An integrated curriculum geometry unit, "Beyond the Surface," is presented and built around four principles promoting students' mental connections. The principles include a significant problem context, assignment of concrete, active tasks, employing tools embodying the mathematical concept, and reflection on established connections…

An analysis of a 10-minute episode in which 7-year-old students (n=3) engage in collaborative small group activity is presented to explore the relationship between individual learning and group development. Students learned as they interactively constituted situations for justification or validation, yielding an institutionalized solution method.…

Suggests that intuition and visualization are effective methods of introducing engineering principles to pre-engineering students. Describes the development of computer simulation software as part of a "Pre-Engineering College On Disk" course. The computer game helps students visualize the relationship between shell trajectory and its…

Describes an activity that introduces students to the use of database software to collect and interpret data. Asks middle school students to collect personal information regarding their dominant hand, eye, and thumb. Students use FIND and AND commands to create tables and respond to questions related to the data. (MDH)

Reviews five goals currently on the national agenda--math reform, increasing the high school graduation rate, literacy, science reform, and early childhood intervention--and provides an example of how a specific school is using technology to address each one of these goals. Sidebars describe several additional special programs involving…

Presents the teaching strategy of having first grade students write their own word problems. Suggests the use of calculators to permit students to create problems with larger, more realistic numbers. Gives examples of student-generated problems and discusses students' attempts to solve the problems. (MDH)

Shows how a manipulative device for taking attendance can be used to exercise mathematical thinking processes in a variety of contexts at different elementary school grade levels. Suggests activities using a magnetic attendance board for gathering classroom information; developing number, estimation, and graphing concepts; forming and verifying…

Results in 487 reports were integrated by meta-analysis to study characteristics of problem solvers, conditions for harder and easier problems, effects of different instructional methods on problem-solving performance, and effects of classroom-related conditions on problem-solving performance. Problem solving related positively to measures of…

Reports a study to examine careless errors fifth-grade students (n=58) make while solving mathematical word problems and explores the type of student who frequently makes such errors. Results indicated that frequency of these errors was significantly related to the noncognitive variables of the study. Discusses implications for remediation. (20…

Examines the potential role for Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) when teaching courses as functions, calculus, and linear algebra to students with low prerequisite algebra skills. A study reports the rationale, planning, and implementation of a functions course integrating Maple CAS into instruction. (MDH)

Describes five skills underpinning the understanding of geometry for primary and lower secondary mathematics students. Skill categories identified include (1) visual; (2) verbal; (3) drawing; (4) logical; and (5) application. Gives examples of skills appropriate for Van Hiele levels 1-3. (MDH)

Presents a series of four worksheets to develop students' perception of spatial relationships. The tasks require students to use cubes to build models and describe the models by representing the front, right, and top views on grid paper. Provides reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Proposes using student projects to show students how mathematics can be applied to their lives by using statistics. Students identify a topic of interest to them and their community, collect data, discuss the analyzed data in a written report, and present the reports at the local senior-citizen center. (MDH)

Presents activities to supplement lessons on length and mass measurement or as part of a unit on atoms or orders of magnitude. Provides a lesson plan using aluminum foil to estimate unit measures, calculate the foil's thickness, and do an atom count. (MDH)

Provides a brief explanation why instruction designed for use with the microcomputer can enhance students' understanding of the concept of function. Presents five lessons designed to help students develop a thorough understanding of functions and their uses, to encourage students to explore and verbalize mathematical ideas, and to assist in the…