The purpose of this study is to compare the differences of four essential aspects (i.e., representational forms, contextual features, cognitive demand levels, and response types) embedded in mathematical problems within the topics of numbers and operations in mathematics textbooks used in Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. This…

Background: Accreditation organizations broadened program assessment criteria in ways that present challenges for the evaluation of learning outcomes. This is especially the case in courses where there are not narrowly defined questions or definitive solutions, such as engineering ethics. While protocols for learning assessment exist, there is…

This article reports on an exploration of how second-graders can learn mathematics through programming. We started from the theory that a suitably designed programming language can serve children as a language for expressing and experimenting with mathematical ideas and processes in order to do mathematics and thereby, with appropriate tasks and…

There have been many efforts to measure pedagogical content knowledge with multiple-choice survey instruments, but little is known about how different types of items contribute. In this study, we examined interviews with 9 Grade 4 teachers to develop a deeper understanding of how teachers select pedagogical representations in the context of a…

National and state standards in the US have emphasized the importance of solving and posing word problems in students' mathematics learning for decades. Therefore, it is essential for prospective teachers (PTs) to have the mathematical knowledge necessary to teach these skills to their future students. Unfortunately, little research has…

Two of the teachers' knowledge models most widely used in the literature are the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) and the Knowledge Quartet (KQ). We develop an analysis of the limitations of the knowledge required for teaching problem-solving published during 1990-2018 which includes these models. This analysis revealed that MKT takes…

The authors present mathematics problems related to the packaging of sporting goods which they used to motivate and engage their students in the USA. This article reports on a series of questions/problems that were explored in groups by the students in a college class designed for sophomores, as part of a program to prepare them to be teachers at…

This article explores some entertaining examples of mathematical thinking in working with the alphabet. They involve thinking linearly, sequentially, in order, and logically, and require problem solving--mathematical thinking. The article discusses creatively exploring the alphabet through alphabet books and creating alternative alphabet lists.

In computer science education, introductory computer programming courses tend to be the most challenging for novices, with higher dropout rates than other computer science courses. Recruitment and retention of students in computer science fields is an important area of focus in computer science education research, and previous research has…

Can using mindfulness/contemplative practices help students become mindful, focused, and present in the mathematics classroom? In this study, mindfulness/contemplative practices were used in the mathematics classroom to determine if students were encouraged to be mindful, focused, and present or engaged in problem solving. During class time,…

It may sound strange, but in today's mathematics classroom, teachers are encouraged to have students struggle. This struggle, however, is not what might come to mind upon first hearing the word. The struggle I refer to here is what researchers have termed "productive struggle," which is present when students must persevere in solving…

As a tangible and motivating medium for students to engage in computational thinking, robotics has drawn interest from educators and researchers as K-12 schools continue to integrate STEM into curriculum. Through this mixed methods study, the researcher sought to explore the effects of robotics instructional methods (task-based and project-based)…

Robotics is needed as education keeps up with challenges students are facing in a technological environment. A long-term research project focuses on developing a feasible robotics-based learning environment that enables primary school teachers to introduce computer science education. This paper shows educational robotics combining storytelling to…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is playing a crucial role in the changing paradigm of education. In many cases, however, VR technology is not being taught because of the lack of relevant educational content at middle and high school levels. This study investigates the effect of design education using VR-based coding on students' competence and…

In this article I share student and teacher experiences of forest walks (in Finnish: Metsäkävely) as a form of outdoor education in a Finnish special education school in a hospital setting. I was the teacher of these students in the hospital school setting, and so was an insider researcher, and teacher as researcher, undertaking…