This Spotlight explores strategies to foster an engaging classroom environment that promotes critical thinking and knowledge building. Discover how effective instruction can enhance student engagement, the importance of comprehension strategies in curriculum design, and the essential role of real-world problem-solving in preparing students for…

Nowadays, mathematics teachers in K-12 strive to promote their students' mathematical knowledge and computational thinking (CT) skills. There is an increasing need for effective CT-embedded mathematics learning material and a better understanding of students' views toward them. In this work, we present the results of a research study, which…

The development of multiple solutions for a given problem is important for learning mathematics. In the present intervention study, we analyzed whether prompting students to construct multiple solutions (more precisely: prompting them to apply multiple mathematical procedures to real-world problems) and prior self-efficacy influenced students'…

The idea of using fingers as a key component in arithmetic development has received a great deal of support, much of which is based on neuroscientific evidence. However, this body of work pays limited attention to how fingers are used and possible different outcomes in arithmetic problem solving. The aim of our paper, based on an analysis of 126…

Recently, Wilmer III and Costa introduced a method into the mathematics education research literature which they employed to construct solutions to certain classes of ordinary differential equations. In this article, we build on their ideas in the following ways. We establish a link between their approach and the method of successive…

Recently, Robin claimed to introduce clever innovations ('wrinkles') into the mathematics education literature concerning the solutions, and methods of solution, to differential equations. In particular, Robin formulated an iterative scheme in the form of a single integral representation. These ideas were applied to a range of examples involving…

In this study, we aim to investigate the role of language in small group peer collaboration. Based on the notion of symmetrical scaffolding, we draw on theories of dialogic space and functional linguistics to analyse a transcript of three six-year-old students as they explore a shared understanding of 'two more than'. Using Martin and White's…

Using simulation approaches when conducting randomization tests for comparing two groups in the context of experimental studies has been promoted as a beneficial approach for supporting student learning of statistical inference. Many researchers have suggested that the data production process in simulations for the randomization test intuitively…

This article presents the journey taken by staff at St. Patrick's Primary School in Kilmore to implement a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics, using an instructional model to support student learning through structured inquiry pedagogies.

Modernizing mathematics refers to the idea that teachers should rethink how mathematics has traditionally been taught in schools by making rich tasks and collaboration the focus of instruction and promoting opportunities for active learning. "Modern Math Tasks to Provoke Transformational Thinking" presents carefully crafted tasks that…

There is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of modified schema-based instruction (MSBI) for teaching word problem-solving alongside other important skills, such as self-determination and mathematical discourse and reasoning. Yet the majority of studies have not been conducted in naturalistic instructional arrangements. We report…

Mathematical reasoning is a difficult activity for students, and although standards have been introduced worldwide, reasoning is seldom practiced in classrooms. Productively supporting students during the process of mathematical reasoning is a challenge for teachers, and applying formative feedback might increase students' reasoning effectiveness.…

A new classification for semantic structures of one-step word problems is proposed in this paper. The classification is based on illustrations of word problem situations in Common Core State Standards (CCSSM, 2010) and related historical studies (e.g. Weaver, 1973, 1979, 1982), as well as conceptual elaborations of embodied and grounded nature in…

Students with learning disabilities/difficulties in mathematics often apply ineffective procedures to solve word problems. Given that current mathematics curriculum standards emphasize conceptual understanding in problem solving as well as higher-order thinking and reasoning, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a model-based…

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a remedial teaching intervention in improving learners' understanding of trigonometric equations. Using a mixed methods exploratory case study design, a purposive sample of 24 Grade 11 learners from a rural school in the Eastern Cape province participated in the intervention. The research involved…