Delta-K Volume 42 Issue 1

Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association

Volume 42 Issue 1, December 2004

This is my second issue as the new editor of delta-K, and I wanted to start by thanking several people who have provided such great assistance during the past year. In particular, I want to thank the Mathematics Council executive, who have shown continual interest and are always ready to provide support when needed. Also, thanks must be given to Karen Virag and her excellent staff for all they do to present the journal in such a professional format.

Beginning with the next issue of delta-K, Gladys Sterenberg will be joining me as coeditor. Gladys has been a teacher in the Lethbridge area for a number of years and has served as an instructor and supervisor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge, specializing in mathematics. Gladys completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Lethbridge and is currently engaged in her doctoral studies at the University of Alberta. I am delighted to have Gladys as part of this team and I look forward to her many contributions as both author and editor in the issues to come.

It is with regret that I inform you of the passing of John Percevault, a former editor of delta-K and someone familiar to many of our members. John served in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge for several years as the mathematics specialist and as a faculty administrator. John organized and led several activities as a member of the Mathematics Council’s South Regional and presented regularly at MCATA and NCTM conferences. He was highly committed to the reconceptualization of mathematics teaching and learning, and he showed a special interest in the improvement of problem-solving instruction. He was awarded the distinction of Mathematics Teacher of the Year in 1986. John Percevault will be remembered for his collaborative nature, his years of volunteer service with and leadership in the Mathematics Council, as well as his many contributions within the broader mathematics and educational communities in Alberta.

This issue includes a wonderful range of articles with topics addressing instruction from the earliest grades through to university calculus. Inside, you will find many problems and teaching ideas and lots to keep your mathematical skills honed. Enjoy!

A. Craig Loewen

Front Matter

From the President’s Pen

Len Bonifacio

EDITORIAL

A. Craig Loewen

4 – 8

Using Telescoping Terms to Derive Formulae for Sums of Powers of the First n Natural Numbers

Darryl Smith

9 – 12

A New Approach to Partial Fractions

David E. Dobbs