Previous work has identified four areas of difficulty that students seem to have with the topic of similarity: (1) understanding the definition of similarity; (2) proportional reasoning; (3) dimensional growth relationships; and (4) correspondences in right triangle similarity. This paper reports the results of an investigation into high school…

The Mathematical Sciences Education Board (MSEB) is one of the nine major units of the National Research Council (NRC). It was established to provide a continuing national overview and assessment capability for mathematics education. The NRC's special concern with the quality of mathematics education is based on two considerations: mathematics is…

This document reports on a project that is examining some of the difficulties encountered in teaching word problems involving multiplication, division, and intensive quantities. Some of the various uses of these operations and their structures are considered. Described are discoveries and assumptions regarding students' cognitive models of these…

This document is the last of three volumes of the proceedings of an international seminar which focused on student misconceptions in science and mathematics as well as teaching strategies intended to deal with those misconceptions. An introduction to the volume explains the format of the conference and the organization of the sessions. It stresses…

Alaska's sex equity law requires school districts to establish written procedures for: (1) the biennial training of certificated personnel in the recognition of sex bias in instructional materials and in instructional techniques which may be used to overcome the effects of sex bias; (2) the biennial training of guidance and counseling staff in the…

This issue of the newsletter focuses on the teaching of mathematics to mildly handicapped students. The feature article reviews the theory of generalization and its application to specific practices in teaching arithmetic. A set of six-step guidelines is offered for the teacher to follow in ensuring that generalization of arithmetic skills takes…

This document includes statements of philosophy and a rationale for the Alberta (Canada) junior high school mathematics program, goals and objectives, a discussion of appropriate content and methods, and a delineation of content using six strands. These include: (1) problem solving; (2) number systems and operations; (3) ratio and proportion; (4)…

Sci-Math is an interdisciplinary curriculum intended to help students develop the math skills needed for science, especially dimensional analysis, ratio, and the concept of proportion. Sci-Math is divided into two modules with each module having a student and teacher's guide. This module is a pre-algebra module dealing with the arithmetic and…

Sci-Math is an interdisciplinary curriculum intended to help students develop the math skills needed for science, especially dimensional analysis, ratio, and the concept of proportion. Sci-Math is divided into two modules with each module having a student and teacher's guide. Module one is a pre-algebra module dealing with the arithmetic and logic…

Exercises from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) third mathematics assessment are provided in this released exercise set. Exercises were administered to 9-year-olds, 13-year-olds, and 17-year-olds. Some exercises were administered to only one age group, others to two or more age groups. The set is divided into two parts: text…

A change of emphasis in mathematics education may be needed from a mechanical and computational focus to a problem-solving approach. A first step in facilitating this goal is to place children in situations emphasizing problem-solving skills, requiring them to develop and apply their own logic structures. This paper describes a microcomputer based…

This resource manual was designed to enable teachers to help students: (1) solve problems and to grow in their capability to deal with new or different situations; (2) use mathematics as a tool in the pursuit of personal goals and aspirations; and (3) develop a positive self-concept and a positive attitude toward mathematics and lifelong learning.…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) completed its fourth mathematics assessment during the 1985-86 school year and finished the analyses of the results in 1988. This monograph, prepared by an interpretive team of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, represents a comprehensive discussion of the results of the fourth…

This is one of five panel reports that have been prepared as part of the first phase of Project 2061, a long-term multipurpose undertaking of the American Association for the Advancement of Science designed to help reform science, mathematics, and technology education in the United States. Major sections included are: (1) "Introduction";…

The role of the science teacher is essential in determining the quality of the school science program. When teachers are aware of the relationship between science and society, they can relate classroom learning to practical application. This results in more positive student attitudes. The continuous evolving of scientific knowledge requires…