Why do schools teach the mathematics that they do? In this essay, Houman Harouni asserts that educational institutions offer mathematics standards and curricula without providing convincing justifications and that students are tested on content whose purpose neither they nor their teachers clearly understand. He proposes a theoretical framework…

Contemporary mathematics education reform has placed increased emphasis on K-12 mathematics curriculum. Reform-based curricula, often referred to as "Standards-based" due to philosophical alignment with the NCTM Process Standards, have generated controversy among families, educators, and researchers. The mathematics education research…

This study explored the efficacy of web-based workshops in topics in elementary school mathematics in fostering teachers' confidence and competence in using instructional technology, and thereby promoting more positive attitudes toward using computers and Internet resources in the mathematics classroom. It consisted of in-depth interviews of…

This study explored the efficacy of web-based workshops in topics in elementary school mathematics in fostering teachers' confidence and competence in using instructional technology, and thereby promoting more positive attitudes toward using computers and Internet resources in the mathematics classroom. It consisted of in-depth interviews of…

We discuss contemporary theories in mathematics education in order to do research on research. Our strategy consists of analysing discursively and ideologically recent key publications addressing the role of theory in mathematics education research. We examine how the field fabricates its object of research by deploying Foucault's notion of…

Technology and engineering are increasingly being incorporated into school coursework, ranging from instruction on the use of computers and information technology within school subjects to classes that examine the role of technology in society, or courses that teach engineering design. Information communication technologies have become integral…

Teacher quality is instrumental in improving student performance. Unfortunately, discrepancies between teacher preparation programs and national and state K-12 student standards have contributed to the difficult task of producing quality teachers. The contemporary mathematics education paradigm used at most colleges and universities relies on…

This paper shows how GeoGebra--a dynamic mathematics software--can be used to experiment, visualize and connect various concepts such as function, first derivative, slope, and tangent line. Students were given an assignment to determine the first derivative of the exponential function that they solved while experimenting with GeoGebra. GeoGebra…

Writing skills of students in various faculties are competencies that need to be developed in accordance with the vision and purpose for the faculty itself. The Faculty of Education is a faculty which educates and writing skills to students from any department to have a sensitivity and a critical attitude toward education. This research employs…

In writing this paper we draw considerably on the work of Jo Boaler and Leone Burton. Boaler's studies of classrooms have been particularly poignant in alerting the mathematics education community to a number of key features of successful classrooms, and how such features can turn around the successes for students who traditionally perform poorly…

Contemporary mathematics education is at a crossroads. It has become exposed to forces, both static and dynamic, that pose a challenge to its traditional place in academia. Mathematics has a long-established status as perhaps the most critical foundation for analytical knowledge. But the manner in which mathematics instructors choose to respond to…

With the notion of governmentality, this article considers how the equal sign (=) in the U.S. math curriculum organizes knowledge of equality and inscribes cultural rules for thinking, acting, and seeing in the world. Situating the discussion within contemporary math reforms aimed at teaching mathematics for all, I draw attention to how the…

Science as inquiry and mathematics as problem solving are conjoined fraternal twins attached by their similarities but with distinct differences. Inquiry and problem solving are promoted in contemporary science and mathematics education reforms as a critical attribute of the nature of disciplines, teaching methods, and learning outcomes involving…

As countries in the vast Asia-Pacific region seek to re-engineer their education systems in order to cope with the rapid pace of economic and social change, an area of the school curriculum that is attracting increasing special attention is that of mathematics education. The work in this book identifies key issues regarding mathematics education…

The effective integration of technology into the teaching and learning of mathematics remains one of the critical challenges facing contemporary tertiary mathematics. This article reports on some significant findings of a wider study investigating the use of technology in undergraduate mathematics. It first discusses a taxonomy developed to…