Describes teaching methods and student-created methods for conceptualizing multiplication with rational numbers. (YDS)

Operations management problems were taught to 41 students with same-day reinforcement and to 67 with rolling reinforcement (a day after teaching). Rolling reinforcement resulted in 71.4% mean score compared to 55.4%. Use of two reinforcements had a positive but not significant impact. More reinforcement helped significantly more students achieve…

Many problem-solving activities include mathematical principles but students do not use them during the design and experimentation phases before creating a prototype or product. Restricting the amount and/or type of materials available to students will require them to calculate and requisition the materials needed. (JOW)

Investigates issues of mathematics instruction of problems in blocks. Discusses the best way to construct mathematical problems with connections to one another as parts of a coherent whole and how to reflect on the types of connections that can arise between them. (Author/KHR)

Describes several ways in which instructional examples of news stories can be used effectively in the classroom: describing features, analyzing matched examples, and using problem-solving activities. (MM)

Examines the issue of problem solving and reasoning in relationship to reading. Claims that reading programs are effective vehicles for enhancing reasoning skills. Explores how reading programs can develop higher order thinking, and considers a way to present stories which uncovers the reasoning process through a problem-solution framework. (MM)

The authors argue that home economics teachers should teach critical thinking and problem solving to their students. They demonstrate the uses of questioning and concept attainment to develop such skills. (CH)

A beginning solution and generalization are given to a problem on area and perimeter presented in a previous article. Various figures are used to illustrate how posing problems and identifying increasingly general methods promotes problem-solving maturity. (MNS)

The use and misuse of the superposition principle to analyze electrical circuits are discussed. (KR)

Presents reasons for students' use of calculators in math class and techniques for encouraging their optimal use. Many educators suggest that calculators free students from concentration on computation and enable them to concentrate on problem solving. The article includes product information. (SM)

Assessed the effectiveness of instruction in promoting sixth-grade students' conceptual understanding of the concept of averages using a leveling model and an open-ended problem-solving approach. Found that students were more capable of using the leveling approach and applying formal averaging algorithm to solve problems than using the open-ended…

Makes a case for presenting humanistic mathematics and science to elementary school children. Introduces a theoretical yet practical framework for teaching these subjects in K-6 classrooms. Describes components of the humanistic curriculum: interactive/collaborative, holistic/relevant, interdisciplinary, and problem-based. (Contains 43…

Presents the results of a study that aimed to incorporate a wide range of problem posing situations into students' problem solving in a classroom project with mathematically-able students in the first two years of secondary school. (Contains 15 references.) (ASK)

Introduces the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model as an alternative to traditional cooperative learning. Discusses the difficulties of PLTL based curriculum which include finding the peer leaders, selecting the right materials for implementation, and training techniques for peer leaders. (YDS)

Discusses planning instruction on the basis of children's thinking. First, individualize instruction by adjusting the value of the numbers used for individual children. Second, base problem presentation on the types of thinking prevalent in the class. Third, conduct some instruction in small groups. Fourth, suggest alternative strategies. Finally,…