With the evolving technologies available to educators and the increased importance of including technologies in the classroom, it is critical for instructors to understand how to successfully utilize these emerging technologies within their curriculum. To ensure they are prepared, further study on the best practices and challenges of…

Seven graduate students in a seminar on classroom computing received instruction in LOGO programming. Programming protocols were collected periodically and examined for errors and misconceptions; in-depth interviews were conducted in order to understand specific misconceptions better. As novice students transit from instruction to experience in…

The theme of the sixth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of Psychology of Mathematics Education was "The Importance of Psychological Models for Research in Mathematics Learning." The conference proceedings contain papers organized around five major topics. In the first section, eight papers on the learning of arithmetic are…

Described is a project in which microcomputers were used by seven teachers in grades 2-6 in Edmonton, Alberta. The microcomputer was placed in each classroom for one-half day every day for a full school year. Teachers were asked to use it at least 70% of the time for practice in mathematics with individual students, using the Milliken Math…

This study, part of a longitudinal investigation, examined the kinds of thinking which children aged 10 and 11 could carry over from Logo instruction to an algebraic context. Interviews focused on their ability to construct meaningful symbolization for the concept of variable and to construct formalized algebraic rules. (MNS)

Secondary teachers in a workshop on overcoming computer and math anxiety and students in a programming course were given measures of anxiety and achievement. Low mathematical ability and coursework were related to math and computer anxiety and negative attitudes. Attitudes improved for the teachers but not the students. (MNS)

Described is the notion of multiple alternative representations of mathematical reasoning, particularly as they relate to algebraic notation and the potential of computers to change representations. Features of a desirable notation for algebraic problem solving are described. This is followed by a description of the RAND Corporation's intelligent…

Provided is an overview and analysis of recent progress in applying electronic information technology to creation of new environments for intellectual work in mathematics. Describes the impact of numerical computation, graphic computation, symbolic computation, multiple representation of information, programing and information, and artificial…

Investigated was a sequence of computer-based activities on estimation with 108 students in grades 9, 10, and 12. The activities were appropriate for students at each grade level; each class improved their estimation scores significantly. (MNS)

Recall of multiplication number facts is a major educational objective in elementary grades, yet some children never acquire total mastery. A microcomputer multiplication number facts training program was developed which incorporated programmed instructional features including feedback, positive reinforcement, vanishing, branching and pairing.…

An overall schema of interpretation for programming instructors is given, so that the misconceptions students develop in programming can be determined more readily. Types of language-independent and -dependent bugs, how they can be identified, and how to help students overcome them are addressed. (MNS)

Using the book "Mindstorms--Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas" as a reference point, this paper deals with the sociological challenges raised by Seymour Papert and explores such issues as the role of computers as carriers of powerful ideas and the seeds of cultural change. Recent studies are cited indicating that although the…

Computer graphing makes it easier for students and teachers to create and manipulate graphs. Scale issues are nearly unavoidable in the computer context. In interviews and protocol analysis with six students from grade 8, and 12 students from grades 11 and 12, it became apparent that some aspects of scale are clearly understood very early while…

Implications of using pupil-to-pupil discussion with mathematics classrooms are discussed, with different ways in which such discussion might promote mathematical understanding. A framework for instruction includes the learning of the computer language Logo. (MNS)

The focus of this workshop involving people from 13 countries in Asia and the Pacific Region was on using computers to assist learning in mathematics. The report contains the following sections: (1) Introduction; (2) The Mathematics Curriculum: Innovation and Change; (3) The Mathematics Classroom: New Ideas with Computers; (4) Software: Quality…