It’s natural to think that mathematics is primarily about numbers. In school, we first learn how to recite numbers and then spend considerable time writing them down and manipulating them on paper. Of ...

The first unambiguous records of written numbers emerged in what is now Iraq around 3400 bc. But an analysis of ancient pottery indicates that people in the same region were engaging in structured ...

The Education Week Spotlight on Mathematical Thinking is a collection of articles hand-picked by our editors for their insights on current math learning gaps, strategies for empowering students with ...

In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated how people solve mathematically equivalent problems presented in two alternative formats: verbal, story format or symbolic, equation ...

Spatial reasoning ability in small children reflects how well they will perform in mathematics later. Researchers recently came to this conclusion, making the case for better cultivation of spatial ...

In a post-Covid world, we can no longer assume that a student’s age and mathematical experiences line up in previously expected ways. Indeed, they may not even be close. It’s a tension that’s always ...

Ancient pots decorated with a dainty floral pattern may be hiding a much deeper secret: the origins of mathematical thought. And, as it turns out, it dates back a lot further than we previously ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

Math offers us lots of problem-solving techniques that help us distill the essence of questions. Many of us will be familiar with reading a math problem, and needing to figure out what's being asked, ...