Presented are four fact sheets relating to mathematics education topics and which were produced by the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education in 1981. Fact sheet topics are: (1) Females and Mathematics, (2) The Problem of Problem Solving, (3) Mathematics Teacher Supply and Demand, and (4) Microcomputers and…

The crucial moment to change the speed setting on a VCR serves as the problem in which linear equations are used. (MNS)

This three-part volume addresses topics and issues related to the education of secondary school mathematics teachers. The first part focuses on six contemporary trends in secondary school mathematics which bear heavily upon initial training. They include: the current concern for problem-solving; the influences of environmental change on…

Seventeen research reports are arranged under several broad topics of mathematics education. Section 1 concerns language and mathematics learning, with one paper on word problems and one on concept formation. Papers on university level mathematics in Section 2 explore problem solving, characteristics of school leavers, some mathematical aspects of…

Explores alternative strategies to solve algebraic equations that do not lend themselves to traditional methods. Examines one nontraditional equation by a graphical approach using a graphing utility and by a numerical approach using spreadsheets. Discusses new basic skills for algebra utilizing technology. Provides a computer program to solve…

Two topics are discussed that can be presented in a discussion of the annual percentage rate (APR): difference equations and fixed-point iteration. A program in BASIC using the iteration procedure is included. (MNS)

Issues in school mathematics programs are considered in this book. In the first section, mathematics education at the start of the decade is examined through two articles: a discussion of the status of mathematics programs and of prospects for the 80s, and an interpretation of the results of the second national mathematics assessment of the…

Abstracts and/or complete papers presented at this conference are provided in seven sections. Section 1 includes papers focusing on microcomputers and education. Section 2 includes a research review on spatial ability and its relation to mathematics education and two studies, focusing on spatial ability tasks for mathematics teachers/students and…

Describes the Secant Method, a numerical method to approximate solutions to equations for which symbolic solution methods do not apply. Illustrates the method using the EXCEL spreadsheet program. Discusses instructional implications of utilizing this method. (MDH)

Suggestions for using four-function calculators, programmable calculators, and microcomputers are considered in this collection of 36 articles. The first section contains articles considering general implications for mathematics curricula implied by the freedom calculators offer students from routine computation, enabling them to focus on results…

This manual is used with MATHBOXES, a computer program written for Apple II microcomputers to help children relate formal mathematical symbols for representing simple word problems to the informal strategies using physical objects that they naturally use to solve them. There is a substantial body of research that documents that young children are…

Promotes the use of the microcomputer in mathematics instruction, reviewing approaches to teaching nonlinear equations. Examples of computer diagrams are illustrated and compared to textbook samples. An example of a problem-solving program is included. (ML)

Analyzes case study data of 10 low achieving students, ages 14-15, to examine the effects of participation in computer spreadsheet sessions on their understanding of mathematical symbols. Participation improved students' attitudes toward problem solving. (MDH)

This book attempts to survey some of the current issues of mathematics teaching in elementary schools in Great Britain. Chapter one is an introduction to the material while chapters two and three examine recent reports and suggestions for change and discuss the place of mathematics in the elementary curriculum. Chapter four is devoted to an…

Describes three games that one can play with or without a computer involving arithmetic, strategy, and problem solving techniques. Lists an abbreviated program for BASIC. Provides information on availability of the variable number game and the ARITHMETICULATOR which does calculations of large numbers and runs on IBM PCs. (RT)