Reviews two programs: (1) "The Weather Machine" on understanding weather and weather forecasting and (2) "The Mystery of the Hotel Victoria" on problem solving in mathematics. Presents the descriptions, advantages, and weaknesses of the software. (YP)

Describes the Family Math program for elementary school students and their families in Springfield (Massachusetts). Goals include the following: (1) increase minority parent participation; (2) overcome math anxiety; and (3) encourage mathematics participation. (FMW)

Describes a course in which female preservice educators were encouraged to participate socially and teach elementary mathematics in such a way as to make it personally meaningful. The paper discusses Paulo Freire's views on student oppression and empowerment, noting how they relate to these students' experiences as recorded through observation and…

Presents four innovative game-oriented activities designed to reinforce computational and place value skills involving whole and rational numbers. The games ask students to use randomly chosen numerals to formulate problems involving given operations or concepts whose responses come closest to target responses. (MDH)

Mathematics curriculum and instruction for elementary students with learning and behavior problems are addressed. The article considers (1) best practices in assessment of both product and process to identify instructional needs; (2) determining an appropriate curriculum; and (3) designing an instructional program based on best practices.…

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…

Provides six fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in reading and language arts, art, mathematics, science, and social studies. Library media skills, objectives, grade levels, instructional roles, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)

Describes NASA's Learning Technologies Project at the Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, Ohio) that conducts research into enhancing elementary and secondary school science and mathematics classrooms through videoconferencing technology. Discusses teachers' professional development videoconferences; distance learning; student videoconferences;…

The authors explored the relationship between motivation and affect in upper elementary mathematics classes from the perspective of flow theory. They also investigated the relationship between students' motivation and teachers' instructional practices. Students' reported classroom experiences formed 4 factors--Social Affect, Personal Affect,…

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…

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…

The paper describes the use of a spreadsheet in a mathematics teacher education course. It shows how the tool can serve as a link between seemingly disconnected mathematical concepts. The didactical triad of using a spreadsheet as an agent, consumer, and amplifier of mathematical activities allows for an extended investigation of simple yet…

This study examined activities used during elementary school math and reading instruction. Teachers reported their use of cooperative, competitive, and individual activities in math and reading, their subjective evaluations of teaching each subject, and their level of focus on promoting students' interests. Analyses indicated that teachers used…

In this article results from an examination of beliefs about teaching and learning primary mathematics are reported. Commencing and graduating pre-service teachers completed written surveys and interviews. Common to many pre-service teachers were memories of mathematics lessons with teacher demonstrations, completing set exercises, using…

"Houghton Mifflin Mathematics" is a core curriculum for kindergarten through grade 6 students at all ability levels. According to its developer, "Houghton Mifflin Mathematics" emphasizes the five content strands and processes recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards. At each grade level the…