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A new issue of Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education has been published (See SpringerLink - Journal Issue ). The issue contains five interesting articles, all of them with a strong focus on inquiry: The challenge in developing in mathematics teachers an inquiry stance to teaching , by Peter Sullivan. Collaborative teacher inquiry as a tool for building theory on the development and use of rich mathematical tasks , by David Slavit and Tamara Holmlund Nelson. The effect of video-based approach on prospective teachers' ability to analyze mathematics teaching , by Othman N. Alsawaie and Iman M. Alghazo. Learning to teach mathematics through inquiry: a focus on the relationship between describing and enacting inquiry-oriented teaching , by Jo Towers. Conceptions of effective mathematics teaching within a cultural context: perspectives of teachers from China and the United States , by Jinfa Cai and Tao Wang.

The April issue of Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education has recently been published. This issue contains 6 interesting articles: Crossing the divide: reflecting on the benefits of international collaboration , by Anne D. Cockburn Secondary mathematics cooperating teachers’ perceptions of the purpose of student teaching , by Keith R. Leatham and Blake E. Peterson Analyzing and attempting to overcome prospective teachers’ difficulties during problem-solving instruction , by Alexander Karp Developing teachers’ knowledge of students as learners of mathematics through structured interviews , by Oliver F. Jenkins The influence of video clubs on teachers’ thinking and practice , by Elizabeth A. van Es and Miriam Gamoran Sherin Prospective primary mathematics teachers’ learning from on-line discussions in a virtual video-based environment , by Salvador Llinares and Julia Valls The article by van Es and Sherin is an Open Access article, so that one should be available even for non-subscri...

A couple of new articles have been published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics lately, amongst those a very interesting one by my good colleague Martin Carlsen from the University of Agder, Norway. His article is entitled: Appropriating geometric series as a cultural tool: a study of student collaborative learning . Carlsen, along with other colleagues in Agder, have been influenced by the focus on small-group problem solving that was advocated by Neil Davidson and others some years ago. The Agder group is also strongly influenced by theories related to sociocultural perspectives of teaching and learning mathematics, and this article provides a nice overview of some of these theoretical foundations. The research reported in this article can be placed within a qualitative, naturalistic paradigm, and the data were analyzed using a dialogical approach (Carlsen here makes use of a framework developed by two other colleagues: Maria-Luiza Cestari and Raymond Bjuland). So, if you ...

John M. Francisco and Carolyn A. Maher have written an article about Teachers attending to students’ mathematical reasoning: lessons from an after-school research program . This article was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education last Thursday. This article is interesting in several respects, amongst others because awareness of and knowledge about students' mathematical reasoning is something teachers need, and it should be part of every mathematics teacher's professional knowledge. Theoretically, it builds upon Shulman's classic framework, but they also make interesting links to a focus on practitioner-researcher collaboration. The article reports on a study that was made of "elementary and middle school teachers who participated as interns in the 1-year NSF-funded Informal Mathematical Learning Project (IML)". Here is a copy of the abstract of their article: There is a documented need for more opportunities for teachers to learn about stude...

A new issue of ZDM - The International Journal on Mathematics Education has been published. This issue has a special focus on Historical aspects of the use of technology and devices in ICMEs and ICMI , and guest editors have been Maria G. Bartolini Bussi and Marcelo C. Borba. The issue contains 15 articles which covers many aspects of the theme, from historical perspectives on the use of technology to a social perspective on technology enhanced learning. Here is an overview of the contents of this issue: The role of resources and technology in mathematics education , by Maria G. Bartolini Bussi and Marcelo C. Borba Historical comments on the use of technology and devices in ICMEs and ICMI , by Gert Schubring Exploration of technologies, emerging from African cultural practices, in mathematics (teacher) education , by Paulus Gerdes Concrete models and dynamic instruments as early technology tools in classrooms at the dawn of ICMI: from Felix Klein to present applications in mathematics...

Ivy Kidron and Tommy Dreyfus have written an article entitled Justification enlightenment and combining constructions of knowledge . The article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics last week. Here is a copy of the abstract of their article: This case study deals with a solitary learner’s process of mathematical justification during her investigation of bifurcation points in dynamic systems. Her motivation to justify the bifurcation points drove the learning process. Methodologically, our analysis used the nested epistemic actions model for abstraction in context. In previous work, we have shown that the learner’s attempts at justification gave rise to several processes of knowledge construction, which develop in parallel and interact. In this paper, we analyze the interaction pattern of combining constructions and show that combining constructions indicate an enlightenment of the learner. This adds an analytic dimension to the nested epistemic actions model of a...

Marcus Vinicius Maltempi and Ana Paula dos Santos Malheiros have written an article about Online distance mathematics education in Brazil: research, practice and policy . The article was recently published online in ZDM . Here is the abstract of their article: In this article, we address online distance mathematics education research and practice in Brazil, which are relative newcomers to the educational scene. We present the national context of education in Brazil, highlighting the organization of the educational system, and also a summary of national legislation on distance education and an overview of digital inclusion in the country. We outline the potential and relevance of distance education for the Brazilian educational system and show how it could intervene in the system. With respect to research and practice in online mathematics education, we present support for research, examples of studies and highlight different aspects being addressed, including its essential components. ...

Adriana Cesar de Mattos and Marcelo Salles Batarce have written an article that was published online in ZDM on Wednesday. This article is about Mathematics education and democracy , and here is a copy of the abstract: In this paper, we investigate the relationship between mathematics education and the notions of education for all/democracy. In order to proceed with our analysis, we present Marx’s concept of commodity and Jean Baudrillard’s concept of sign value as a theoretical reference in the discussion of how knowledge has become a universal need in today’s society and ideology. After, we engage in showing mathematics education’s historical and epistemological grip to this ideology. We claim that mathematics education appears in the time period that English becomes an international language and the notion of international seems to be a key constructor in the constitution of that ideology. Here, we draw from Derrida’s famous saying that “there is nothing beyond the text”. We conclud...

David Wagner and Brent Davis have written an article called Feeling number: grounding number sense in a sense of quantity . The article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics on Monday. In this interesting article, they draw upon different theories and ideas from psychology as well as cultural and linguistic studies. Here is the abstract of their article:¨ Drawing on results from psychology and from cultural and linguistic studies, we argue for an increased focus on developing quantity sense in school mathematics. We explore the notion of “feeling number”, a phrase that we offer in a twofold sense—resisting tendencies to feel numb-er (more numb) by developing a feeling for numbers and the quantities they represent. First, we distinguish between quantity sense and the relatively vague notion of number sense. Second, we consider the human capacity for quantity sense and place that in the context of related cultural issues, including verbal and symbolic representation...

Ilana Lavya and Atara Shrikib have written an article that was recently published online in The Journal of Mathematical Behavior . The full title of their article is: Engaging in problem posing activities in a dynamic geometry setting and the development of prospective teachers’ mathematical knowledge . Here is the abstract of their article: In the present study we explore changes in perceptions of our class of prospective mathematics teachers (PTs) regarding their mathematical knowledge. The PTs engaged in problem posing activities in geometry, using the “What If Not?” (WIN) strategy, as part of their work on computerized inquiry-based activities. Data received from the PTs’ portfolios reveals that they believe that engaging in the inquiry-based activity enhanced both their mathematical and meta-mathematical knowledge. As to the mathematical knowledge, they deepened their knowledge regarding the geometrical concepts and shapes involved, and during the process of creating the problem a...

The January issue of The Montana Mathematics Enthusiast has now been released on the journal website . The entire issue is freely available as always! 0. New Year Tidings Bharath Sriraman (USA) pp. 1-2 FEATURE ARTICLES 1. When is .999... Less Than 1? Karin Usadi Katz and Mikhail G. Katz (Israel) pp. 3-30 2. High School Teachers use of Dynamic Software to generate serendipitous mathematical relations ...

The next issue of THE MONTANA MATHEMATICS ENTHUSIAST is soon to appear, and it is going to be Vol.7, No.1, January 2010. This issue is particularly exciting for me, since I am introduced as one of the new members of the editorial board! As usual, it is also going to be an interesting issue. The entire issue will be available soon on the journal website . Here is a list of the feature articles in the forthcoming issue of TMME: When is .999... Less Than 1? by Karin Usadi Katz and Mikhail G. Katz (Israel) High School Teachers use of Dynamic Software to generate serendipitous mathematical relations, by Manuel Santos-Trigo and Hugo Espinosa-Pérez (Mexico) Gender and Mathematics Education in Pakistan: A situation analysis, by Anjum Halai (Pakistan/Tanzania) Early Intervention in College Mathematics Courses: A Component of the STEM RRG Program Funded by the US Department of Education, by Rohitha Goonatilake and Eduardo Chappa (USA) "What Was Really Accomplished Today?" Mathematics ...

Uffe Thomas Jankvist has written an article called An empirical study of using history as a ‘goal’ . The article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics two days ago. Here is the abstract of his article: This article discusses an empirical study on the use of history as a goal. A historical module is designed and implemented in a Danish upper secondary class in order to study the students’ capabilities at engaging in meta-issue discussions and reflections on mathematics and its history. Based on videos of the implementation, students’ hand-in essay assignments, questionnaires, and follow-up interviews, the conditions, sense, and extent to which the students are able to perform such discussions and reflections are analyzed using a described theoretical framework.

The January issue of Science & Education has been published. One of the articles contained in the issue is of relevance to mathematics education: A Pilot Study of a Cultural-Historical Approach to Teaching Geometry . The article is written by Stuart Rowlands from the University of Plymouth . Here is the abstract of his article: There appears to be a widespread assumption that deductive geometry is inappropriate for most learners and that they are incapable of engaging with the abstract and rule-governed intellectual processes that became the world’s first fully developed and comprehensive formalised system of thought. This article discusses a curriculum initiative that aims to ‘bring to life’ the major transformative (primary) events in the history of Greek geometry, aims to encourage a meta-discourse that can develop a reflective consciousness and aims to provide an opportunity for the induction into the formalities of proof and to engage with the abstract. The results of a pil...

Andrew M. Tyminski has written an article that was recently published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education . The article is entitled Teacher lust: reconstructing the construct for mathematics instruction . Here is the abstract of Tyminski's article: Two collegiate mathematics courses for prospective elementary and middle grades teachers provide the context for the examination of Mary Boole’s construct of teacher lust. Through the use of classroom observations and instructor interviews, the author presents a refined conception of teacher lust. Two working aspects of the construct were identified: (1) enacted teacher lust; an observable action that may remove an opportunity for students to think about or engage in mathematics for themselves; and (2) experienced teacher lust; an internal impulse to act in the manner described. Empirical examples of each facet, differences between conscious and unconscious interactions with teacher lust, along with potential antecedents a...

Jo Towers has written an article entitled Learning to teach mathematics through inquiry: a focus on the relationship between describing and enacting inquiry-oriented teaching . The article was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education last week. Here is the abstract of the article: This article is based on one of the several case studies of recent graduates of a teacher education programme that is founded upon inquiry-based, field-oriented and learner-focussed principles and practices and that is centrally concerned with shaping teachers who can enact strong inquiry-based practices in Kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms. The analysis draws on interviews with one graduate, and on video data collected in his multi-aged Grade 1/2 classroom, to explore some of the ways in which this new teacher enacted inquiry-based teaching approaches in his first year of teaching and to consider his capacity to communicate his understanding of inquiry. This article presents implicatio...

Ronnie Karsenty has written an article entitled Nonprofessional mathematics tutoring for low-achieving students in secondary schools: A case study . This article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics last week. The project that is reported in the article is part of a larger project (SHLAV - Hebrew acronym for Improving Mathematics Learning). The research questions in the study are: Will nonprofessional tutoring be effective, in terms of improving students' achievements in mathematics, and if so, to what extent? Which factors will be identified by tutors as having the greatest impact on the success or failure of tutoring? Here is the abstract of the article: This article discusses the possibility of using nonprofessional tutoring as means for advancing low achievers in secondary school mathematics. In comparison with professional, paraprofessional, and peer tutoring, nonprofessional tutoring may seem less beneficial and, at first glance, inadequate. The describ...

Manita Van der Stel, Marcel Veenman, Kim Deelen and Janine Haenen have written an article entitled The increasing role of metacognitive skills in math: a cross-sectional study from a developmental perspective . This article was published online in ZDM last week. The article is an Open Access article, so it is freely available for all to read, but here is a copy of the abstract to tickle your interest: Both intelligence and metacognitive skillfulness have been regarded as important predictors of math performance. The role that metacognitive skills play in math, however, seems to be subjected to change over the early years of secondary education. Metacognitive skills seem to become more general (i.e., less domain-specific) by nature (Veenman and Spaans in Learn Individ Differ 15:159–176, 2005). Moreover, according to the monotonic development hypothesis (Alexander et al. in Dev Rev 15:1–37, 1995), metacognitive skills increase with age, independent of intellectual development. This hypo...

F.D. Rivera has written an article called Visual templates in pattern generalization activity . The article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics last Thursday. The study, which is described in the article, was carried out in an eighth-grade Algebra 1 class in California. Four and a half months after a teaching experiment on pattern generalization, 11 students were interviewed (clinical interviews). Clinical interviews were also made with these students directly before and after the teaching experiment. The article reports on results from the analyses of these clinical interviews. Here is the abstract of the article: In this research article, I present evidence of the existence of visual templates in pattern generalization activity. Such templates initially emerged from a 3-week design-driven classroom teaching experiment on pattern generalization involving linear figural patterns and were assessed for existence in a clinical interview that was conducted four and ...

Roger G. Brown from the University of Leeds (UK) has written an article entitled Does the introduction of the graphics calculator into system-wide examinations lead to change in the types of mathematical skills tested? This article was published online in Educational Studies in Mathematics earlier this week. Here is the abstract of his article: The paper reports on the introduction of the graphics calculator into three centralised examination systems, which were located in Denmark, Victoria (Australia) and the International Baccalaureate. The introduction of the graphics calculator required those responsible for writing examination questions to consider how to assess mathematical skills within this new environment. This paper illustrates the types of mathematics skills that have been assessed within the graphics-calculator-assumed environment. The analysis of the examination questions indicated that only two out of the six mathematics examinations considered demonstrated any signific...