Freudenthal was the founder of realistic mathematics education, in which reality serves as a source of applications and learning. Takes a newspaper article about reproducing a Van Gogh painting using plants in a field to exemplify a rich context problem containing elements of all areas of elementary school mathematics. (MDH)

Discusses the differences between mathematical problem solving typically used in the classroom and problem solving that is a part of everyday situations out of school. Suggests some teaching methods to align classroom instruction with the real world. Seventeen references are listed. (YP)

Discusses how students at the end of the French primary school-cycle (10- to 11-year-old pupils) resolve multiplication and related division problems within an assessment perspective taking into account the 3 factors of the problem's representational structure, the numerical values used, and the context of the problem statement. (25 references)…

Reports research findings regarding the learning and teaching of proportional reasoning. Presents four tasks devised to assess students' proportional reasoning and describes four solution strategies for solving these tasks based on the analysis of seventh and eighth graders' correct responses. (MDH)

Examines aspects of language connections in the learning of mathematics in three sections that discuss the interaction between language, symbolism, and manipulatives; emphasis on context in language development; and language connections in problem solving. Presents implications for nonnative English speakers. (MDH)

Relates research findings on the way primary-grade students communicate mathematical ideas through the use of symbols to a framework for students to investigate the part-whole relationship of quantity. Discusses children's problem-solving abilities, linking word problems and symbols, the importance of context for understanding symbols, and the…

This Study Circle is based on research conducted by a team led by Victoria Purcell-Gates. Their research examines the relationships between two dimensions of literacy instruction (the degree of authenticity of activities and texts and the degree of student/teacher collaboration) and changes in the literacy practices of students outside the…

LogoLearning represents a philosophy and a strategy that centers on enabling students to find meaningfulness in their education. In LogoLearning it is the major task of the teacher to broaden students' perceptions so that meaning becomes visible and the purpose of learning becomes immediately understandable. This book proposes that without…

Described is the use of story telling as a context to introduce mathematical concepts by providing a model, offering problem-posing situations, stimulating investigation, and illustrating concepts. Examples of appropriate stories are given for the primary and low secondary levels. (MDH)

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989)" calls for the revision of existing secondary mathematics curricula which include an emphasis on contextual problems, multiple representations, and the use of computers. The focus of this revision significantly involves the acknowledgment of the key role of the…

Discusses how children's literature can be used as a context to develop problem-solving tasks. Illustrates this idea by developing tasks to teach concepts related to multiplication through the context of "The Patchwork Quilt," a children's book by Valerie Flournoy. Suggests activity extensions to determine unit sizes, draw scale models,…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards" recommends that mathematical connections be made between mathematics and other disciplines. This book presents 35 activities for middle school students that integrate the teaching of mathematical concepts with environmental concepts. An…