In this paper, we propose a potential interactional explanation of tertiary-to-secondary (dis)continuity: that of authority relations. Using secondary mathematics teachers' proof validations across two contexts, we suggest that secondary teachers' conceptions of authority shape their capacity to reconcile their positions as former mathematics…

The curriculum for eleven-year old students in the United Kingdom, currently adopted by most schools, includes solving linear equations with the unknown on one side only before moving onto those with the unknown on both sides in later years. School textbooks struggle with the balance between developing algebraic understanding and training…

How the author moved from concern about research to development of prescriptive models of heuristic problem solving and the exploration of metacognition and belief systems is discussed. Student beliefs about problem solving, and their corollaries, are included. (MNS)

How children perceive doubling and halving numbers is discussed, with many examples. The use of calculators is integrated. The tendency to avoid division if other ways of solving a problem can be found was noted. (MNS)

Reflecting the author's experiences in Mozambique, some conditions and strategies for mathematics education in underdeveloped countries are suggested. How mathematics education can be used for emancipation is discussed, with extensive comments on problemising reality in classroom situations and creating confidence. (MNS)

Appreciating the power and beauty of mathematical thought should be an integral component of a student's mathematical education. The meaning of aesthetics in the realm of mathematical reasoning, the relationship of aesthetics to problem solving, the results of two studies, and recommendations for developing aesthetics are included. (MNS)

Historical issues concerning the role of mathematics in the school curriculum are considered, with numerous examples illustrating varying emphases. (MNS)

A one-semester course at the third-year level at York University is described. It tries to legitimize in students' eyes that it makes sense to talk about mathematics as well as do mathematics. Seven course themes are discussed, followed by nine problems used in the course. (MNS)

Discussed are supercalculator capabilities and possible teaching implications. Included are six examples that use a supercalculator for topics that include volume, graphing, algebra, polynomials, matrices, and elementary calculus. A short review of the research on supercomputers in education and the impact they could have on the curriculum is…

Investigates children's behaviors and conceptual achievements in the transition from informal calculation strategies to a written division algorithm. Describes five different strategies observed in the solution of division problems. Discusses the implications of the children's behavior. (YP)

Describes basic problem-solving skills and presents a protocol of a student solving a problem. Discusses some of the difficulties in obtaining a correct solution. Lists basic prompts for problem solving. (YP)

Presents 13 examples in which the intuitive approach to solve the problem is often misleading. Presents analysis of these problems for five different sources of misleading intuitive generators: lack of analysis, unbalanced perception, improper analogy, improper generalization, and misuse of symmetry. (MDH)

Presents contributions by six mathematics teachers responding to the question: "How has the history of mathematics mattered to me in my mathematics teaching?" Answers touch the topics of how and why, how benefits are accrued, use of original texts, integration into core curriculum courses, and pitfalls of history. (MDH)

Presents activities that integrate story telling, history, and problem solving as a stimulus for discussion and creativity in the elementary mathematics classroom, and a way to relieve children's anxiety in an escalating curriculum. (MDH)

Presents three stories from mathematics history that can be integrated into classroom teaching: (1) the account of how Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the earth to discuss the concept of units in measurement, (2) ideas from Archimedes, Vite, and Descartes to introduce pi, and (3) the discovery of the Cardanic formula as an example of…