In this article, the author argues that coordinate geometry and all its trappings should be banned from key stage 2 in English schools. To explain why he makes such a strong statement, he discusses geometry problems tackled by the Ancient Greeks, showing how meaningful problem solving can occur without the use of coordinates and the corresponding…

Curve stitching activities can be used to motivate calculus students. The problem described here involves showing that a given envelope of a curve is parabolic. (SD)

Documents, compares, and analyzes the nature of spatial reasoning by practitioners (plumbers) in the workplace and students in the school setting while constructing solids, with given specifications, from plane surfaces. Results confirm the power of activity theory and its methodology in explaining and identifying the structural differences…

This article describes a hands-on activity in which students convert decimals to fractions, measure, make scale drawings, use algebraic formulas, and use visualization to construct a three-dimensional physical model of a portion of the seafloor. In the process, they learn about sound, speed, and ocean exploration. (Contains 2 figures.)

Discusses an activity for the use of tangrams in which students flip, rotate, slide, or patch the pieces in order to construct a particular shape. Examples include provisions for constructing two trapezoids; transforming a scalene triangular region into quadrilaterals of equal area; and transforming a cross into a picture frame. (RT)