This paper describes how a researcher developed task and four different data collection instruments provide evidence for the identification of various affordances of a technology-rich teaching and learning environment (TRTLE) that were perceived and/or enacted by Year 9 students in their solution of a linear function task utilising a graphing…

This teaching unit is designed to help students in grades 5 to 8 explore the concepts of patterns, functions, and algebra in the context of propelling spacecraft. The units in the series have been developed to enhance and enrich mathematics, science, and technology education and to accommodate different teaching and learning styles. Each unit…

It is becoming widely recognised that teachers' content knowledge has an important influence on their pedagogical content knowledge, and hence on the learning of students. In secondary schools, function is one of the fundamental concepts of mathematics. This paper considers the understanding of function exhibited by a group of teacher trainees in…

As almost every state revises its mathematics frameworks or develops new ones, current testing practices remain almost unchanged. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), in its "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics," argues for greater emphasis on application, reasoning, and conceptual understanding, but the…

This document presents the content standards for mathematics in Arkansas. These standards are organized into five strands: (1) number sense, properties, and operations; (2) geometry and spatial sense; (3) measurement; (4) data analysis, statistics, and probability; and (5) patterns, algebra, and functions. Each of these strands is subdivided into…

The benefits of high-level mathematics packages such as Matlab include both a computer algebra system and the ability to provide students with concrete visual examples. This paper discusses how both capabilities of Matlab were used in a multivariate calculus class. Graphical user interfaces which display three-dimensional surfaces, contour plots,…

In 1996, North Carolina began a 5-year evaluation of Alternative Learning Programs (ALPs). This report describes selected outcomes for students who participated in ALPs during 1995-96. These outcomes include performance on North Carolina End-of-Grade tests (elementary school) and performance on the End-of-Course(EOC) tests (high school) for…

Presents 14 problems organized into three levels of difficulty. Topics include algebra, pattern identification, probability, and geometry. Includes solutions to the problems. (DDR)

Demonstrates the use of technology to enhance the appreciation of applications involving abstract algebra. The symbolic manipulator Maple can perform computations required for a linear cryptosystem. One major benefit of this process is that students can encipher and decipher messages using a linear cryptosystem without becoming confused and…

Although research has confirmed block scheduling's nonacademic benefits, effects on academic achievement are mixed. Teachers do not always replace lecturing with more effective participatory teaching methods. To work best under an intensive or alternating block schedule, schools should adapt the math curriculum to reduce course redundancy and…

Presents activities which highlight major concepts of linear programming. Demonstrates how technology allows students to solve linear programming problems using exploration prior to learning algorithmic methods. (DDR)

Discussed are supercalculator capabilities and possible teaching implications. Included are six examples that use a supercalculator for topics that include volume, graphing, algebra, polynomials, matrices, and elementary calculus. A short review of the research on supercomputers in education and the impact they could have on the curriculum is…

This aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) study was designed to clarify the relationship between the aptitude variable spatial visualization and two modes of presentation of linear absolute-value inequalities. The modes of presentation include computer-enhanced instruction (CEI) and traditional. (Author/KR)

Describes the Algebra Project, which teaches algebra to middle school students and prepares them for college preparatory mathematics. The project includes some of the following elements: (1) a curriculum addressing the conceptual leap from arithmetic to algebra; (2) an experientially based curricular process; (3) high achievement expectations; and…

Provides a program listing in True BASIC which constructs several kinds of matrices: (1) matrices with integral entries that have inverses that have integral entries; (2) matrices with integral entries that have inverses that are rational numbers with reasonable denominators; and (3) matrices with integral entries and prescribed integer…