Several competencies and instructional strategies necessary to accommodate the changing role of teachers of mathematics at middle-school level are described. Also provided are teacher-generated and teacher-tested instructional activities that can be used to facilitate student success in learning mathematical concepts. After describing the…

An exhibit at the San Francisco Exploratorium is used to discuss problem solving and illustrate optimization. The solution is discussed in detail. (MNS)

This document contains nine research papers presented at the Joint Special Session on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education at the annual meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America (San Francisco, California, January 1991). Paper titles are: "The Teaching and Learning of College…

One of the most important provisions of Act 750 of the 1979 Louisiana Legislature is the mandated development and establishment of statewide curriculum standards for required subjects for the public elementary and secondary schools. The 1986 revision of the Louisiana standards for mathematics recognizes the need to move from minimum to…

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)

Presents a problem-solving activity, the birth order problem, and several solution-seeking strategies. Includes responses of current and prospective teachers and a comparison of various strategies. (YDS)

Discusses four examples of beliefs held by secondary school mathematics students. Suggests implications for classroom teaching. Eight references are listed. (YP)

Problem solving by example is an intermediate step toward mastering problem-solving heuristics. Discussed are problem-solving processes by using two problem examples. Emphasized are heuristics cataloging in a problem-solving log, and approaches to solutions, not the solutions themselves. (YP)

Classifies children's solution strategies by degree of abstraction and by use of physical objects. Children in grades one, two, and three were given two multiplication and four division word problems that differed in semantic structure. (Author/YP)

Investigates to what extent contextual changes in the meaning of the concept of "week" causes problems for children in the fifth and sixth grades. Reports that poor performing children have difficulties in finding the proper semantic referent. (YP)

In a future that is likely to be increasingly dominated by new technology, it is important to consider what mathematics is and how it might be taught. This article discusses these and related issues in the context of both universities and schools.

This study evaluated the validity of curriculum-based word problem-solving measures as indicators of proficiency in mathematics with a sample of 77 children in third grade. In the winter and spring of third grade, children completed a battery of general achievement tests in mathematics in addition to curriculum-based problem-solving and…

As momentum for change in U.S. education continues to grow, questions about the nature and goals of mathematics education take on increasing urgency. This report proposes a framework for reform of school mathematics mainly through reshaping of the mathematics curriculum. Chapters included are: (1) "A Rationale for Change," describing changing…