This article describes use of a novel statistical activity with primary school children.

Let G be a simple undirected graph. To each vertex assign one of two colours say red or blue. A solitaire game is played on G as follows. A move consists of selecting a blue vertex, inverting the colours of its neighbours and then deleting the chosen vertex and all edges incident upon it. The goal is to delete all the vertices. The question of…

This article presents a problem that can help high school students develop the concept of instantaneous velocity and connect it with the slope of a tangent line to the graph of position versus time. It also gives a method for determining the tangent line to the graph of a polynomial function at any point without using calculus. (Contains 1 figure.)

This study concerns 182 first year mathematics undergraduates' perspectives on the tangent line of function graph in the light of a previous study on Year 12 pupils' perspectives. The aim was the investigation of tangency images that settle after undergraduates' distancing from the notion for a few months and after their participation in…

Preservice elementary education students often do not have a good feel for the process of science. Many may be acquainted with the steps of the scientific method but have never been through the scientific process. An exercise was designed using temperature-logging iButtons (Thermochrons) to improve knowledge of and familiarity with the process of…

Overall scale scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicate that there was only minimal improvement in the mathematics performance of high school students between 1978 and 2004. Using recently released data from the Long-Term Trend (LTT) NAEP, this study describes the content covered on the LTT NAEP and the…

This article presents features of a qualitative research study concerning the teaching and learning of school algebra using a function-based approach in a grade 8 class, of 23 students, in 26 lessons, in a state school of Athens, in the school year 2003-2004. In this article, we are interested in the inequality concept and our aim is to…

Linear models are frequently inappropriately applied to various situations. When misapplied, linearity is traditionally referred to as a tendency, a misconception, or an error. Cognitive linguistic, situated cognition, and sociocultural or cultural-historical activity theory, on the other hand, suggest that linear models are adopted by learners…

Evolving technology has played an important part in a common quadratic-function lesson. Having been mentioned repeatedly in numerous reform documents, a recurring lesson has involved changing the parameters in f(x) = ax[superscript 2] + bx + c and studying the effects on the graph. In both NCTM Yearbooks and NCTM Standards documents, technology is…

This article presents the design and evaluation of a tool for inspecting conceptual models of system behaviour. The basis for this research is the Garp framework for qualitative simulation. This framework includes modelling primitives, such as entities, quantities and causal dependencies, which are combined into model fragments and scenarios.…

"Shake, Rattle, & Roll" is a new program developed by The Actuarial Foundation with Scholastic, provides dynamic real-world math content designed to build student skills while showing students the relevance of math to understanding their world and planning for their future. Math skills are increasingly important for students. According to the U.S.…

Graphs are often conjoined with text passages in history textbooks to help students comprehend complex constructs. Four linkages connect text and graphs: appropriate elements, fitting patterns, suitable labels and causal markers. Graphs in current textbooks contain few such linkages and seldom mirror the construct under study. An experiment…

The effects of task clarification, self-monitoring, and performance feedback on cleaning behaviors of 9 lifeguards in 3 performance areas (vacuuming, lobby tidying, and pool deck maintenance) were investigated using an ABA reversal design at a county swim complex. A specific task in each performance area was used as a behavioral control. Following…

Access to quality mathematics content and instruction has been equated as a civil right (Moses & Cobb, 2001). However, access to empowering mathematics is not a reality for many urban youth. Data show an achievement gap between Black, Hispanic and American Indian students and their peers which, in turn, result in unequal access to education and…

This study explores how student-generated questions can support argumentation in science. Students were asked to discuss which of two graphs showing the change in temperature with time when ice is heated to steam was correct. Four classes of students, aged 12-14 years, from two countries, first wrote questions about the phenomenon. Then, working…