The notions of meaning and sense, which are closely related to understanding, play an essential role in educational processes in general and, therefore, in the teaching and learning of mathematics. However, the terms 'meaning' and 'sense' are unevenly used in the theory of language, semiotics, philosophy and psychology. After describing the main…

A literature review establishes a working definition of recreational mathematics: a type of play which is enjoyable and requires mathematical thinking or skills to engage with. Typically, it is accessible to a wide range of people and can be effectively used to motivate engagement with and develop understanding of mathematical ideas or concepts.…

We are four academics teaching mathematics at three different higher education institutions over two continents. Through fortnightly meetings to research how our practices changed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, we formed a community of practice. The process of articulating our experiences and ideas, and reflecting on the recorded meetings…

The mathematics education literature shows that encouraging students to develop multiple solutions for given problems has a positive effect on students' understanding and creativity. In this paper, we present an example of multiple-solution problems in statistics involving a set of non-traditional dice. In particular, we consider the exact…

The prevalence of prediction in grade-level expectations in mathematics curriculum standards signifies the importance of the role prediction plays in the teaching and learning of mathematics. In this article, we discuss benefits of using prediction in mathematics classrooms: (1) students' prediction can reveal their conceptions, (2) prediction…

Finding educational truths is an inherently multivariate problem. There are many factors affecting each student and their performances. Because of this, both measuring of skills and assessing students are always complex processes. This is a well-known problem, and a number of solutions have been proposed by specialists. One of its ramifications is…

Before we consider the German tertiary system, we review the education system and consider other relevant background details. We then concentrate on the tertiary system and observe that the mathematical enrolments are keeping up with the overall student enrolments. At the same time, the first year mathematics enrolments for women are greater than…

We consider Egyptian mathematics from a postmodern perspective, by which we mean suspending judgement as to strict correctness in order to appreciate the genuine mathematical insights which they did have in the context in which they were working. In particular we show that the skill which the Egyptians possessed of obtaining the general case from…

Kruteskii's work on the mathematical abilities of school children is a seminal work on the nature of mathematical ability. However, the task of developing methods for the practical application of his work is still a significant problem in mathematics education. The authors have developed a practical application of Kruteskii's approach to the…

Little has been explored with regard to introducing historical aspects in the undergraduate statistics classroom in engineering studies. This article focuses on the design, implementation and assessment of a specific activity concerning the introduction of the normal probability curve and related aspects from a historical dimension. Following a…

Internationally, the consequences of the "Mathematics problem" are a source of concern for the education sector and governments alike. Growing consensus exists that the inability of students to successfully make the transition to tertiary level mathematics education lies in the substantial mismatch between the nature of entrants'…

There has been much debate in recent years as to the amount and type of mathematical knowledge that teachers need to acquire. One set of recommendations is provided by the Mathematical Education of Teachers (MET) report, produced jointly by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. This paper reports on efforts…

Since 1989, the Mathematics Education Project (PmatE--Projecto Matematica Ensino) has developed several strategies to improve the success of students in Mathematics. The most important of these are mathematical games for all grades above primary school. The online evaluation of Mathematics subjects is one of PmatE's goals. The implementation of an…

This paper explores Mechanical Engineering students' conceptions of and preferences for conceptions of the derivative, and their views on mathematics. Data comes from pre-, post- and delayed post-tests, a preference test, interviews with students and an analysis of calculus courses. Data from Mathematics students is used to make comparisons with…

This paper examines four developments, or trends, in tertiary mathematics education today: (1) technology as an engine driving pedagogical change; (2) the often difficult transition for students from secondary to tertiary mathematics; (3) the responsibilities of mathematicians for the mathematical preparation of future teachers, and (4) the…