The "I CAN Learn[R] Mathematics Curriculum" is designed to help ethnically diverse, inner-city students in grades 7 through 10 achieve parity in mathematics and problem-solving skills. It uses an interactive software program to teach pre-algebra and algebra. The "I CAN Learn[R] Algebra 1" course, which was used in all of the…

How did it happen that both full-time and adjunct faculty at Scottsdale Community College embrace a standards-based curriculum from beginning algebra through differential equations? Simply put, it didn't just happen. Not only did it take well over a decade, but it was also the result of a sequence of initiatives, decisions, discussions, targeted…

The Colorado Model Content Standards for Mathematics were designed to serve as a guide for school districts as they define standards that will enable every Colorado student to develop the mathematical literacy needed for citizenship and employment in the 21st century. A new vision is provided of the content students should study in order to…

This paper discusses an experiment designed to determine the effects of a problem-solving approach to instruction (PSAI) on eighth grade Algebra I students. Comparisons were made of the scores from the 1991 and 1993 Subject Area Testing Program--Algebra I of skills taught via PSAI and skills taught traditionally. In 1991 (n=56) eighth grade…

This study examined achievement differences between algebra students taught with the non-traditional textbook developed by Saxon and those taught with a "traditional" textbook by Dolciani. Student absences, rate of turning in homework, and ability level were considered, as well as teachers' comments. One Algebra I section in each of…

The conference of which these are the proceedings was held in June-July 1982 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The purpose was to discuss the restructuring of the first two years of college mathematics to provide some balance between the traditional calculus-linear algebra sequence, and discrete mathematics. The volume contains…

Results of empirical research relating computer programming instruction and understanding of the concept of mathematical variables is unclear. While some studies have found a positive relationship, others have reported nonsignificant results. The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students' (n=36) understanding of the concept of…

This document is designed to aid students who wish to comprehend the algebraic problem-solving process for mixture problems. The instruction set was designed to be low stress, patiently delivered, and easy to follow. It was set up to be accompanied by a 25-minute audio cassette tape. The content of this document and the tape is directed to the…

The development of a theory of algebraic problem solving is discussed. The domain of the investigation is restricted to single sentence word problems. There were three experiments, the first involving 42 college students from the University of California, Santa Barbara. These subjects were divided into two groups, half in an equation group and…

The message of this article is that there are many types of problems ordinarily requiring advanced techniques or special insight to solve which can now be done as simple programming exercises on inexpensive programmable calculators. Several examples appropriate for the secondary school curriculum are given. These are: (1) evaluating polynomials;…

The investigation reported is primarily a description of how college students solve or fail to solve algebra equations. Protocols were collected from two groups of college students; one group was expected to be good solvers, the other group contained many poor solvers. The investigators sought to identify and classify the difficulties students…

This study investigated the differences in students' attitude toward mathematics, achievement from pretest to posttest, and ability to transfer concepts to a novel problem-solving situation when taught by an individualized method of instruction and when taught by a traditional lecture method. A quasi-experimental design was utilized and the study…

A lawn-mowing problem is discussed in terms of clarifying the problem; making initial conjectures; experimenting; developing a solution; and supporting formulas, theorems, and corollaries. (MNS)

Algebraic and computer solutions are offered for a problem on time payment scheduling. The problem, falling within the scope of high school algebra, could focus only on the algebraic methods, but including the computer brings out the relationship between the power of algebra and the power of modern technology. (JN)

The Nevada Mathematics Standards provide the framework for a comprehensive K-12 mathematics program and guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment as well as other policies and practices that affect student learning. The standards are intended to serve as a foundation for teachers and curriculum specialists as they create curriculum and adopt…