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…

Creative thinking as a 21st-century skill is fundamental to human development and a catalyst for innovation. Researchers often study it because it encourages students to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information from various angles, which is essential for making decisions and solving complex problems. This study aimed to determine the…

Physics, even though it is guided by simple principles, tends for many topics to be obscured in the mathematics redundancy. MATLAB®, as interactive software for computer algebra, has already had an important impact on the way physics is taught by educators. It has also had a substantial impact on the way research is performed by students to…

Society is currently experiencing a wave of misinformation and disinformation spread through social media and other means. Widespread false information threatens our social relationships and our democracy. A shift toward inquiry learning in PreK-12 education can both improve student learning in general and teach students to assess the validity of…

This article explores inquiry-based learning (IBL) pedagogy, particularly in mathematics education, examining how it differs from problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL). IBL is defined as a student-centered approach involving sequenced problems or tasks that build engagement and understanding through group work. While IBL, PBL,…

Currently, there is a rapid development of artificial intelligence systems that can solve and explain the solution of mathematical problems in the same way as students do. The problem of organizing interaction of artificial and human intelligence which does not lead to the degradation of the student's thinking skills arises. The article proposes…

A test method is described for determining the divisibility of non-negative integers by a prime number. The test uses an integer multiplying factor that is defined for each prime, designated as [beta], to reduce the non-negative integer that is being tested by an order of magnitude in each of a sequence of steps to obtain a series of new numbers.…

In this regular "American Educator" column, findings from the field of cognitive science that are strong and clear enough to merit classroom application are considered. Individuals vary in their views of what students should be taught, but there is little disagreement on the importance of critical thinking skills. In free societies, the…

When students are solving problems they often turn to examples when they need assistance. Examples are helpful because they illustrate how a problem can be solved. However, when examples are very similar to the problems, students default to copying the example solutions, which hinders learning. To address this, prior work has investigated the…

The importance of mathematical problem posing has been acknowledged by many researchers. In this theoretical paper, we want to capture different meanings and aspects of problem posing by approaching it from three different levels: (1) by comparing definitions, (2) by relating it to other constructs, and (3) by referring to research and teaching…

Windmill images and shapes have a long history in geometry and can be found in problems in different mathematical contexts. In this paper, we share and discuss various problems involving windmill shapes and solutions from geometry, algebra, to elementary number theory. These problems can be used, separately or together, for students to explore…

This paper examines constructive play in the context of Waldorf and normative kindergartens in Israel. In conceptualizing the output of children's construction, the current research relies upon the fields of problem-solving and technological thinking, using the design process model. The research results were based on a sample of 39 construction…

Elementary and middle school prospective teachers participated in semi-structured problem posing for integer addition and subtraction. The prospective teachers (n = 98) posed a variety of different stories, but this paper focuses on the temperature stories they posed. Results include descriptions of their posed temperature stories through the lens…

Pre-service teachers need creative thinking and problem solving skills to support their teaching quality. The aims of this research: (1) problems in science teaching, creative thinking and problem solving skills of pre-service teachers; (2) improvements of creative thinking and problem solving skills of pre-service teachers through Ethno-SETSaR…

In this article, the authors define numberless math stories and highlight three strategies for supporting equitable problem solving: (1) The Turn-and-Tell Strategy; (2) Storyboard and Story Mat; and (3) The Act-It-Out Strategy. These three strategies open up problem solving and give every student access to a challenging mathematics curriculum…