Describes a successful school model that is piloting computer hardware and software while reviewing and modifying classroom strategies and instructional techniques. Discusses the purpose of the school and a typical day of instruction. Lists results for the fifth and sixth grades. (MVL)

Forty-eight institutions exemplary in development and research in secondary mathematics education were surveyed to determine what innovative approaches are being developed to address instructional changes recommended by recent mathematics reform efforts. Results are reported on general curriculum information, specific courses offered, programmatic…

Presents activities taken from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Addendum Series, grades 5-8, involving data collection and chance. Students determine whether a game is fair based on the data collected and examine rule changes to ensure fairness. (MDH)

Presents thematic webbing in which students choose a theme and create major branches by brainstorming and the teacher compiles activities that connect the major branches while covering mathematics topics. Discusses implementation and assessment within the thematic webbing approach. Uses bears as an example. (MKR)

Demonstrates a technique where, by taking on the disguise of one who is completely ignorant of a mathematical topic or by using incorrect examples, students can be challenged to reflect on their thinking and to be very precise about their language. (MKR)

Discusses the use of computers in elementary and secondary school mathematics instruction. Topics addressed include the use of computers in compiling student portfolios; a model shift regarding assessment, mathematics instruction, and computers; computer software programs; and new approaches to teaching, including cooperative learning, multigrade…

Describes a project in which students, in groups, wrote a chapter on factoring polynomials. Gives general format of the activity and excerpts from student writings. (10 references) (MKR)

Maintains that during the 1970s educators attempted to integrate mathematics instruction into the social studies curriculum but generally were unsuccessful. Contends that spreadsheets provide new opportunities to make the natural connections between mathematics and the social studies, particularly history. (CFR)

Reviews the methodology for analyzing groupwork with computers in mathematics instruction. Describes how the data were analyzed and the phases through which the analysis progressed. Presents generalizations on the role of groupwork with computers in mathematics education. (CFR)

Reports a study that investigated the effects of metacognitive instruction in mathematics on low achieving, predominantly Hispanic, elementary school students (grades 3-8). Students were randomly assigned to either experimental (metacognitive) or traditional instruction. Results on learning outcomes showed significant effects favoring students who…

U.S. (n=150) and Japanese (n=200) fourth graders generated multiple solutions with explanations for a simple mathematical task. U.S. responses revealed gender differences (girls averaged more responses), and comparison by nation revealed similarity of strategy frequencies, but Japanese students used more formal language and mathematical ideas. (13…

Describes a collaborative project involving teachers, administrators, university faculty, and museum staff that developed two interdisciplinary instructional kits. Includes four lesson plans combining social studies, language arts, science, and mathematics with art instruction. Also includes four full-page, color photographs of art objects. (CFR)

Two essays examine the number aspect of mathematics learning for three- to five-year olds. The first contextualizes the research and reviews its progress, focusing on how children learn in contexts where numbers occur incidentally, and on developing appropriate ways of challenging children to solve problems. The second essay presents a case study…

This brief report compares the lessons on addition and subtraction of signed whole numbers in three seventh-grade Japanese mathematics texts and four U.S. mathematics texts. Japanese books contained many more worked-out examples and relevant illustrations, while U.S. books had more irrelevant illustrations and unsolved problems. (SLD)

Presents ideas for creating mathematical classroom activities associated with the history of mathematics: calculating sums and products the way ancient Greeks did it, using an abacus or moving stones on a sanded floor, and engaging elementary students through role playing specific mathematicians. Suggests that through such techniques, mathematics…