This theoretical article examines the crucial role of play-based learning (PBL) in enhancing the mathematical skills of children in the Early Childhood Phase, referred to as Foundation Phase (Grade R-3) learners, within a South African context. The article argues that the traditional approach to teaching early childhood mathematics, where teachers…

Background: Empirical studies have revealed students' development of computational thinking (CT) and mathematical thinking (MT) during programming-based mathematical problem-solving, highlighting specific CT concepts or practices that serve as learning goals or outcomes. However, implementing programming-based mathematics instruction requires…

Because creativity is an essential 21st century skill that must be developed in gifted and talented student populations, it is important for gifted and talented programs to nurture mathematical creativity. To shed light on this topic, this article explores three questions: What is mathematical creativity? How can we develop students' mathematical…

Mathematics is a core component of cognition. Unfortunately, most young children and teachers cannot access research-based early childhood mathematics resources. Building on a quarter-century of research, we are developing and evaluating an innovative, integrated, intelligent, and interactive system of technologies based on empirically validated…

This qualitative study explores how structural factors and self-talk mediate early career math teachers' experiences implementing student-centered reforms in high-need urban schools. Results indicate that implementing instructional changes can sometimes interfere with the success of classroom interaction rituals, and can contribute to internal…

Building Thinking Classrooms (Liljedahl, 2021) provides teachers with a new method of designing and sequencing tasks called "thin slicing," which emerged from variation theory. The results of the present study indicate that an analysis of the dimensions and ranges of variation within such a task offers insights into learning…

This book argues that mathematical challenge can be found at any level and at every age and constitutes an essential characteristic of any mathematics classroom aimed at developing the students' mathematical knowledge and skills. Since each mathematics classroom is heterogeneous with respect to students' mathematical potential, quality…

This paper investigates the connection between the spiral teaching method and mathematical rigor in K-12 education. Defining rigor as a balanced integration of conceptual understanding, application, and procedural fluency (contrasting it with rote learning), the paper posits that the spiral approach cultivates this rigor. By revisiting…

Background/purpose: Instructional modules are essential tools in supporting effective teaching and learning, particularly in mathematics education. Despite the increasing emphasis on learner-centered approaches, many teachers continue to adopt traditional strategies that prioritize content delivery over student engagement. This study was conducted…

Spatial skills, the set of cognitive skills that are responsible for our understanding of objects in real and imagined spaces, have been identified as a potential gate-keeper for STEM success. Because of the recent emphasis on improving education to prepare for the increasing demand for workers in STEM fields, there is a rising interest in…

Reasoning is the process of thinking used to make claims and reach conclusions. It is among the first skills that should be taught to students in mathematics lessons and contributes to the creation and development of mathematical foundations. This study identifies evolution and trends in research on mathematical reasoning over the last four…

Early math skills predict later achievement for young children; thus, it is important to expand what is known about how to support preschool children's development of these skills. While there has been some research on interventions, including those using systemic instruction, to teach math skills to preschoolers, there is a need for additional…

Despite interest in how students' implicit theories--their growth and fixed mindsets about their own learning--affect students as learners, relatively little research on mindset has looked at "teachers" as learners. This study explores elementary teachers' implicit theories about the malleability of mathematics intelligence and teaching…

In this theoretical article, we propose a conceptualisation of noticing, drawing on our enactivist perspective, which takes account of what is now known about human cognition, and from which we draw out implications for how noticing develops. We review past work on mathematics teacher noticing and note the dominance of a paradigm of taking…

This qualitative case study aims to address the ways that pre-service mathematics teachers (PSTs) used a rope in a daylong research meeting for cognitive development of children's understanding of counting numbers in Tanzanian elementary schools. Three university mathematics pre-service teachers volunteered participating in this study. Collective…