"Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (NCTM 2000) proposes that mathematics instruction provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematical inquiry and in meaning-making through discourse. Mathematics teachers are encouraged to build on student discoveries in designing subsequent instruction. In this article, the author…

This article describes the work of outreach mathematicians introducing the topic of complex variables to eighth and ninth grade students (13- to 15-year-olds) in the US. Complex variables is an area of mathematics that is not typically studied at secondary level. The authors developed seven lessons designed to stimulate students' interest in…

Different computational tools may offer teachers and students distinct opportunities in representing, exploring and solving mathematical tasks. In this context, we illustrate that the use of dynamic software (Cabri Geometry) helped high school teachers to think of and represent a particular task dynamically. In this process, the teachers had the…

Computer-assisted instruction systems have been broadly applied to help students solve math word problem. The majority of such systems, which are based on an instructor-initiating instruction strategy, provide pre-designed problems for the learners. When learners are asked to solve a word problem, the system will instruct the learners what to do.…

Describes activities that use the geometric construction capabilities of the Geometer's Sketchpad computer software to explore triangles. Topics investigated include angle measurement, the sum of the measures of the angles of a triangle and a five-pointed star, triangle classification, and area and perimeter of a triangle. (MDH)

This action research project was aimed to improve geometry students' achievement and the retention in a suburban public high school over a one-year implementation cycle. The curricular design was influenced by Dweck's (2006) theories of growth mindset, educational standards, and directives outlined by the National Council of Teachers of…

This submission contains the Proceedings of the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG), held at York University in Toronto, Ontario. The CMESG is a group of mathematicians and mathematics educators who meet annually to discuss mathematics education issues at all levels of learning. The aims of the Study Group…

Quilters have been practicing geometric principles for centuries. Since straight seams are easier to sew than curved ones, the grid naturally evolved as the basis for their designs. This book is a resource for experimenting with traditional patchwork quilt patterns. It provides students a hands-on understanding of geometric concepts. It contains…

This book contains 40 lessons in problem solving divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 contains several lessons in which solutions are derived through investigation of numerical patterns. Chapter 2 contains lessons in which problem-solving situations are presented in a graphical context. It also includes two lessons in which students construct…

Calculation of the percentage of work completed when the edges of jigsaw puzzles have been assembled provides interesting problems. (SD)

Several excerpts from Euclid's "Elements" are cited, and their applications to the natural, positive rational, and positive real number systems are discussed. (SD)

Geometric analysis of a cube can motivate formulae for factoring algebraic expressions involving sums and differences of cubes. (SD)

After a brief discussion of the history of mathematical astronomy, the author introduces problems concerning aspects and distances of the planets. The problems presented can be solved without use of trigonometry. (SD)

In this article, the author comments on the article "Solid geometry in the works of an iron artisan,'" Castro, 23(3). The author finds it interesting to read about the implicit mathematical knowledge of ironworkers, weavers, tailors and other practitioners as they undertake their various crafts and professions. In the article, Fernando…

Two new types of graph paper are described; focus-focus conic paper and focus-directrix paper. Both types make it easier to draw families of conics. Suggestions for further work are given as is a method for establishing a connection with other ways of looking at the conic sections. (LS)