This article describes a unit of work that was designed for a Year 9 class of mixed ability and which involved the definition and measurement of angles, as well as the practical application of angle properties--such as complimentary angles and the relationships in a transversal. The unit considered the numeracy skills required to interpret a…

Inquiries into the state of mathematics and science education in Australia express the need to make the curriculum more relevant and meaningful to students' lives. However, such a vision requires that teachers understand how relevance can enter mathematics and science classrooms in meaningful and appropriate ways. This paper uses snippets from…

Fractions and algebra are critically important components of the mathematics education of the youth. Unfortunately, however, students have typically struggled in these areas. For this reason, teachers and researchers have focused their attention on these topics for at least the past century. This article discusses what research shows regarding…

This article considers steps towards making a numeracy-across-the-curriculum policy. Numeracy means more than the kind of everyday arithmetic a person (a competent independent adult) needs to handle whole number (and simple decimal) calculations; e.g., money, time, and simple measurement. Importantly, aspects of numeracy arise in any everyday task…

Digital photos and digital movies offer an excellent way of bringing real world situations into the mathematics classroom. The technologies surveyed here are feasible for everyday classroom use and inexpensive. Examples are drawn from the teaching of Cartesian coordinates, linear functions, ratio and Pythagoras' theorem using still images, and…

Responds to the question of how to know whether reforms have an influence on student learning. Discusses the shift in epistemology about the learning of mathematics, systemic notions about schooling, appropriate evidence related to the notion of schooling practices, and assessing mathematics literacy. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

Discusses the benefits of new technologies, especially graphing calculators, in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Presents two activities for teaching algebra and regression using graphing calculators. (ASK)

Presents a mathematics learning cycle that can be use in teaching mathematics and gives two examples of how this learning cycle can be utilized in mathematics classrooms. (ASK)

Describes experiences and presents ideas to cope with students of lower ability and improve their self-esteem. (ASK)

Presents an example of an introductory lesson on spreadsheets which provides a quick overview/revision of the essential elements of spreadsheeting before progressing to programmed exercises. (ASK)

Presents graphing calculator activities that rely on resolving the magnitude and direction form of vectors into their Cartesian components so that they are suitable as applications for vector or trigonometric relationships for years 10-12. (ASK)

Discusses problems similar to the Pythagorean Theorem as they were presented in historical mathematical texts from China and Babylon dating back to well before the time of Pythagoras. (ASK)

Discusses the appropriateness of lower secondary school students using graphics calculators instead of scientific calculators. (ASK)

Presents the results of a study that aimed to incorporate a wide range of problem posing situations into students' problem solving in a classroom project with mathematically-able students in the first two years of secondary school. (Contains 15 references.) (ASK)

Introduces two methods of introducing trigonometry: ratio method and unit circle method. Presents a teaching experiment with two groups of students, half of whom were taught with ratio method and the other half with unit circle method. Concludes that ratio method students were better able to master the skills required and made greater improvements…