Based on a study about using original sources with Danish upper secondary students, the paper addresses the potential outcome of such an approach in regard to the so-called recruitment problem to the mathematical sciences. 24 students were exposed to questionnaire questions and 16 of these to follow-up interviews, which form the basis for both a…

This article extends the notion of "knowledge at the mathematical horizon" or "horizon knowledge" introduced by Ball and colleagues as a part of teachers' subject matter knowledge. Our focus is on teachers' mathematical knowledge beyond the school curriculum, that is, on mathematics learnt during undergraduate college or university studies. We…

I argue for the inclusion of topics in high school mathematics curricula that are traditionally reserved for high achieving students preparing for mathematical contests. These include the arithmetic mean--geometric mean inequality which has many practical applications in mathematical modelling. The problem of extremalising functions of more than…

The ability of mathematics teachers to decompress mathematics and to move between representations are two key features of mathematical knowledge that is usable for teaching. This article reports on four pre-service secondary mathematics teachers learning the mathematics of annuities. In working with spreadsheets students began to make sense of…

Illustrates the complexities of secondary mathematics teaching and learning in contemporary multilingual classrooms. Shows how and why the language of dilemmas provides a powerful explanatory and analytic tool as well as a source of praxis in mathematics education in a changing educational and political context. Contains 21 references. (ASK)

Observations focusing on classroom discourse, uses of graphing calculators, nature of instructional tasks, and instructor-questioning patterns in a high school algebra course found that the teacher modified his teaching strategies and curriculum to accommodate the teaching strategies and topics that arose from the use of the graphing calculator.…

Discusses students' writing in mathematics, focusing on (1) creating stories; (2) writing mathematical essays; (3) expressing feelings and beliefs about mathematics through diaries and anecdotes; and (4) the use of dialogs. The strategies considered have been used at the high school and remedial college levels. (JN)

Reflecting the author's experiences in Mozambique, some conditions and strategies for mathematics education in underdeveloped countries are suggested. How mathematics education can be used for emancipation is discussed, with extensive comments on problemising reality in classroom situations and creating confidence. (MNS)

Information is presented from a three-year research investigation in London which aims to characterize good mathematics teachers. Teacher, pupil, and classroom perspectives are each included for one teacher. (MNS)

Some concrete examples of the use of historical materials in developing certain topics from precalculus and calculus are presented. Ideas which can be introduced with a reformulated curriculum are discussed in five areas: algorithms, combinatorics, logarithms, trigonometry, and mathematical models. (MNS)

The impact and role of social needs, including computer technology, on the secondary school mathematics curriculum are considered. Their role in the American curriculum, mathematical applications, institutionalized needs, and alternatives are discussed. (MNS)

Identifying the strengths of visual processing in high school mathematics is considered. The development of an instrument to assess mathematical processing is described. Then the kinds of visual imagery found in children in England and Natal are presented, along with difficulties and benefits experienced by visualizers. (MNS)

The aim of this article is to provide a conceptual picture of a "Mathematics and Society" curriculum. Examples of such curricula are described, along with discussion of ethnomathematics and self-generated mathematics, the social institution of mathematics, critical thinking and conscientization, and policy issues. (MNS)

The mathematics curriculum should be imbedded into the cultural environment of the student. Discussed is the mathematical educational potential of decorative motif. (PK)

Advantages and disadvantages of the modern definition of function, understanding the concept of function, procedures used in a study of the understandings of ninth graders, and detailed results of the study are discussed. (MNS)