Mathematical definitions are central to learning and doing mathematics. Research has uncovered significant differences between how mathematicians and non-mathematicians construct, reason about, and refine mathematical definitions. Various strands of research provide insight into the development of definitional practices, yet an integrated approach…

This paper makes a proposal, from the perspective of a research mathematician interested in mathematics education, for broadening and deepening whole number arithmetic instruction, to make it more relevant for the twenty-first century, in particular, to enable students to deal with large numbers, arguably an essential skill for modern citizenship.…

The aim of this study is to investigate Danish pre-service teachers' (PSTs) mathematical and didactical knowledge of operations with rational numbers. This knowledge is studied through their collaborative activities to certain tasks related to the teaching of operations with rational numbers. An explicit model of the teachers' mathematical and…

This article explores how a focus on understanding divisibility rules can be used to help deepen students' understanding of multiplication and division with whole numbers. It is based on research with seven Year 7-8 teachers who were observed teaching a group of students a rule for divisibility by nine. As part of the lesson, students were shown a…

The 43rd meeting of Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) was held at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (May 31-June 4, 2019). This meeting marked only the third time CMESG/GCEDM (Groupe Canadien d'Étude en Didactique des Mathématiques) had been held in Nova Scotia (1996, 2003), and the first time it had been…

The transition from whole numbers to integers involves challenges for both students and teachers. Leadership in mathematics education calls for an ability to translate depth of understanding into effective teaching methods, and this landscape includes alternative treatments of familiar topics. Noting the multiple meanings associated with the…

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.

The paper describes the history of how learning trajectories (LTs) were associated with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) and discusses the degree to which the two correspond faithfully. It reports on a website, www.turnonccmath.com, which organizes the K-8 standards into 18 LTs describing the development of big ideas over…

A branch of mathematics commonly used in cryptography is Galois Fields GF(p[superscript n]). Two basic operations performed in GF(p[superscript n]) are the addition and the multiplication. While the addition is generally easy to compute, the multiplication requires a special treatment. A well-known method to compute the multiplication is based on…

The introduction of negative numbers should mean that mathematics can be twice as much fun, but unfortunately they are a source of confusion for many students. Difficulties occur in moving from intuitive understandings to formal mathematical representations of operations with negative and positive integers. This paper describes a series of…

There is a strong push from within mathematics education reform to incorporate representations in math classrooms (Behr, Harel, Post, & Lesh, 1993; Kieren, 1993; NCTM, 2000). However, questions regarding what representations should be used (for a given topic) and how representations should be used (such that students gain a deep understanding of…

For over a decade, research studies of mathematics education in high-performing countries have pointed to the conclusion that the mathematics curriculum in the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country. To deliver on the promise of common standards, the standards…

Every student should understand and use all concepts and skills from the previous grade levels. The standard is designed so that new learning builds on preceding skills. Communications, Problem-solving, Reasoning & Proof, Connections, and Representation are the process standards that are embedded throughout the teaching and learning of all…

Every student should understand and use all concepts and skills from the previous grade levels. The standard is designed so that new learning builds on preceding skills. Communications, Problem-solving, Reasoning & Proof, Connections, and Representation are the process standards that are embedded throughout the teaching and learning of all…

A computer program in BASIC is presented, with the underlying algorithm explained, for multiplying any two multi-digit numbers and obtaining an exact answer. (MP)