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In this note we explain the importance of clarity and give other tips for mathematical writing. Some of it is mildly opinionated, but most is just common sense and experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics can be used as a tool to question and critique society and, in doing so, give us more information about the world around us and how it operates. This however, is not a common perspective that is conveyed to students during their undergraduate mathematics coursework. This paper contributes to the understanding of how undergraduate mathematics students question and critique society via mathematical modeling tasks. In two courses at two universities, 27 mathematics majors and secondary preservice teachers engaged in the modeling process situated in authentic contexts to learn specific concepts and make mathematical connections across domains and disciplines. Both courses culminated in a final project in which students created and investigated solutions to their own modeling tasks. In this paper, we describe how our courses (1) centered justice as pedagogy, (2) were environments for student agency and exploration, and (3) explicitly demonstrated how mathematics and social justice are intertwined. Drawing on frameworks of mathematical modeling for social justice, we present and analyze student-created tasks to showcase how they utilized mathematics as a tool to question and critique the world around them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on guides for research papers including in organizing principles, imagery and metaphors, and story of the development. Topics discussed include the research literature management, the meta-data analysis, and the project management. Also mentioned are the modes of reasoning, the human expression, and the mathematics education management.

For high school and college instructors and students, this paper connects number systems, field axioms, and polynomials. It also considers other properties such as cardinality, density, subset, and superset relationships. Additional aspects of this paper include gains and losses through sequences of number systems. The paper ends with a great number of activities for classroom use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we, a group of graduate students in mathematics education, discuss some of the metacognitive benefits of the non-traditional teaching methods we observed employed by one of our professors. This professor's methods challenge the common belief that well-managed class time is key for positive learning outcomes. Instead, he orients his teaching to share the exploration and sense-making phases of doing mathematics. The goal of his teaching is to share the idea that learning mathematics is a process of "refining our mathematical thinking". We argue that this approach to teaching helps students see that mathematics is a human endeavor, appreciate the cycles of learning mathematics and the importance of struggle throughout the process, and gain some insight on what it means to be an expert in mathematics. We encourage teachers and professors to move away from obsessing about structured, well-organized class time, and to instead move towards having flexible and risk-oriented class time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite convincing arguments by mathematicians, philosophers, sociologists and machine learning practitioners to the contrary, there remains a widespread notion amongst many members of the general public (and some practitioners) that mathematics is neutral, that it is free from human values. One reason why this notion persists is that we lack clear-cut examples that demonstrate how mathematics and values are intertwined. In this paper, we offer one such example. In particular, we show that when sharing four biscuits between three people, several possible mathematical and ethical frameworks can be used. We demonstrate that different solutions--hiding one biscuit, arbitrarily sharing the extra biscuit, randomizing allocation, dividing the extra biscuit into three parts, and successively dividing it into smaller and smaller parts--involve different mathematical methods and evoke different human values. We discuss the construction of quantum biscuit splitting devices and the use of machine learning to divide biscuits. We argue that the multitude of different mathematically-correct solutions to this problem (each with its own ethical justification) might influence the values held by practicing mathematicians. The example we propose here has been used in teaching to help students understand why mathematics cannot be cleanly separated from human values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details a semester-long course project that has been successfully adapted for use in mathematics courses ranging from introductory level, generaleducation classes to advanced courses in the mathematics major. Through creating aspirational mathematical family trees and writing mathematical autobiographies, this assignment is designed to help battle belonging uncertainty, to challenge students to self-situate in relation to the history of mathematical and scientific knowledge, and to make visible a student's developing identity in mathematics and, more broadly, in STEM. The construction and scaffolding of the project, assignments, examples of student work, foundational readings, assessment and outcomes, and adaptation strategies for various classroom settings are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the implementation of open educational resources (OER) in a university trigonometry class, with an emphasis on the pedagogical considerations and academic labor involved. To date these two matters have been underreported in the literature on OER. I provide an account of the work involved both in choosing an open textbook and in creating hundreds of accompanying homework exercises for an online learning platform. I also present the pedagogical lens that informed this implementation, discuss how it informed my adoption of an open textbook, and provide specific examples of how it guided the creation of these exercises. Based on my experiences I make some observations for those who might be considering OER in their own classes, and I present the results of a survey I gave my students on the use of OER in their class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information plays a key role in life and in complex biological systems, and dynamical systems underlie and can be used to represent many complex systems. Indeed, dynamical systems and information processing capabilities may be the hallmarks of life-like systems. In this paper we combine dynamical systems with a computational framework to generate art. The framework can be used to generate aesthetically appealing forms of life-like systems. Our work suggests that we may need an "aesthetic sense" to recognize life that we have not seen before. We also provide teaching resources for students in schools and undergraduate institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the distribution of musical note frequencies in Hertz to see whether they follow the logarithmic Benford distribution. Our results show that the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Christian Bach is Benford distributed while the computer-generated music is not. We also find that computer-generated music is statistically less Benford distributed than humancomposed music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we address the questions: What is synesthesia? What support(s) can teachers provide for students who have synesthesia? Nicole, a future mathematics teacher who possesses this synesthesia "superpower", describes how it has impacted her learning. We collected data for this case study through an audio-recorded and transcribed interview, as well as from subsequent email correspondence between the three authors. We asked Nicole three kinds of questions: questions she is frequently asked, questions she would like to be asked, and questions teachers (like Shelly and Beth) might ask. Results indicate that synesthesia may have helped Nicole learn English as a second language as well as memorize certain mathematical formulas and procedures. Questions arose that, if answered, may influence the learning of not only other synesthetes in the mathematics classroom but also their classmates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the summer of 2021, I experimented with a new way of getting children excited about mathematics: math poetry. "Math" can be a trigger word for some children and many adults. I wanted to find a way to make learning math fun -- without the students knowing they're doing math. In this paper I describe some activities I used with students ranging from grades K-12 to the college level and share several poem examples, from students in grades two through eight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses our new approach to assessing student learning. This approach includes the use of a final project rather than a cumulative exam. In particular, we measure learning by assessing students' ability to connect mathematics to the real world via a final project. We suggest that students taking a deep dive into one particular math concept and being able to make connections between that concept and the real world are educational achievements during this pandemic. We also argue that there is value in online learning because students who learn online choose to use library resources and develop their own interests by attending office hours, all of which benefit their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature widely reports on the value of collaborations between mathematicians and mathematics educators, and also how complex those collaborations can be. In this paper, we report on four collaborations that sought to address what mathematics is and who gets to do it. Drawing on the literature and from the careful and intentional work of the collaborators, we offer a framework to capture the richness of those collaborations -- one that acknowledges the importance of acknowledging and welcoming the extensive personal and professional experience of each person involved in the collaboration -- and a look at how collaborations built with that intentionality and acknowledgment can be impactful for students and institutions and be personally and professionally rewarding for the collaborators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The definition of who is or what makes a "mathematician" is an important issue to be addressed in the mathematics community. Too often, a narrower definition of who is considered a mathematician (and what is considered mathematics) is used to exclude people from the discipline--both explicitly and implicitly. However, using a narrow definition of a mathematician allows us to highlight, examine, and challenge systemic barriers that exist in certain spaces of the community. This paper analyzes and illuminates tensions between narrow and broad definitions and how they can be used to promote both inclusion and exclusion simultaneously. In this article, we present a framework of definitions based on identity, function, and qualification and explore several different meanings of mathematician. By interrogating various definitions, we highlight their risks and opportunities, with an emphasis on implications for broadening and/or narrowing participation of underrepresented groups in the mathematics community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we utilize duoethnography -- a research method in which practitioners discursively interrogate the relationships between culture, context, and the mechanisms which shape individual autobiographical experiences -- to explore what may be beyond ethics in the context of data science. Although ethical frameworks have the ability to reflect cultural priorities, a singular view of ethics, as we explore, often fails to speak to the multiple and diverse priorities held both within and across institutional spaces. To that end, this paper explores multiple perspectives, epistemologies, and worldviews that can collectively push researchers towards considerations of a data science education that is equity-minded both in concept and practice. Through a set of dialogues which examine our positionalities, journeys, ethics, local cultures, and accountabilities, this paper explores the contextual realities rooted in the authors' educational settings. These conversations focus on the humanity of our students, the communities from which we come from and serve, as well as the unintentional harms and possibilities associated with the development of data science programs across institutional types. We take a set of five core questions to examine how we made, and continue to make, sense of our diverse cultural perspectives on data science education and equity with/in relation to others' realities. Broadly, this paper seeks to offer reflections on the related but differing functions of ethics and equity in data science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studying the computable real numbers as a professional mathematician, I came to see the computable reals, and not the real numbers as usually presented in undergraduate real analysis classes, as the natural culmination of my evolving understanding of numbers as a schoolchild. This paper attempts to trace and explain that evolution. The first part recounts the nature of numbers as they were presented to us grade-school children. In particular, the introduction of square roots induced a step change in my understanding of numbers. Another incident gave me insight into the brilliance of Alan Turing in his paper introducing both the computable real numbers and his famous 'Turing machine". The final part of this paper describes the computable real numbers in enough detail to supplement the usual undergraduate real analysis class. An appendix presents programs that implement the examples in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical visual poetry is a poetic genre whereby metaphorical expressions are created using mathematical structures. Within the structure, the poetics are understood by the cross-mapping of numerous conceptual domains including visual, lexical, and mathematical. Here I focus on one particular mathematical visual poetic structure: what I call a Similar Triangles Poem or Proportional Poem. To illustrate the ideas discussed, I present “Pandemic Meditation,” a mathematical visual poem; in particular, I discuss how this mathematical poem uses the mechanisms of poetic metaphor in the context of the embodied mind. The intent of this paper is not to explain “Pandemic Meditation,” for explanations of poetry serve only to kill it. Instead, the intent here is to give the reader the tools to access similar triangles poems in general, and this expression in particular, and to show how it functions within the definitions of poetic metaphor. This paper can be used as a template to study all similar triangles visual poems, and more generally, as a source to study visual poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not everyone is a great artist, but we don't often hear, "I dislike art." Most people are able to appreciate visual arts, music and sports, without necessarily excelling in it themselves. On the other hand, the phrase "I dislike math" is widely prevalent. This is especially ironic in our current society, where mathematics affects our day-to-day activities in essential ways such as e-commerce and e-mail. This paper describes the opportunity to popularize mathematics by focusing on its fun and creative aspects, and illustrates this opportunity through a brief discussion of interdisciplinary topics that expose the beauty, elegance and value of mathematics within and beyond the typical K-16 curriculum. We share practical outreach methods inspired by real mathematics, and our experience with a liberal-arts 'math for poets' course which aims to develop math appreciation without losing its rigor or depth. While many of us are not comfortable doing live performances or making fancy videos, we all can use these methods to encourage a more positive mindset about mathematics in our communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study on the extent to which creative literature been used as a vessel to carry forward the development of mathematical thought. The role of mathematics as a driving force for literature is highlighted, and while many examples exist that clearly show an attempt to disperse mathematical ideas, with Lewis Carroll, OuLiPo and ancient poetry considered, the argument that the sole purpose of the writings was for the sake of mathematical development is not clear-cut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that interactive theorem provers (ITPs) could play an important role in fostering students' appreciation and understanding of proof and of mathematics in general. It shows that the ITP Lean has three features that mitigate existing difficulties in teaching and learning mathematical proof. One is that it requires students to identify a proof strategy at the start. The second is that it gives students instant feedback while still allowing them to explore with maximum autonomy. The third is that elementary formal logic finds a natural place in the activity of creating proofs. The challenge in using Lean is that students have to learn its command language, in addition to mathematics course content and elementary logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive policing has its roots in crime hotspot modeling. In this paper we give an example of what goes into mathematical crime hotspot modeling and show that the modeling assumptions perpetuate systemic racism in policing. The goal of this paper is to raise objections to this field of research, not on its mathematical merit, but on the scope of the problem formation. We do not make any suggestions about how to incorporate race into predictive policing models in order to make them less biased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost exactly fifty years ago, Friedrich Kambartel, in his classic essay "Ethics and Mathematics," did pioneering work in an intellectual environment that almost self-evidently assumed a strict separation of the two fields. In our first section we summarize and discuss that classical paper. The following two sections are devoted to complement and contrast Kambartel's picture. In particular, the second section is devoted to ethical aspects of the indirect and direct mathematization of modern societies. The final section gives a short categorization of various philosophical positions with respect to the rationality of ethics and the mutual relation between ethics and mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A steward of the discipline was originally defined as an individual to whom "we can entrust the vigor, quality, and integrity of the field", and more specifically, as "someone who will creatively generate new knowledge, critically conserve valuable and useful ideas, and responsibly transform those understandings through writing, teaching, and application" [8]. Originally articulated for doctoral education, in 2019 the construct of stewardship was expanded so that it can also be applied to non-academic practitioners in any field, and can be initiated earlier than doctoral education [18]. In this paper we apply this construct to the context of mathematics and argue that even for those early in their training in mathematics, stewardly practice of mathematics can be introduced and practiced. Postsecondary and tertiary education in mathematics -- for future mathematicians as well as those who will use math at work -- can include curriculum-spanning training, and documented achievement in stewardship. Even before a formal ethical practice standard for mathematics is developed and deployed to help inculcate math students with a "tacit responsibility for the quality and integrity of their own work", higher education can begin to shape student attitudes towards stewardly professional identities. Learning objectives to accomplish this are described, to assist math instructors in facilitating the recognition and acceptance of responsibility for the quality and integrity of their own work and that of colleagues in the practice of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 2015, the Mathematics-Literature Creativity Award was offered through competition for technological and vocational college students in Taiwan. This paper focuses on the two winning works, the poem Parabola and the flash-fiction, Love Letters of a Science Student, by analyzing the mathematical notions involved and their uses to enhance literary expression. The introduction surveys briefly the various ways of combining mathematics and literature in a piece of creative writing that enriches and supports communication in both disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I introduce teaching activities about Ramanujan's cab numbers and related software that can inspire people and help them enjoy these beautiful mathematical creations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we highlight the experience of a mathematics teacher educator (MTE) and their preservice teachers (PTs) in a middle school mathematics methods course during the 2020 shift to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it is valuable to report how the MTE reflected on their instructional decision-making in response to this massive transition to remote instruction. We also report that PTs needed support and guidance to employ new teaching practices they had learned in the methods course instead of reverting to familiar teaching methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soma cubes are an example of a dissection puzzle, where an object is broken down into pieces, which must then be reassembled to form either the original shape or some new design. In this paper, we present some interesting discoveries regarding the Soma Cube. Equivalence classes form aesthetically pleasing shapes in the solution set of the puzzle. These gems are identified by subgraph isomorphisms using SNAP!/Edgy, a simple block-based computer programming language. Our preliminary findings offer several opportunities for researchers from middle school to undergraduate to utilize graphs, group theory, topology, and computer science to discover connections between computation and geometric patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a class activity based on real data about COVID-19 death rates in California. The activity helps students learn about exponential functions while providing an opportunity to integrate social justice concerns into the mathematics classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In peer instruction [12], students engage with core course concepts and then explain those concepts to one another in small groups. Unlike in lecture format, peer instruction involves every student in the class. In Spring 2019, the first author began using a modified version of peer instruction in Calculus III classes. He started each class by discussing important Calculus III concepts from three standpoints (the formula, the geometry behind the formula, and the physics behind the formula). During the last 20 minutes of each 50-minute class session, he polled the students using questions in the "Goldilocks Zone" -- not too hard and not too easy, but just right for Calculus III students. These questions ignited student-to-student discussions. Students' attendance and achievement have improved. The paper also describes how peer instruction has influenced the first author's own instructional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When our students enter the workforce, be it in academia or in business, industry, government, they will be forced to make decisions about various ethical dilemmas. Once in a while, the scandalous stories like that of Enron, the three German auto-makers' diesel fuel pact, and the Equifax data breach make the headlines. However, employees at every workplace are faced with small to large-scale ethical situations almost daily. In our majors' future careers, a manager can be using an inappropriate graphic to display data to make the numbers look better, or the data collection processes used in a large public policy project can be completely skewed to support one conclusion that the client desires vs. another more reasonable conclusion. How well are our students prepared for dealing with these dilemmas? Can they even recognize an ethical dilemma? Do we provide them with the tools to be more vigilant about these situations and to make the appropriate decisions when the difficult choices have to be made? In this paper, I would like to invite us all to think about possible ways we can incorporate ethical decision making frameworks and case studies into our classes, particularly if our university does not have an ethics requirement for all majors. Even if there is a general ethics requirement, it is especially important for our students to be exposed to scenarios that are more relevant to the use of mathematics in the workforce since a general ethics course will not necessarily prepare them well for identifying subtle abuses of data processing and mathematical modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The algebra classroom in urban public high schools in the United States is a complex space, ripe with many challenges and opportunities. In this paper I introduce the notion of a heart-centered stance for the teacher and the educator and a method of engaging in creative expression for reflection and introspection toward individual change in the rich context of the high school algebra classroom. My evolving relationships with two high school algebra teachers, observations of their classrooms, as well as my own self-study and professional growth, are incorporated into this paper as I introduce and exemplify two tenets of a heart-centered stance: multidimensionality of experience and receptivity to relatedness. This study suggests the possibility of using creative artistic expression and a self-study approach to support the transformation of educators’ perspectives toward research, creative activities, and outreach that are receptive to the mathematical experiences of teachers and students in our local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mathematics teachers, we hope our students will approach problems with a spirit of creativity. One way to both model and encourage this spirit | and, at the same time, to keep ourselves from getting bored | is through creative ap- proaches to problem design. In this paper, we discuss TACTivities, mathematical activities with a tactile component, as a creative outlet for those of us who teach mathematics, and as a resource for stimulating creative thinking in our students. We use examples, such as our derivative fridge magnets TACTivity, to illustrate the main ideas. We emphasize that TACTivities can be engaging, to teachers and learners alike, at any level of mathematics, by including examples from dif- ferent mathematics courses (calculus and mathematics for elementary teachers). As an example, our derivative fridge magnets have moving pieces of words that look like small refrigerator magnets. These small pieces can be combined to make true mathematical statements, of the form d=dx (some function) = some other function. There was creativity involved in the creation of these magnets, as the mathematics had to be challenging enough not to bore students yet have an easy entry for students to be successful. The students working with the magnets can use their creativity along with their mathematical knowledge while learning and/or reviewing a mathematical concept|in this case derivatives. We will ex- pand on the creative side of the creation and implementation of TACTivities in this paper. Note that our definition of tactile only means moving pieces (usually pieces of paper), as this is different than work from others that involves tactile props such as pipe cleaners, yarn, Spirographs, building blocks, and so on. This other work is invaluable, and we use props like these ourselves at times, but we believe that our TACTivities add a different dimension to tactile learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity is a broad phenomenon that scholars have interpreted in a multitude of ways. We notice that a majority of the views describe creativity as something innate. This paper aims to verge from this perspective and explore creativity in terms of the constant mutual interaction of a person and their environment. Using the theoretical framework, enactivism, and the notion of emergence, we investigate the creative processes involved in musical improvisations of south In- dian classical or Carnatic music and mathematical proof generation. Interview excerpts from professional Carnatic musicians and research mathematicians on their respective creative processes during musical improvisation and proof gen- eration are analyzed. This study gives a perspective to think about creativity, with an emphasis on emergence. This paper has been partly informed by self- reections on musical improvisations and mathematical proof generation by the first author, who is a performing Carnatic vocalist and a mathematician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates creativity in students' constructions of everyday examples about basis in Linear Algebra. We analyze semi-structured interview data with 18 students from the United States and Germany with diverse academic and social backgrounds. Our analysis of creativity in students' everyday examples is orga- nized into two parts. First, we analyze the range of students' creative products by investigating the mathematical variability in the more commonly mentioned examples. Second, we unpack some of the collective processes in the construc- tion of students' examples. We examine how creativity was distributed through the interactions among the student, the interviewers, and other artifacts and ideas. Thus, in addition to contributing to the process vs. product discussion of creativity, our work also adds to the few existing studies that focus on collec- tive mathematical creativity. The paper closes with connections to anti-deficit perspectives in mathematics education and some recommendations for individual and collective creativity in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much creativity research has suggested that creativity is inuenced by cultural and social factors, these have been minimally explored in the context of mathematics and mathematics learning. This problematically limits who is seen as mathematically creative and who can enter the discipline of mathematics. This paper proposes a framework of creativity that is based in what it means to know or do mathematics and accepts that creativity is something that can be nurtured in all students. Prominent mathematical epistemologies held since the beginning of the twentieth century in the Western mathematics tradition have different implications for promoting creativity in the mathematics classroom, with fallibilist and social constructivist perspectives arguably being most conducive for conceiving of creativity as a type of action for all students. Thus, this paper proposes a framework of creative mathematical action that is based in these epistemologies and explains key aspects of the framework by drawing connections between it and research in the field of creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In teaching algebra, extra-mathematical word problems can bridge the gap between questions about abstract numbers and questions about everyday life. Thus, more than other aspects of elementary algebra, we would expect word problems to have changed in the recent past. This paper documents the findings of a collective research project that examined the content of such word problems over the past century. Alongside amusing and provocative examples, this paper shows how students can participate in exploratory research with primary sources from the history of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report our findings of college students' images of mathematicians and we reflect on different methodologies used to assess this information. The study reported in this paper was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, we asked 179 college students to "draw a mathematician" and also asked them to list five characteristics and five careers for a mathematician. In the second stage of the study, we conducted four focus group interviews with a total of twelve college students. During the focus group interviews, we showed the students 16 photos of real people and asked them to determine which they think are mathematicians and which are not. We found that college students do hold certain stereotypic images of mathematicians and that different perspectives arose based on the different research methodologies. In this paper, we argue for the need to go beyond relying solely on the "draw a mathematician" test and we conclude with a discussion on the implications that stereotypic images of mathematicians have on the mathematical workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We bring to the forefront of educational thought a specific attitude toward the COVID-19 crisis that harnesses the symbolism of wind and water to navigate the cultural storm interfering upon our mathematical and pedagogical craft. The purpose of our paper is to open up space for opportunities in mathematics education using integral mindfulness as the rudder to readjust our bearings. More specifically, through conceptual analyses and making explicit the currents of change, disorder, and technology, we can apply discernment to these metaphors that intersect our pedagogy to re-align efforts and attitudes toward an integrated (aperspectival) culture of mathematics education. Through shared responsibility during these tumultuous times, we can once again strive toward the pursuit of excellence in mathematics education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue that making activities within non-formal learning environments (e.g., museums, libraries) provide opportunities to engage youth in what we define as mathematical practices for making, everyday mathematical practices within the context of making activities. The mathematical practices identified from two non-formal school-based contexts highlighted three mathematical practices for making: informal measurement, spatial reasoning, and curiosity. These practices are identified in prior scholarship as being beneficial and foundational for the understanding of mathematical concepts. As educators and researchers turn to non-formal and informal contexts, with an eye toward understanding ways youth engage in the activity of making, descriptions of mathematical practices for making build upon prior everyday mathematical practices and open up a new landscape of inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, a literature scholar, Melanie Bayley, proposed that Lewis Carroll’s famous books about Alice visiting the magical and illogical Wonderland were attempts to mock and critique the modern mathematics of the day. In this short paper, I aim to support Bayley’s thesis and expound upon Lewis Carroll’s artful use of symbolism to criticize excessive use of symbolism in mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the happiness of preservice elementary teachers (PSTs). Several times throughout a mathematics content capstone course, PSTs responded to prompts in which they described times from their past schooling experiences or during the course in which they experienced happiness or unhappiness in learning mathematics. Through thematic analysis, we examined their common experiences related to happiness and their mathematics learning. We found that PSTs’ happiness is related to expectations of themselves, their teachers, their peers, and mathematics itself. The study illuminates PST beliefs about mathematics teaching, collaborative group work, and the nature of mathematical understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning communities can be an effective means of engaging university students across disciplines. Games have always been a source of both enjoyment and interesting mathematics. Based on our own interest in games, and the deep, strategic discussions we found ourselves having with students when we played games with them, we decided to design a learning community around the mathematics of games. We hoped in particular that such a community could be a great pathway to introducing mathematical thinking to students not majoring in mathematics, and that they would gain a greater appreciation for our field. In this paper, we describe our Math Games Seminar learning community, from its origins in 2016, to its organization and to its impact on our students through the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 12th, Brazil and the world said goodbye to one of its biggest names in mathematics education, Ubiratan D’Ambrosio (December 8, 1932 – May 12, 2021). D’Ambrosio is recognized both throughout Brazil and internationally for having been the creator of ethnomathematics, a concept that acknowledges, values, and respects different mathematical ideas, procedures, and practices developed by the members of distinct cultural groups. D’Ambrosio analyzed the history of explanations of life and of natural evolution in different cultures. In the last years, his motivation had been the pursuit of peace, in all its four dimensions: individual, social, environmental, and military. In this paper we pay homage to Ubiratan D’Ambrosio, sharing our thoughts related to his personal, professional, and academic life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]