In this article, I draw on the ethnographic study of a Universal Pre-Kindergarten class to theorize the functional appeal of conflict that permeates young children's interactions. From a conflict theory perspective, I document how young children negotiate meaning in and with their world as they engage in learning through conflict. While…

Constructing viable arguments and reasoning abstractly is an essential part of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI 2010). This article discusses the scenarios in which a mathematical task is impossible to accomplish, as well as how to approach impossible scenarios in the classroom. The concept of proof is introduced as the…

Our aim in this article is to elaborate the role of training in representational change theory (RCT), particularly in terms of Ohlsson's (2011) spread of activation explanation (named "redistribution theory"), and to develop novel training manipulations that effect the re-encoding mechanism proposed by RCT (Ohlsson, 1992). Two…

Theories of mind are implicitly embedded in educational research. The predominant theory of mind during the latter half of the twentieth century has focused primarily on the individual mind in isolation, context-free problem-solving and mental representations and reasoning, what we refer to as "cognitivism." Over the last two decades, CS…

This paper presents a new theoretical model which conceptualizes inter-professional and multi-agency collaborative working, at the level of the individual within a group. This arises from a review of the literature around joint working, and is based on social psychological theories which refer to shared goals. The model assumes that collective…

Introduction: This study has aimed to investigate the relationship between the development of working memory and performance on arithmetic activities. Method: We conducted a 3-year longitudinal study of a sample of 90 children, that was followed during the first, second and third year of primary school. All children were tested on measures of WM…

Students in tertiary education are often faced with the prospect of writing an essay on a topic they know nothing about in advance. In distance learning institutions, essays are a common method of assessment in the UK, and specified course texts remain the main sources of information the students have. How do students use a source text to…

In this paper, I discuss one of the most distinguishing features of Jamshid al-Kashi's pedagogy from his "Key to Arithmetic", a well-known Arabic mathematics textbook from the fifteenth century. This feature is the multiple paths that he includes to find a desired result. In the first section light is shed on al-Kashi's life…

Cellular respiration, the central component of cellular metabolism, can be a difficult concept for many students to fully understand. In this interrupted, problem-based case study, students explore the purpose of cellular respiration as they play the role of medical examiner, analyzing autopsy evidence to determine the mysterious cause of death…

For students to be successful in algebra, they must have a truly conceptual understanding of key algebraic features as well as the procedural skills to complete a problem. One strategy to correct students' misconceptions combines the use of worked example problems in the classroom with student self-explanation. "Self-explanation" is the…

How do students think about an angle measure of ninety degrees? How do they think about ratios and values on the unit circle? How might angle measure be used to connect right-triangle trigonometry and circular functions? And why might asking these questions be important when introducing trigonometric functions to students? When teaching…

Solving many quantitative problems does not necessarily lead to an improved Physics understanding. However, physicists, who have learned physics largely through quantitative problems solving, often have a refined physical intuition. Assuming that the refinement of physical intuitions occurs, to a great extent, during problem solving, the question…

Error analysis is the study of errors in learners' work with a view to looking for possible explanations for these errors. It is a multifaceted activity involving analysis of correct, partially correct and incorrect processes and thinking about possible remediating strategies. This paper reports on such an analysis of learner tests. The tests were…

As a contribution to honour the foresight of Ken Clements and John Foyster in founding MERGA [Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia] so many years ago this paper is not a research paper in the usual sense. Rather it sets out to sample the context of Mathematics Education in Australasia and beyond (then and now) and to highlight some…

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of the "dual mathematical modelling cycle framework" as one way to meet the espoused goals of the Australian Curriculum Mathematics. This study involved 23 Year 6 students from one Australian primary school who engaged in an "Oil Tank Task" that required them to develop two…