Attention to gender in mathematics education research can be characterized by a lack of clarity (cf. Glasser & Smith, 2008). The importance of clarity in definitions of gender is discussed, and several conceptual models of gender are presented. Four of these models begin with biological sex differences but draw attention to other aspects of gender. Four models set biology aside and are based on social and cultural theories. Some of the advantages of the latter for mathematics eduation researchers are identified.

Prior research on students’ uses of technology in the context of Euclidean geometry has suggested that it can be used to support students’ development of formal justifications and proofs. This study examined the ways in which students used a dynamic geometry tool, NonEuclid, as they constructed arguments about geometric objects and relationships in hyperbolic geometry.

Discussions about school mathematics often address the importance of reasoning and proving for building students’ understanding of mathematics. However, there is little research examining how teachers enact tasks designed to engage students in justifying and proving in the classroom. This article presents results of a study investigating the processes and outcomes of implementing proof-related tasks in the classroom. The findings suggest that students’ experiences with such tasks are insufficient for developing an understanding of what constitutes valid mathematical justification.

A content analysis of over 28,000 pages from 141 elementary school mathematics textbooks published between 1900 and 2000 shows that widely used mathematics textbooks have changed substantially. Textbooks from the early part of the century were typically narrow in content but presented substantial amounts of advanced arithmetic and also asked students simultaneously to engage with material in effortful and conceptual ways. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the historical study of mathematics and curriculum in U.S. schools.

Conceptual Multiplicity: A Useful Strategy for Thinking about Identity: A Review of Mathematical Relationships in Education: Identities and Participation . Laura Black, Heather Mendick, and Yvette Solomon (Eds.) (2009). New York: Routledge. Reviewed by Margaret Walshaw.

The Editorial Panel of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School is seeking submissions for a new department titled “Informing Practice.”