Presents three stories from mathematics history that can be integrated into classroom teaching: (1) the account of how Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the earth to discuss the concept of units in measurement, (2) ideas from Archimedes, Vite, and Descartes to introduce pi, and (3) the discovery of the Cardanic formula as an example of…

Describes a study conducted with a seventh-grade Future Problem Solving (FTS) class in which students work in teams of four to solve problems related to futuristic issues. As a result of increased competitiveness and poor emotional climate in the class, activities designed to promote a more congenial, less competitive classroom atmosphere were…

Describes activities in which students use mathematics, writing, and drawing to explore the "My Travels with Gulliver" curriculum unit. Discusses seven suggestions for developing activities to incorporate literature into mathematics classes. (MDH)

Describes a class activity of conducting a mock trial of a pretend situation of a white-tailed deep population creating problems for a town. Procedures, fact sheets, names, and descriptors of characters are provided. (PR)

In the context of Ireland's changing demographics, this paper explores the importance of pedagogic research in informing both philosophies and pedagogical practices in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) which endeavours to facilitate student teachers' engagement with the teaching and learning process in Ireland's multicultural classrooms. By…

"Exploring" is a magazine of science, art, and human perception, produced by Exploratorium in collaboration with other participating museums. This issue focuses on puzzles and problem solving. Brain teasers, puzzles, and the strategies for solving them are included. Features include: (1) "Homework Assignment #3" (Paul Doherty);…

This book contains "math mind benders," puzzles that are worked like crossword puzzles except that each square is filled with a digit rather than a letter. Clues to the puzzles are interrelated with each other and a given story. Clear thinking and deductive reasoning must be used to find potential answers and eliminate those that fail to meet all…

This document discusses the teaching of problem solving in environmental education. From an interdisciplinary viewpoint, this study describes some strategies for teaching that can favor the practice of educational activities oriented toward solving the concrete problems of the surrounding environment. The volume is divided into seven chapters. The…

ROLE PLAYING IS AN APPROACH TO GROUP DISCUSSION WHICH ATTEMPTS TO GET MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION THROUGH THE ACTING OUT, BY A FEW MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, OF A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEM OR IDEA UNDER DISCUSSION. THE GROUP FIRST DECIDES ON A CONCRETE EXAMPLE, FALLING WITHIN THE AREA OF DISCUSSION, AND DECIDES CHARACTER ROLES AND SETTING. NEXT THE…

Article described a project in which students learned to cooperate and communicate as they built a "police car." (RK)

Polya claims that true problem solving is accompanied by the cognitive activities of mobilization, organization, isolation and combination, and by the evaluations of relevancy, proximity, and quality. Evaluations occur as a result of monitoring cognitive activities. According to Polya, these particular cognitive activities are a necessary part of…

Described an instrument for developing ideas which will enable organizations to work out creative solutions to problems and issues. (Author/RK)

While many job enrichment programs fail, a program called Analytical Trouble Shooting has been successful in training people to increase their problem-solving capabilities and to communicate readily with persons in other areas and on different levels. (AG)