Using the sawtooth map as the basis of a coupled map lattice enables simple analytic results to be obtained for the global Lyapunov spectra of a number of standard lattice networks. The results presented can be used to enrich a course on chaos or dynamical systems by providing tractable examples of higher dimensional maps and links to a number of…

This article presents a theoretical-didactic perspective on the formation and development of concepts concerning mathematical objects as a result of research on didactic difficulties in dealing with concepts in school. The theoretical foundation that supports the research is based on the contributions of the materialist approach to the theory of…

As students have struggled to use the "chip model" (i.e., red and yellow chips representing positive and negative numbers) to model integer addition and subtraction and have found it confusing, the authors developed a series of activities based on adding and removing opposite objects to and from a boat to better help students in this…

This paper reports on a combined research-development project conducted in collaboration between researchers and preschool teachers in three Swedish preschools. The aim is to investigate how ongoing preschool activities may become the starting point for mathematics teaching in which toddlers are given the opportunity to distinguish necessary…

We present an example of one of the modelling projects we assign to students in our differential equations classes. Students are asked to determine how to run a cost-efficient hot water heating system. We consider a cylindrical tank filled with water and heated by a heating element immersed in it. Together with students we discuss physical laws…

The authors discuss the use of "real life" activities that are interesting to children in the teaching of measurement and number concepts. In this article, they present a series of lessons targeting volume and capacity that seamlessly incorporate genuine "real-life" experiences with practical mathematical applications. In…

On the lookout for and with a vested interest in Canadian mathematics education matters, this article is dedicated to hockey cards. More specifically, the statistics found on the back of hockey cards. The combination of taking a trip down memory lane, thrifting in British Columbia, traipsing around Toronto, and having coffee (one cream) at Tim…

The authors describe the benefit of launching mathematics lessons in ways that engage young learners. Short, meaningful introductions can motivate and focus students. Some features of interesting launches are drawn from Ben Dixon's Foundation classroom.

Playing board games and other math activities can provide young children with opportunities to develop their math skills. However, it is critical to understand for whom these activities may be most beneficial. In two studies, we examine the extent to which foundational cognitive skills moderate the effects of playing math games on math skills. In…

The Building Painted Cubes Task is a groupworthy algebraic task. Students build cubes using linking unit cubes, search for algebraic patterns, and report findings on posters. This task can create spaces for students to see themselves as doers of mathematics.

Despite the prominence of analogies in mathematics, little attention has been given to exploring students' processes of analogical reasoning, and even less research exists on revealing how students might be empowered to independently and productively reason by analogy to establish new (to them) mathematics. I argue that the lack of a cohesive…

Derek Holton and Duncan Symons present the first in a series of three papers that address sequences and their patterns. Their explorations lead to classroom teaching suggestions that involve creative thinking.

We use Action-Process-Object-Schema (APOS) theory to study students' geometric understanding of partial derivatives of functions of two variables. This study contributes to research on the teaching and learning of differential multivariable calculus and its didactics. This is an important area due to its multiple applications in science,…

This research aims to determine the thinking activity types dominated by a mental process in producing answers characterized by automatic, unconscious, and subjective-empirical processes (system 1) in solving problems so that the default-interventionist interaction occurs. This research novelty is the formulation of the contents and thinking…

Building activities can be used any time in the school year in mathematics classes to promote problem solving, perseverance, and to develop students' spatial thinking. Spatial visualization skills are the "ability to mentally manipulate, rotate, twist, or invert a pictorially presented stimulus object." The authors were guided by the…