This essay extends beyond the characteristics and discourse of word problems to, more generally, school mathematical problem-solving and the implications entailed by a predominant paper-and-pencil mode of learning and instruction since the modern era of education. Contrasting what I call "one-handed" (with paper-and-pencil) with…

Much of the education research on implicit differentiation and related rates treats the topic of differentiating equations as an unproblematic application of the chain rule. This paper instead problematizes the legitimacy of this procedure. It develops a conceptual analysis aimed at exploring how a student might come to understand when and why one…

Felix Klein's Erlangen program classifies geometries based on the kinds of geometric transformations that preserve key properties of their figures, rather than focusing on the geometric figures themselves. This shift in perspective, from figurative to operative, fits Piaget's characterization of mathematical development. This paper considers how…

Proposes a framework that identifies the components of number sense and the attributes of students who possess it. Discusses various aspects of three areas where number sense plays a key role: number concepts, operations with numbers, and applications of number and operation. (MDH)

This paper on the language of zero (1) deals with the spoken and written symbols used to convey the concepts of zero; (2) considers computational algorithms and the exception behavior of zero which illustrate much language of and about zero; and (3) the historical evolution of the language of zero. (JN)

The conceptual difference between understanding and algorithmic performance is examined first. Then some dilemmas that flow from these distinctions are discussed. (MNS)

Pre-experimental interviews conducted with three children to investigate three aspects of the nature of counting are detailed. Sixteen findings related to the counting of perceptual items are summarized. (MP)