This paper is a workshop report of an empirical study called DISUM, which deals with appropriate teacher interventions in the course of students' independence-oriented modelling processes. The project aims at developing and investigating corresponding instructional conceptions, based on an intensive analysis of modelling tasks and of students'…

This article discusses the art of storytelling as a means of introducing new mathematics topics. Telling a mathematically based story can be a break from the routine and can serve as literary mnemonics full of mental imagery that helps students recall in problem-solving steps. The authors provide a certain story that has been tried by several…

The understanding and a liking towards mathematics can be very effectively developed in students by allowing them to find out the solutions for any basic problem or simulations, which are basically mathematical reenactments of nearly or completely hypothetical situations. The nontransitive relation of Efron's dice or the assignment of numbers in a…

Animated models explicate the procedure to solve a problem, as well as the rationale behind this procedure. For abstract cognitive processes, animations might be beneficial, especially when a supportive pedagogical agent provides explanations. This article argues that animated models can be an effective instructional method, provided that they are…

This study compared the effectiveness of two instructional methods--problem-based instruction within a face-to-face context and computer-mediated participatory simulation--in increasing students' content knowledge and application gains in the area of information problem-solving. The instructional methods were implemented over a four-week period. A…

To better understand how teachers can capitalize on the power of story problems, Jacobs and Ambrose analyzed teacher-student conversations in problem-solving interviews. They identified eight categories of teacher moves that, when timed properly, were productive in advancing mathematical conversations. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper reviews the literature related to the learning and teaching of debugging computer programs. Debugging is an important skill that continues to be both difficult for novice programmers to learn and challenging for computer science educators to teach. These challenges persist despite a wealth of important research on the subject dating…

Learning mathematics has traditionally been thought of as a sequential progression. Children learn to count to 10, then to 20, and then to 100. They learn to add without regrouping and then with regrouping. The authors teach addition before multiplication and the two-times table before the six-times table. They usually teach division as a separate…

The purpose of this research is to enhance pre-service teachers' problem-solving skills by giving them opportunity to understand the problem solving process. The study, using an experimental approach, was conducted with 85 pre-service elementary school teachers. The experimental group experienced problem based learning (PBL), while the control…

Teachers who attempt to use inquiry-based, student-centered instructional tasks face challenges that go beyond identifying well-designed tasks and setting them up appropriately in the classroom. Because solution paths are usually not specified for these kinds of tasks, students tend to approach them in unique and sometimes unanticipated ways.…

Problem solving lies at the heart of mathematical learning. Children need opportunities to write, discuss, and solve problems on a regular basis. The problems must incorporate grade-appropriate content and be "accessible and engaging to the students, building on what they know and can do." Teachers also play a key role in establishing a classroom…

This is a case study of a conflict management intervention in two secondary schools in post-apartheid South Africa. The feature of the intervention that we examine is the use of play as an educational strategy. The literature attests that play can facilitate change by allowing learners freedom to change their behaviour and opportunities to explore…

Problem Based Learning (PBL) has proven to be a highly successful pedagogical model in many educational fields, although it is comparatively uncommon in technical education. It goes beyond the typical teaching methodology by promoting student interaction. This paper presents a PBL trial applied to an undergraduate Digital Electronics course in the…

This study examines the effects of representational movement on long-term retention and recollection of academic content. The researcher hypothesized that students who used representational movement to elaborate on their understanding of chemical equations would demonstrate improved long-term ability to solve chemical equations. The study…

Chinese characters are used in both Chinese and Japanese writing systems. When literate speakers of either language experience problems in finding or understanding words, they often resort to using Chinese characters or "kanji" (i.e., Chinese characters used in Japanese writing) in their talk, a practice known as "brush talk" ("bitan" in Chinese,…