This paper discusses women’s involvement in their children’s mathematics education. It does, where possible, focus Torres Strait Islander women who share the aspirations of Aborginal communities around Australia. That is, they are keen for their children to receive an education that provides them with opportunities for their present and future lives. They are also keen to have their cultures’ child learning practices recognised and respected within mainstream education. This recognition has some way to go with the language of instruction in schools written to English conventions, decontextualised and disconnected to the students’ culture, Community and home language.

Didactic proposals on modelling in mathematics education mostly give priority to models which describe, explain as well as partially forecast and provide mathematical solutions to real situations. A view of the modelling concept of informatics, which also initiates rapidly generalised deliberations of models, can also make a contribution to the spectrum of models, which are treated in a meaningful sense in mathematics lessons so as to expand some interesting aspects. In this paper, this is illustrated by means of conceptual design models – and, here, especially of process models – using the example of elevator organisation in a multi-storey construction.

School-based professional learning communities (PLCs) have become an important means of “building capacity” among teachers in a wide variety of areas, including those with a subject focus. Very often, these PLCs are mandated by administration, and operate under an established structure. This paper describes an attempt by a mathematics coordinator and school level “lead’ teachers to establish relatively informal PLCs in mathematics in an effort to improve mathematics teaching, and thus student learning, in an environment that focused very much on literacy. The four PLCs created are discussed, as are the opportunities and the challenges that go with the relative freedom offered to the teachers. Sustainability is a central challenge to these groups.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact on student achievement of elementary school teachers who participated in professional development in the content area of mathematics. Teachers participated in professional development courses and have accumulated a range from three to eighteen total credits from the summers of 1998 through 2007. The impact is measured by student achievement data collected on standardized tests.

Our paper presents some preliminary observation from a collaborative exploratory study linking mathematics, science and reading within a technology enhanced problem-based learning scenario conducted at one French Canadian Elementary and Middle School. Presented in a form of dialogue between teacher and researcher, our findings give some meaningful insight in how an innovative mathematics teaching can be developed and implemented using a real-world problem solving. Instead of a traditional presentation of material about lighting up homes, participating mathematics, science and French teachers were working collaboratively with the ICT integration mentor and two university professors helping students investigate a problem from various perspectives using a variety of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, discussing and sharing the finding with peers and presenting them to a larger audience using media tools. Our preliminary results may prompt further investigation of how innovation in teaching and learning can help students become better critical thinkers and scientifically empowered citizens.

This research studies the interaction among the following contexts: natural language, geometrical language and musical language and it can provide new instruments to accord didactical situations and for a deeper understanding of communication processes. It springs from the consideration that the geometrical transformations are usually used in the compositional processes and the “role of the music to learn geometrical transformations” is actually a new study. In the field of the theory of situations by G. Brousseau (1986) we can assume to be in front of a learning teaching-situation including non-teaching situation as the teacher of musical instruments, while transmitting the knowledge of musical language (theoretical-practical) didn’t have the intention to transmit the geometrical transformation.

Working with problems and making investigations is an activity one has to learn already very early. Therefore in primary school children should not only learn concepts and solve given tasks. They also should find out knowledge and reasons by themselves. Here you will find some problem fields in elementary arithmetic within children of primary school can make different investigations and find as well as give reasons for special statements. The topics concerned are partitions of numbers, sums of consecutive numbers, figured numbers, sequences and chains, table of hundred and numberwalls.

In this paper I present a theoretical analysis (genetic decomposition) of the cognitive constructions for the concept of infinite Riemann sums following Piaget\'s model of epistemology. This genetic decomposition is primarily based on my own mathematical knowledge as well as on my continual observations of students in the process of learning. Based on this analysis I plan to suggest instructional procedures that motivate the mental activities described in the proposed genetic decomposition. In a later study, I plan to present empirical data in the form of informal interviews with students at different stages of learning. The analysis of those interviews may suggest a review of my initial genetic decomposition.

Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) have been changing the mathematics instruction requirements for many years. Since the tendency of using CAS in mathematics instruction has been rising for decades and reports have often been positive, the implementation of notebook classes seems to be the consequent next step of mathematics instruction supported by computers. Experiences that have been made with the use of CAS in PC-rooms can be transformed directly into the classroom. Hence the use of CAS is no longer limited to certain rooms. The permanent availability of the notebook with installed CAS offers the chance to realize these concepts that have already been approved with the use of CAS so far. The following speech shall show what these concepts could look like and that the use of notebooks is not only the further development of teaching in PC-classes. Examples from personal experience in teaching will especially show meanders and thought-provoking impulses in order to support teachers finding their way into teaching mathematics instruction in notebook classes successfully. Please allow me to point out two things in the beginning: (1) Yes, I am a vehement supporter of the use of notebooks (and the use of CAS in particular) in mathematics instruction. (2) No, I do not believe that teachers who have chosen another path (or at least partly) are teaching badly.

One charter school’s path to tracking and pushing for privileged passage is examined. The school as it increased in size began to track students first by grade level and then by ability. Realizing that moving mathematics out of the main school program compromised the teaching ideals of the school and potentially student learning. The school has embarked on a program to create a place-based, integrated curriculum developed around mathematics so that mathematics can be reintroduced to multi-age classrooms. Examining the data in terms of trust, size and the behaviors of administrators, teachers and parents at this school in this process are highlighted.