Explores written calculation methods for division used by pupils in England (n=276) and the Netherlands (n=259). Analyses informal strategies and identifies progression towards more structured procedures that result from different teaching approaches. Comparison of methods used shows greater success in the Dutch approach which is based on…

The conceptual difference between understanding and algorithmic performance is examined first. Then some dilemmas that flow from these distinctions are discussed. (MNS)

Describes the success, the methods (mental, informal written, standard algorithm) and the strategies of informal written arithmetic to be observed when 300 elementary students worked on six addition and six subtraction problems with three-digit numbers. (Author/MM)

The research reported in this paper was designed to analyze the incidence of use of higher-order rules by students solving geometric construction problems. A carefully selected set of construction problems was subjected to rigorous a priori analysis by mathematics educators to determine what basic and second-order rules might be used by able high…

One difficulty that mathematically naive subjects encounter in solving arithmetic word problems involves the limitation on short term memory (STM) capacity. It is hypothesized that naive subjects, not having access to formal problem solving strategies, may find visualization useful in reducing strain on STM. Two experiments are reported. The…

The author presents and elaborates on a division algorithm devised by his 9-year-old son. (MK)

The cognitive method, an algorithmic method for transforming verbal word problems into equations, equation systems, inequalities, etc., is presented and discussed. The psychological and mathematical aspects of the cognitive method are also reviewed. (MP)

An algorithm is first defined by an example of making pancakes and then through discussion of how computers operate. The understanding that human beings bring to a task is contrasted with this algorithmic processing. In the second section, the question of understanding is related to learning algorithmic performance, with counting used as the…

This volume contains a series of papers on algorithmic learning. Included are six reviews of research pertaining to various aspects of algorithmic learning, six reports of pilot experiments in this area, a theoretical discussion of "The Conditions for Algorithmic Imagination," and an annotated bibliography. All the papers assume a common…

The ideas and techniques involved in learning about fractions were investigated with students in grades 1-12, in the first 3 years of colleges, in community college mathematics courses, and in graduate school. Also included were some high school mathematics teachers, some mathematicians, and some retired persons. Part I provides the rationale and…

In one school, algorithmic development has been infused in the mathematics curriculum. An example of what occurs in mathematics classes since the teachers began using the computer is given, with two students' conjectures included as well as the algebraic justification. (MNS)

This report presents a theory of eye movement that accounts for main features of the stochastic behavior of eye-fixation durations and direction of movement of saccades in the process of solving arithmetic exercises of addition and subtraction. The best-fitting distribution of fixation durations with a relatively simple theoretical justification…

Most of the research on mathematical and scientific thinking has been concerned with uncovering knowledge structures and reasoning processes in people of different levels of competence. How these structures and processes are acquired has only recently become a major concern. Thus, some of the major research on mathematical and scientific thinking…

The use of counting for subtraction was investigated. Counting for subtraction is related to counting-on for addition and to four skills: the ability to use the subtrahend cardinality to gain entry into the count sequence, the ability to use the minuend cardinality to gain entry into the count sequence, the ability to use the count sequence to…

Common mathematical errors of pupils as identified by the Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science Project are identified and traced to the use of methods invented by students rather than formally taught methods. (MP)