In this article, the authors begin by considering symbolic literacy in mathematics. Next, they examine the origins of misuse of the equals sign by primary and junior secondary students, where "=" has taken on an operational meaning. They explain that in algebra, students need both the operational and relational meanings of the equals…

We propose an in silico experiment to introduce the classical density functional theory (cDFT). Density functional theories, whether quantum or classical, rely on abstract concepts that are nonintuitive; however, they are at the heart of powerful tools and active fields of research in both physics and chemistry. They led to the 1998 Nobel Prize in…

This laboratory exercise introduces undergraduate chemistry majors to the spectroscopic and theoretical study of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), corannulene. Students explore the spectroscopic properties of corannulene using UV-vis and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. They compare their experimental results to simulated vibrational…

This paper presents a piece of educational software covering a comprehensive number of topics of chemical kinetics, which is available free of charge in Portuguese and English. The software was developed to support chemistry educators and students in the teaching-learning process of chemical kinetics by using animations, calculations, and…

The focus of this study was connections among 3 aspects of mathematical cognition at 2nd grade: calculations, word problems, and prealgebraic knowledge. We extended the literature, which is dominated by correlational work, by examining whether intervention conducted on calculations or word problems contributes to improved performance in the other…

Unit conversion need not be boring. If students see that the skill is necessary, both their motivation to learn and their appreciation of the process can be enhanced. As a result, students become actively engaged and construct understanding and computational skills that they will retain over time. The activity described here makes use of scale…

The authors compared the mental computation performance and mental strategies used by an experimental Grade 2 class and a control Grade 2 class before and after instructional intervention. Results indicate that students in the experimental group had better performance on mental computation. The use of mental strategies (counting, separation,…

This paper argues for teaching pre-service teachers about remediation strategies for learners who encounter problems in mathematics in the early grades. The premise is that all teachers should be equipped with theory-based practical knowledge to support learning. A few teaching sessions to develop the concepts that underlie the mathematical…

With COVID-19 continuing to make meeting face-to-face impossible, the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group/Groupe Canadien d'Étude en Didactique des Mathématiques (CMESG/GCEDM) executive decided that, for the first time, the CMESG/GCEDM meeting would be held virtually. By necessity, the program had to be much compressed with no topic…

Jill Cheeseman and Deborah Michels let us eavesdrop on a young child's attempt to solve a four-digit subtraction. In the process they describe the use of an empty number line as a tool for describing the calculation process. If you haven't tried using an empty number line, then the authors outline some compelling reasons for using empty number…

A renewed emphasis was placed on ratio and proportional reasoning in the middle grades in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). The expectation for students includes the ability to not only compute and then compare and interpret the results of computations in context but also interpret ratios and proportions as they are…

Counting abilities have been described as determinative precursors for a good development of later mathematical abilities. However, an important part of variance in mathematical achievement has also been associated with differences between instruction methods given in schools. In this study counting and instruction as predictors for mathematical…

One of the main tasks in teaching mathematics to elementary students is to form calculating methods and techniques. The efforts of teachers and methodologists are aimed at solving this problem. Educational and psychological research is devoted to it. At the same time school teaching experience demonstrates some difficulties in learning methods of…

Textbooks, as well as classroom instruction, tend to present estimation as a stand-alone exercise, ignoring that "the process of estimation depends on the situation itself as well as the estimator." When taught this way, estimation is stripped of its power to help students judge the reasonableness of answers and make sense before,…

Background: This article reports on an analysis of errors that were displayed by students who studied mathematics in Chemical Engineering in derivatives of mostly trigonometric functions. The poor performance of these students triggered this study. The researcher (lecturer) works in a mathematics support programme to enhance students'…