Although the secondary-tertiary transition has been investigated in mathematics education research with different focuses and theoretical approaches, it remains a major issue for students in the transition. With success in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) major at stake, we investigated a novel approach to support the…

An increasing number of students are "hyper-accelerating" their study of formal Algebra I to Grade 7 or earlier to maintain a competitive edge in the race to calculus. However, there is a lack of evidence that these students construct the conceptual foundations necessary for persistence in advanced mathematics. This paper maps the drive…

Teaching gerrymandering in our high school geometry classrooms provides students with a unique opportunity to use mathematics to describe, analyze and make sense of the world around them. Our purpose is to provide our students the opportunity to apply learned definitions and formulas of area and perimeter to a sociopolitical context. We present a…

"Algebra-as-gatekeeper" is a powerful paradigm that structures students' experiences within mathematics class, as well as their future educational trajectories. In this paper, I show how modeling--when conceived as a culturally relevant practice--can support students to make sense of the key ideas of algebra as well as develop positive…

This classroom study immersed high school geometry students in the creative and intellectually challenging design task of developing unique logos using mathematics and technology. The students applied and deepened their knowledge of transformations while using dynamic geometry software. One of the main aims of the task was to elevate student…

High school students often ask questions about the nature of infinity. When contemplating what the "largest number" is, or discussing the speed of light, students bring their own ideas about infinity and asymptotes into the conversation. These are popular ideas, but formal ideas about the nature of mathematical sets, or "set…

Quantitative analysis of the Factors Influencing College Success in Mathematics (FICSMath) Survey data indicates that high school mathematics teachers' abilities to teach for conceptual understanding is a significant and positive predictor of student performance in single- variable college calculus. To explore these findings further, we gathered…

In this article I explore some of the underlying mathematics of Poke´mon battles and describe ways that teachers at the secondary level could explore concepts of mathematical game theory in this context. I discuss various ways of representing and analyzing a Poke´mon battle using game theory and conclude with an example of applying concepts of…

This article compares the views of teachers and professors about the transition from secondary mathematics to tertiary calculus. Quantitative analysis revealed five categories where teachers and professors differed significantly in the relative frequency of addressing them. Using the rite of passage theory, the separation and incorporation phases…

This article focuses on the mathematical value of teaching angles through the use of sundials in the classroom. The history of sundials and the mathematics embedded within them is discussed in detail. In addition, practical applications of angles are included, along with interactive practice telling time with the angles created on sundials. Time…

This article describes an activity that incorporates measurement in order to lead students to discover and explore fundamental concepts of calculus. Students are provided with an experientially real starting point involving measurement and are encouraged to engage in mathematical discussions in a low-stakes environment. I describe the activity as…

Many mathematics teacher educators encounter the challenge of creating or choosing mathematical tasks that evoke important mathematical insights and connections yet remain firmly grounded in school mathematics. This challenge increases substantially when trying to meet the needs of practicing secondary mathematics teachers pursuing graduate work…

This paper describes how the author's students (in-service and pre-service secondary mathematics teachers) enrolled in college geometry courses use the Geometers' Sketchpad (GSP) to gain insight to formulate, confirm, test, and refine conjectures to solve the classical airport problem for triangles. The students are then provided with strategic…

This paper addresses the contested way that ethnomathematics has sometimes been received by mathematicians and others and what that disagreement might suggest about issues in mathematics education; namely, (a) the relation of ethnomathematics to academic mathematics; (b) recent efforts to reform secondary school mathematics so that it prepares…

The purpose of this article is to present five examples of teacher leadership from within secondary mathematics classrooms. These vignettes come from a larger study that resulted in a teacher leader continuum. This article offers classroom teacher examples that highlight each of five positions along that continuum. The argument is made that a wide…