This paper is a study of part of the Algebra Project's program for underrepresented high school students from the lowest quartile of academic achievement, social and economic status. The study focuses on students' learning the concept of function. The curriculum and pedagogy are part of an innovative, experimental approach designed and implemented…

Why students have difficulty with a proof (such as Cantor's) is discussed, with the focus on proof by contradiction. Methods may fail due to the difficulty of the concept and lack of understanding of how students are thinking. (MNS)

A novel approach to teaching mathematical induction was used, based on a Piagetian theory of learning abstract mathematical concepts in which the learner uses reflective abstraction to construct new schemas out of old ones. Computer experiences are used to induce students to make the appropriate reflective abstractions. (MNS)