Extending Ourselves: Making Sense of Students’ Sense Making

Abstract

This article discusses three solutions to the Tower of Hanoi problem offered by students in a mathematics content course for prospective elementary school teachers. The course uses standards-based pedagogy and teaching via problem solving. Within this work, we consider the growth supported by collaboration at both the students' level and the teachers' level. In each case, we offer new understandings of algebraic representations and number systems.