Instructors ("N"?=?204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they value cognitive research and incorporate it into their courses. Instructors' responses indicated that they view cognitive research to be fairly important for mathematics education, particularly studies of domain-specific topics,…

Instructors (N = 204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they stay informed about research related to effective uses of educational technology and the kinds and numbers of educational technologies they include in their courses. Findings indicate that, while they view educational technology…

How can teachers learn what they need to know? Every community of educators, regardless of field or specialization, can benefit from being well informed about current research findings. A considerable amount of mathematics education research exists to inform teachers and administrators about teaching and learning mathematics. Research can show…

Research on direct instruction in mathematics is briefly summarized, with key procedures listed. (MNS)

What mental computation and estimation are, what is known from research about each process, and what can help students develop these skills are discussed. (MNS)

Research on the amount of questioning and the types of questions teachers ask are briefly discussed. (MNS)

Research on the characteristics of individuals who have demonstrated a high level of ability in mathematics is presented. The importance of structure in mathematical thinking is stressed and implications for teaching are detailed. (MNS)

Metacognition is described and suggestions for teachers about developing and improving metacognitive skills in performing mathematical tasks are given. (MNS)

Pertinent findings from research on problem solving are presented to describe how primary-level children may gain an understanding of addition and subtraction as well as practice computational skills through one-step problems. Then suggestions for teaching problem solving are given. (MNS)

After research on problem solving is briefly summarized, an in-service program on problem types and solution strategies is described. Teachers must know how pupils solve problems; they can use activities designed for both instruction and assessment. Key aspects of assessment are summarized. (MNS)

Research findings on problem solving and ideas for improving problem-solving instruction are presented. What a problem is and the fact that few problems appear in textbooks are noted. What successful problem solvers do is discussed, with the stages of problem solving described, including the point that checking their work may be the most important…

Research on effective teaching is described. Comparisons of expert and novice teachers reveal a profile of expertise in elementary mathematics instruction. How lessons are planned and presented is discussed. (MNS)

Research on the use of review is briefly summarized. Some guidelines for planning review work are listed, and five types of effective review are noted: outlines, questions, varied grouping, varied content, and games. (MNS)

This paper examines two major questions regarding the use of manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics in the elementary school. First, what does recent research indicate about this topic? It was found that research predominately favors the use of manipulatives with strong support for the use of appropriate kinds of manipulatives for the…

Research on the attitudes of elementary school pupils toward mathematics is briefly summarized. Included are the points that most elementary school children like mathematics and that few differences are found between the attitudes of boys and girls. Some suggestions on what teachers can do to improve attitudes are given. (MNS)