Describes responses of fifth to eighth grade students to different types of test items requiring estimation. Reports that performance differed by item format, types of numbers and operations in the items, and grade level of students. (Author/YP)

Describes some topics of French research: relationships between teaching and learning, choices and constraints of the didactic system, role of the computer, and forms of the functioning knowledge. (YP)

Investigates how Brazilian child candy sellers form and use mathematical understandings. Finds that sellers use knowledge acquired through business activity to work school problems, while only a limited part of school learning is applied to the out-of-school situations. (FMW)

Described are several activities for teaching children to determine mass and volume. Included are the masses of a water drop and a grain of rice; the volume of a water drop and small solids; and measuring the width of a hair. Procedures and materials for the activities are discussed. (CW)

Describes a partnership between business, public schools, and a university to empower high school math and science teachers to use multimedia workstations and other technology to improve their curricula. Improvements included more student-centered classrooms, as well as better feedback, problem solving, creativity, and motivation. Teachers were…

Describes the Plane Geometry System computer software developed at the Educational Computer Systems laboratory in Sofia, Bulgaria. The system enables students to use the concept of "algorithm" to correspond to the process of "deductive proof" in the development of plane geometry. Provides an example of the software's capability…

Discussed is the process of translating situations involving changing quantities into mathematical relationships. This process, called dynamical modeling, allows students to learn new mathematics while sharpening their algebraic skills. A description of dynamical systems, problem-solving methods, a graphical analysis, and available classroom…

The problem-of-the-week (POW) and problem-solving class openers are exemplified as methods for the integration of course-relevant problem solving into a first-year algebra classroom without sacrificing time spent on developing skills and learning concepts. Illustrated examples, as well as problem sources, are included. (JJK)

Discussed is the classroom suitability of an open learning computer microworld centered around families of quadratic equations that provides a framework for exploring questions about parabolas to establish the link between the graphical and the algebraic representations of quadratic equations. (JJK)

Described are the difficulties encountered in a bicultural educational context by Australian Aboriginals. Theoretical perspectives, the social context for mathematics communication, and the use of educational software are discussed. Suggestions for overcoming social difficulties in mathematics are provided. (CW)

This article compares measures of abstract thinking preference and divergent thinking to standard mathematics ability measures such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). In this study involving gifted tenth graders, mathematical creativity was found to be a special kind of creativity not necessarily related to divergent thinking ability. (PB)

Examined a program that paired preservice teachers with doctoral-student mentors during student teaching and joined the dyads to form a community. Data from observations, conferences, interviews, meetings, lesson plans, and journals indicated that traditional roles of students, supervisors, and cooperating teachers changed. Participants…

Examined teacher and student roles in, and reactions to, a student-centered instructional geometry program using the Geometer's Sketchpad booklet. Seventh graders worked cooperatively using the computer-based instructional tutorial. Observation, survey, and interview data indicated that the teacher had difficulty relinquishing control of learning,…

Information processing researchers have assumed that algebra symbol skills depend on mastery of the abstract rules presented in the curriculum (Matz, 1980; Sleeman, 1986). Thus, students' ubiquitous algebra errors have been taken as indicating the need to embed algebra in rich contextual settings (Kaput, 1995; National Council of Teachers of…

This article deals with 12th-grade students' conceptions of a mathematical definition. Their conceptions of a definition were revealed through individual and group activities in which they were asked to consider a number of possible definitions of four mathematical concepts: two geometric and two analytic. Data consisted of written responses to…