Many studies have shown benefits associated with engaging students in problem-solving activities prior to administering lessons. These problem-solving activities are assumed to activate relevant knowledge and allow students to develop some initial knowledge structures, which support understanding of the lesson. In this paper we report the results…

Collective action researchers have focused on injunctive norms that specify approved behavior as a panacea for collective action problems. We investigate whether descriptive norms (similar behavior) can also solve these problems. We argue that descriptive norms generate social identification, which then sustains conformity to expectations.…

Purpose: This paper aims to determine whether high school students can become agents of change in their local communities by participating in a formal internship program implemented through a partnership between academia (high schools and universities), nonprofit organizations and key community stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: Pre- and…

Subconsciously, experienced teachers make use of situated knowledge: knowledge that is connected to, and arises from, the interactions between the physical environment where the action takes place and a material body acting in that environment. Since situated knowledge is important in day-to-day teaching to solve incidents, it should be taught in…

The South African curriculum emphasizes the teaching of problem solving in mathematics. However, little is known about South African teachers' views on the teaching of mathematical problem solving (MPS). The purpose of this study was to establish Grade 9 South African teachers' views, teaching strategies and the support required in their teaching…

This qualitative single exploratory case study explored instructional practices of third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers to explore how Florida students with learning disabilities at the elementary school level perform on statewide mathematics assessments of learning following both cognitive and metacognitive skills development. Theoretical…

This qualitative, analytical study at an International Baccalaureate school explored third grade teachers' perceptions of three specific innovative teaching strategies: innovation skills needed by third grade students; barriers and challenges that exist when teaching 21st Century skills; and skills needed by teachers to teach innovation skills.…

Data science is emerging as a field that is revolutionizing science and industries alike. Work across nearly all domains is becoming more data driven, affecting both the jobs that are available and the skills that are required. As more data and ways of analyzing them become available, more aspects of the economy, society, and daily life will…

There has been a major shift in educational learning goals--as seen most recently by Goal 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals--focused on global citizenship education and education for sustainable development. The shift concerns recognition of the need for education systems to equip learners with competencies such as problem solving,…

What makes a person able to solve problems creatively? One interesting factor that may contribute is experience with multiple languages from an early age. Bilingual individuals who acquire two languages by the age of 6 have been shown to demonstrate superior performance on a number of thinking tasks that require flexibility. However, bilingual…

A complete, non-trivial, traveling sales tour problem contains at least one "indentation", where nodes in the interior of the point set are connected between two adjacent nodes on the boundary. Early research reported that human tours exhibited fewer such indentations than expected. A subsequent explanation proposed that this was because…

This is mathematics in action, in context, in real life, and in detail. Begin the journey with Archimedes, and travel alongside the likes of Fermat, Fibonacci, Coxeter, and Adler. There is much to consider and opportunities to make links to things that might be "known", but maybe not well appreciated. On the way you will come across an angular…

As with so many aspects of mathematical enquiry, there is little that is "original", or "brand new", but that does not diminish the outcome of work that borrows from "those who have gone before". In this piece the author "borrows" from the work of Desargues, Monge, Ceva, Menelaus, van Aubel, and Gergonne. This novel approach to providing a proof…

We are frequently told that Hong Kong has a model system for learning mathematics. In this article Daniela Vasile notes one short-coming in that the pupils are not taught to problem-solve. She begins with a new class by asking them to write down the craziest equation they can come up with and bases her whole lesson, and the following homework,…

Establishing and maintaining key mathematical practices in whole-class discussions, such as justifying claims, representing mathematical objects and making connections between the representations, is crucial to the development of students' mathematical competencies. The aim of this article is to investigate how and why the establishment of key…