This manual serves as a resource for Design Labs in the Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) program. A Design Lab is not a customary "shop" where students receive training in woodworking, metalworking, and other crafts. Instead, when a construction need arises during USMES units, a Design Lab becomes the…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to change their classroom to make it a better place to live and study. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level (grades 1-8). The…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to determine the best information to use to quickly and easily identify an individual. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to find ways to improve or organize a Design Lab. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level (grades 1-8). The Teacher Resource Book…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to grow plants and to determine some purpose for their use (transplanting, selling, gifts). The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to develop an outdoor area to help others appreciate nature. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level (grades 1-8). The Teacher…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to find good ways to protect property (property in desks or lockers; animals; bicycles; tools). The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school…

Teacher preparation programs are in danger of seriously under-preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics for understanding if they wait to provide students with evidence of effective mathematics teaching methods in the mathematics methods courses. With strong traditional beliefs about how mathematics ought to be taught and their…

This authoritative guide addresses all aspects of school psychology practice in a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework. Thirty-four focused chapters present effective methods for problem-solving-based assessment, instruction, and intervention. Specific guidelines are provided for promoting success in core academic domains--reading, writing,…

This article describes how the design of digital learning objects can spark professional learning. The challenge was to build learning objects that would help experienced special education teachers, who had been teaching in math classes, to demonstrate their proficiency in middle and secondary school mathematics on the PRAXIS examination. While…

This research examined the use of visual-spatial representation by deaf and hearing students while solving mathematical problems. The connection between spatial skills and success in mathematics performance has long been established in the literature. This study examined the distinction between visual-spatial "schematic" representations that…

This document contains the third volume of the proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics. Conference presentations are centered around the theme "Inclusion and Diversity". A total of 65 research reports are presented here: (1) A Teacher's Model of Students Algebraic Thinking…

Designed to help stimulate the development of thinking skills in children of varying abilities and to review basic skills at all elementary grade levels, this book contains 153 "ready-to-go" classroom activities. Included are "total-group,""partner," and "individual" activities. Activities in the book are…

Collaborative action research partnerships create rich opportunities for the professional development of teachers and classroom reform. This paper reports results from two action research projects. The first was a collaboration between the author and a seventh-grade mathematics teacher who wanted to change his mathematics teaching in an effort to…

This book reinforces the outstanding work done by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in developing curriculum standards for students in kindergarten through fourth grade by discussing the 13 strands of mathematics and their implications for teachers and parents who work with students. It also provides some suggested resources…