how collective activity related to multiplication evolved over several class sessions in an elementary mathematics content course that was designed to foster prospective elementary teachers' number-sense development. We document how the class drew on as-if-shared ideas to make sense of multidigit multiplication in terms of…

A teacher that emphasizes reasoning, logic and validity gives their students access to mathematics as an effective way of practicing critical thinking. All students have the ability to enhance and expand their critical thinking when learning mathematics. Students can develop this ability when confronting mathematical problems, identifying possible…

A procedure for generating quasigroups from groups is described, and the properties of these derived quasigroups are investigated. Some practical examples of the procedure and related results are presented.

With careful consideration given to task selection, students can construct their own solution strategies to solve complex proportional reasoning tasks while the teacher's instructional goals are still met. Several aspects of the tasks should be considered including their numerical structure, context, difficulty level, and the strategies they are…

PEMDAS is a mnemonic device to memorize the order in which to calculate an expression that contains more than one operation. However, students frequently make calculation errors with expressions, which have either multiplication and division or addition and subtraction next to each other. This article explores the mathematical reasoning of the…

This case study examined the performance of a 13-year-old highly skilled mental calculator on mental multiplication tasks. She solved difficult tasks by using various ingenious calculation methods, including distributing, factoring, and recalling the product directly. Implications for instruction are reported. (Author/RH)

This article discusses the classroom use of discovery of number pattern. Provided are examples of a table of squares, multiplications of numbers, and algebraic expressions. (YP)