Mathematics curriculum documents highlight the need for students to be able to choose from a repertoire of computational tools and strategies, but little direction is given as to how children choose which form of computation to use in any given situation. In this article, the author reports on the classroom implications of research designed to…

Traditionally, primary schools place minimal emphasis upon relations and transformations as objects of study. In their research, the authors have found the young children can engage in conversations about equivalence and equations (Warren & Cooper, 2005a) and functional thinking (Warren & Cooper, 2005b). Fundamental to relations and…

Sketched in somewhat general terms, there are two basic ways of going about teaching ethics: (1) the moral indoctrination approach, which is essentially a rote learning exercise; and (2) the moral engagement approach, which emphasizes listening to others in an open-minded manner and coming to carefully considered conclusions only after thoughtful…

This study focuses on the constructions in terms of area and perimeter in equivalent triangles developed by students aged 12-15 years-old, using the tools provided by Cabri-Geometry II [Labore (1990). "Cabri-Geometry (software)," Universite de Grenoble]. Twenty-five students participated in a learning experiment where they were asked to construct:…

If learning took the form of a vehicle, skills should be considered the gears that allow it to operate. Essential skills like keen observation and active listening are, according to this author, the first and second gears in the learning process. Yet in the age of information, where the name and likeness of a product is typically repeated five to…

In this article, the author expresses his doubts about rubrics. He contends that rubrics have several drawbacks and these are the following: (1) Rubrics prevent teachers from improving their practices and rethinking their premises; (2) Students tend to think less deeply, avoid taking risks, and lose interest in the learning itself; and (3) Good…

In this article, the author expresses her views in defense of writing rubrics. She explains that when rubrics are thoughtfully crafted and used with discretion and understanding, they can be among the most useful instructional tools that teachers have. A rubric captures the essence of performance at various levels. Because rubric demands…

It is well established that thought experiments are both scientifically and philosophically significant, and even that they are pedagogically significant. However, the basis and methodology for their pedagogical use is not as well established. Pedagogical thought experiments are defined as mental simulations with special features to isolate…

SIAS International University, which claims to be the only solely American-owned university in central China, was founded by Shawn Chen, a Chinese-American entrepreneur who wants to shake up China's staid university system. Chen plans to do this by creating an American educational environment in China's agricultural heartland to train students to…

When worthwhile mathematical tasks are used in classrooms, they should also become a crucial element of assessment. For teachers, using these tasks in classrooms requires a different way to analyze student thinking than the traditional assessment model. Looking carefully at students' written work on worthwhile mathematical tasks and listening…

Since its publication in 2000, Strategies That Work has become an indispensable resource for teachers who want to explicitly teach thinking strategies so that students become engaged, thoughtful, independent readers. In this revised and expanded edition, the authors have added twenty completely new comprehension lessons, extending the scope of the…

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of implementation of argumentation in a physics classroom on students' reasoning. This research is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. Experimental design was used for the study. For the quantitative aspect of the research, students' prior knowledge in the beginning of the…

AP Potential™ is a data-driven tool offered by the College Board that uses scores from the PSAT/NMSQT® to identify students who have the potential to succeed in Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) courses (College Board, 2007). Research showing a moderate-to-strong correlation between PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP Exam scores serves as the basis for this…

This report describes the results of two studies designed to evaluate the impact of self-reported mathematics course-taking on performance on SAT mathematics questions measuring new content (Algebra II). A supplemental table and figure are appended.

Recent legislation, such as the No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997 and 2004, emphasizes the importance of teaching students with mild disabilities in the general education classroom using the general curriculum. Consequently, students with learning problems take a variety of science courses,…