The third in a series of 3 articles, a study of 30 students was conducted to test the effect of restructuring a unit on trigonometric identities around microcomputer activities based on the themes of educational undercurrents identified in Part II. Experimental-group students scored significantly higher relating trigonometric functions to their…

Addresses some concerns about teaching and learning geometry by describing how The Geometer's Sketchpad software program allows for the implementation of many of the recommendations from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in the mathematics classroom. Explains the types of activities that can be used with the software and…

Describes a pilot project incorporating extensive use of computers in mathematics instruction. Test scores and homework from this group were compared with a group that did not use computers. Results were inconclusive and only revealed a shortage of appropriate instructional software. (MJP)

Thinking Together is a project that began at the Open University in the mid 1990s and grew out of research that showed that children benefit from explicit instruction on how to talk in groups. Its fundamental premise is that the ability to communicate effectively is a key skill that lies at the heart of educational success. A crucial goal arising…

Recent developments about cognitions underlying mathematical learning are beginning to suggest that the activation and appropriate use of prior knowledge by students is, to a large measure, controlled by the quality of organisation of that knowledge. Thus, teaching needs to support the construction of well-connected mathematical knowledge. An…

This paper describes research into the beliefs and practices established over time by teachers, who had been engaged in an innovative "mathematical investigations" school program, based on the use of exploratory software. The theoretical framework perceives the teacher as an active mediator of innovation, constructing and reorganizing a…

Mathematics educators often despair at math's austere, "abstract" reputation. This paper describes recent work in developing an application named "HyperGami," which is designed to integrate both the abstract and"real-world" aspects of mathematics by allowing children to design and construct polyhedral models and…

This study evaluated an instructional model entitled "Integrating Computer Software into the Functional Mathematics Curriculum: A Diagnostic Approach," which was intended to prepare middle-school special education students for the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test. The model consisted of eight major components: pretests/posttests, diagnostic…

This study was conducted to determine whether the traditional classroom approach to instruction involving the addition and subtraction of number facts (digits 0-6) is more or less effective than the traditional classroom approach plus a commercially-prepared computer game. A pretest-posttest control group design was used with two groups of first…

Developed to help educators locate microcomputer software programs they may want to preview for students in grades K-12, this guide lists commercially available instructional software programs that have been favorably reviewed by members of the Educational Software Evaluation Consortium. Programs are arranged alphabetically by title within…

This study addressed the assessment and development of problem-solving skills of college students. A mathematics-oriented computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program with an embedded general problem-solving strategy was developed. A related computer-managed instruction (CMI) module maintained student progress and phased out the problem-solving…

The variance in adult learner needs requires that adult education classes provide individualized instruction for the adult learner--a time-consuming and intellectually challenging task. To assist in this difficult undertaking, the East Carroll Parish (Louisiana) Adult Education Program developed mathematics tutorial exercises corresponding to the…

This volume marks the completion of Phase II of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) project of inquiry into the issues inherent in the introduction of new information technologies in education. It summarizes the issues discussed and the recommendations made by four working groups at an international conference, each of which…

With increasing attention being given to the importance of microcomputers in the schools, there is concern about how new teachers can best be prepared to use the new technology effectively. This paper presents a perspective on teacher training based on three categories in which computers may be used in the classroom: to provide unique learning…

This first of two articles presents eight examples of what software infusion (SI) looks like in actual practice in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms and learning laboratories. An analysis of SI characteristics demonstrated in the examples is presented to bring the definition of SI into focus. (MBR)