Discusses the potential that school mathematics has for being a source of exploration and discovery for students and teachers. Provides a process-oriented definition of understanding mathematics. Presents activities in which students construct computer and actual models of polyhedra and make conjectures regarding a medical research application of…

Preservice elementary teachers worked cooperatively to explore the relationship between the measure of the central angle and the number of sides of regular polygons using the reflection of a line in a hinged mirror. The experience involved conjecture and experimentation, communication, and building connections between science, geometry, and…

Presents four hands-on and computer-based activities to develop measurement skills. Students examine, measure, compare, and contrast the area, perimeter, and volume of geometric figures using concrete materials and computer spreadsheets. (MDH)

The influence of mathematics-specific teaching practices on class-level mathematics achievement was studied using Second International Mathematics Study data for 236 eighth-grade classes (approximately 7,000 students). Links between class characteristics and teaching practices are explored. High socioeconomic status and high-ability students…

Explored one student teacher's ideas and practices, together with the messages about teaching for procedural and conceptual knowledge that were presented by the student's teacher education program. Found that the student teacher taught, learned to teach, and had opportunities to learn to teach for procedural knowledge more often and more…

Described are some of the visualization techniques employed in the computer-animated videotapes generated through the blending of commentary, animated imagery, music, and special effects. Instructions for procurement are included for these tapes, which are produced by Project MATHEMATICS! at the California Institute of Technology. (JJK)

Presented are the results of an extra-credit assignment to a group of intermediate-algebra students, which entailed the writing of word problems in poetic form. Included is the history of such writing from the trivial pursuitlike games of the Middle Ages in India. (JJK)

Presents four articles for elementary teachers. The first shows how teachers can guide students to write stories from personal experiences. The second offers suggestions for mathematics instruction, focusing on primary level geometry and intermediate level problem solving. The third focuses on folk-art barn paintings. The fourth uses pumpkins to…

Studies differences in the involvement in talk in classroom situations and the nature of that talk for boys and girls in mathematics/technology and language group work. Results with 15 classes of children aged 4 through 11 years give a picture of the effects of the group's gender balance. (SLD)

Offers a rationale for using cooperative learning in higher education, identifying six elements essential to its success: positive interdependence; face-to-face verbal interaction; individual accountability; social skills; group processing; appropriate grouping. Describes and compares three distinct approaches in medicine, dentistry, and…

Describes pilot programs in Appalachian high schools designed to improve math and science instruction through systemic change and higher standards. Strategies include using videoconferencing for professional development, incorporating employers' expectations into curricula, bridging gaps between academic and vocational programs, integrating…

Discusses the use of writing to enhance learning in mathematics from a conceptual development perspective. Shuell's phases of learning are described as a general model for conceptual development and subsequently matched with Britton's categories for transactional-informative writing. Sample mathematics assignments for each writing category are…

A range of factors has impinged on the provision of teacher education programs in the last decade. Largely emanating from governmental demands for increased accountability, these have included the setting of standards for student achievement, proof of program impact, and state and national testing. These legislative reforms and school district…

Educators recognize that group work and physical involvement with learning materials can greatly enhance the understanding and retention of difficult concepts. As a result, math manipulatives--such as pattern blocks and number lines--have increasingly been making their way into classrooms and children's museums. Yet without the constant guidance…

This paper presents a new model for simulating procedural knowledge in the problem solving process with our ontological system, InfoMap. The method divides procedural knowledge into two parts: process control and action performer. By adopting InfoMap, we hope to help teachers construct curricula (declarative knowledge) and teaching strategies by…