This curriculum guide was designed by the Coudersport, Pennsylvania, school system to be used in teaching 0-4 level mathematics skills to adult basic education students. The guide is intended to provide consumer-oriented, problem-solving material that correlates with those skills found in the Noonan-Spradley Diagnostic Program of Computational…

The Poisson probability distribution is seen to provide a mathematical model from which useful information can be obtained in practical applications. The distribution and some situations to which it applies are studied, and ways to find answers to practical questions are noted. The unit includes exercises and a model exam, and provides answers to…

Four units make up the contents of this document. The first examines applications of finite mathematics to business and economies. The user is expected to learn the method of optimization in optimal assignment problems. The second module presents applications of difference equations to economics and social sciences, and shows how to: 1) interpret…

A set of articles with the theme "Mathematics for Real Life" is presented. These article titles are: (1) Teaching Mathematics as a Tool for Problem Solving; (2) New Math or New Education; (3) Hand Calculators and Math in Primary School; (4) Mass Media in the Mathematical Training of Polish Primary Teachers; (5) The Goals of Mathematics Teaching in…

This guide outlines an Option X course on problem solving techniques. The 16 learner objectives identified in the Mathematics Program Guide stress applications orientation to concepts about numbers and operations and common plane and solid figures. Techniques covered include working with diagrams, organizing information, using patterns,…

Problem solving is viewed as an ability required throughout life, and how we function is seen to be directly related to how well we solve problems. In this document, the issue of a steady decline in students' abilities in the area of mathematical problem solving is confronted and a program designed to teach students the necessary skills in this…

These proceedings contain: two lectures; reports from four working groups, four review groups, and three special groups; and a list of participants. Lecture I, by Joseph Agassi, was entitled "On Mathematics Education: The Lakatosian Revolution." Lecture II, by Jack Easley, was entitled "Alternative Research Metaphore and the Social Context of…

The Mathematics Resource Project has as its goal the production of topical resources for teachers, drawn from the vast amounts of available material. This experimental edition on Ratio, Proportion, and Scaling, contains a teaching emphasis section, a classroom materials section, and teacher commentaries. The teaching emphasis section stresses…

The uses of programable calculators in the mathematics classroom are presented. A discussion of the "microelectronics revolution" that has brought programable calculators into our society is also included. Pointed out is that the logical or mental processes used to program the programable calculator are identical to those used to program…

Presents examples of word problems that can be used to illustrate the distributive property for preservice teachers. Includes examples involving extended sums, volume, area, prealgebra, place value, long multiplication, fractions, decimals, and algebra. (MDH)

Presents four sets of activities to develop the concepts of data analysis and graphing. Students estimate sample populations using beans, examine graphs from newspapers and magazines, predict the most popular color of cars, and simulate quality control in a manufacturing process. (MDH)

Presents 5 school and home activities for the K-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 levels appropriate for beginning the school year that incorporate problem solving, collecting and analyzing data, and exploring patterns. Topics include a shopping spree, seat assignment, map-interpretation skills, and probability. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Presents two teaching ideas. The first helps students identify and correct their own mistakes. A checklist of common mistakes is filled out by students after quizzes and tests and examined for error patterns. The second develops the formula to determine the payments necessary to pay off a loan over a required period of time. (MDH)

Proposes a novel method of introducing and promoting the topic of geometric sequences through the problem of calculating the number of games necessary to determine the winner of a single elimination tournament in which two, three, or more teams compete at a time. (MDH)

A cognitive/metacognitive framework is presented for analysing applications tasks and responses to these. Conditions facilitating or impeding access to such tasks at the upper secondary level were identified using qualitative data analysis techniques within this framework. Strategies employed in exploiting, or overcoming these conditions were…