Mathematics education researchers have long pursued--and many still pursue--an ideal instructional model for operations on integers. In this chapter, I argue that such a pursuit may be futile. Additionally, I highlight that ideas of relativity have been overlooked; and, I contend that current uses of translation within current integer…

This chapter identifies the ways in which 15 prospective teachers engage the strands of mathematical proficiency as they solve word problems involving integer addition and subtraction. The prospective teachers, through think-aloud interviews, demonstrated a strong focus on solving problems using procedures, which some did not explain and others…

This chapter describes instances of play within a teaching episode on integer addition and subtraction. Specifically, this chapter makes the theoretical distinction between integer play and playing with integers. Describing instances of integer play and playing with integers is important for facilitating this type of intellectual play in the…

The study reported on in this chapter describes the justifications that elementary and middle school prospective teachers (PTs) made as they examined the temperature story that a Grade 5 student posed for an integer subtraction number sentence. The ways that the PTs made sense of the student's story that used integer subtraction as distance are…