"They are the same" is a phrase that teachers often hear from their students in arithmetic and algebra. But what do students mean when they say this? The present paper researches the notion of sameness within algebraic thinking in the context of generating equivalent numerical equalities. A group of Grade 6 Mexican students (10- to…

Middle school students are faced with a number of mathematical concepts that require new forms of reasoning. Although the shifts toward proportional and algebraic reasoning are often emphasized in middle school curricula, changes in the nature of geometric reasoning are not always given the same weight. As highlighted in "Catalyzing Change in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the tessellation performance of 8th-grade students and factors affecting their performance. Student performances have been examined in two dimensions: identification and completion of tessellation. In this context, a diagnostic test containing two main questions with the content of determining whether…

This study reports the classroom mathematical practices proposed in an instructional sequence grounding on the principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) through the use of the dynamic geometry software (DGS) in learning to teach geometric transformations. A 5-week instructional sequence consisting of IBL activities that were guided by the…

Learning and teaching function transformation has a significant place since it provides new opportunities for learners to use, reflect and discover knowledge related to the concept of function. This study's main goals related to the importance of learning function transformation are to examine pre-service mathematics teachers' (PMTs) mental…

The relationship between spatial conceptions and students' spatial abilities is still rarely studied specifically, even though this is the basis for students to think in learning geometry. This paper aims to explore spatial abilities and the development of spatial ability theory, discusses the relationship between spatial conceptions in students'…

Research suggests that embodying mathematical concepts through movement supports improvements in students' spatial fluency, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills (Alibali and Nathan 2012; Cone and Cone 2011; Sarama and Clements 2009). This article describes a dance-based strategy that middle school mathematics…

Three textbooks from Brazil and three textbooks from the United States were analysed with a focus on similarity and context-based tasks. Students' opportunities to learn similarity were examined by considering whether students were provided context-based tasks of high cognitive demand and whether those tasks included missing or superfluous…

Flexibility in transforming algebraic expressions is recognized as fundamental for a rich procedural knowledge. Here, flexibility in-depth is proposed as the ability to apply one strategy to a wide range of unfamiliar expressions. In this study, design experiments with four groups of students were conducted to support students' flexibility…

People need the idea of transformation geometry in order to understand the nature and environment they live in. The teachers should provide learning environments towards perceptual understanding in symmetry training and development practice skills of the students. In order to make up such a learning environment, teachers should have information…

This study focuses on the role of multiple solution tasks (MST) incorporating multiple learning tools and representation systems (MTRS) in encouraging each student to develop multiple perspectives on the learning concepts under study and creativity of thought. Specifically, two types of MST were used, namely tasks that allowed and demanded…