Mathematics games are often used in the classroom as a reward or warm-up activity before the "real" learning takes place. Many teachers have witnessed how useful games are for tuning-in students to the impending mathematics lesson. However, have teachers considered playing games as the central part of the lesson? This article explores…

The author recently read a research paper by Padberg (2002), in which the development of understanding associated with decimal fractions was studied. Padberg (2002) outlined the situation that existed in Germany, where students were introduced to decimal fractions in the sixth year of school. He claimed that it was assumed students would have a…

This study was conducted to obtain information related to mental computation from students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 in Western Australia. The numbers of subjects were 163, 163, 163 and 152 in years 3, 5, 7, and 9, respectively. The research was designed to provide three different perspectives of mental computation: (1) a survey of the kinds of…

This study investigated the effect on teachers of observing or implementing an alternative form of instruction in a primary-grade arithmetic class. Under consideration were the relationships between the beliefs teachers held about mathematics and about teaching mathematics, and their recognition and internalization of the principles of the…

The Calculators in Primary Mathematics Project in Australia was a long-term investigation into the effects of the introduction of calculators on the learning and teaching of primary mathematics. The Australian project commenced with children who were in kindergarten and grade 1 in 1990, moving up through the schools to grade 4 level by 1993.…

Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

Elementary school activities designed for celebraing the significant dates of each school month, excluding December, are described in this compilation. The collection covers birthdays of well-known people, historical events, mathematics, writing, reading, science, history, social studies, art, and cooking. (JW)

G. L. Anderson reported finding an interaction between drill and meaningful methods of instruction with fourth grade student ability and achievement. The reanalysis overturns Anderson's conclusion that there is an aptitude treatment interaction within classes. (BJG)

The author finds that students who have not previously mastered arithmetic skills do not benefit from an individualized review course. He describes such a course and presents four case studies in support of his position. (SD)

This booklet describes basic counting principles and provides activities designed to develop basic skills in: (l) stable ordering; (2) one-to-one matching; (3) total number; (4) different objects; and (5) different order. These are extended to more advanced strategies aimed at building counting skills strong enough to provide a basis for adding,…

Chapters 5 through 10 of a 14-chapter, three-volume work on arithmetical applications are contained in this document. Each chapter details the "use classes" of one broad arithmetical concept. (A "use class" of a concept is a set of examples of real world uses of the concept which share a common structure). Each chapter…

The problem of sex bias in mathematics word problems is discussed, with references to the appropriate literature. Word problems are assessed via cognitive science analysis of word problem solving. It has been suggested that five basic semantic relations are adequate to classify nearly all story problems, namely, change, combine, compare, vary, and…

Considered is a conceptual analog of buggy algorithms and rule-based mathematical development. The investigations consider whether children's efforts to make conceptual sense of new mathematics instruction in terms of their available knowledge may sometimes lead them to make systematic errors. In particular, the possibility is explored that…

Accurate and automatic production of the basic number combinations is a major objective of elementary mathematics education. Typically, it is not an objective that is easily and quickly attained. Indeed, teachers regularly lament about how difficult it is to get their students to master the basic "number facts." This problem may be due,…

"ARITHMETIC 400" is the first of the next generation of educational programs designed to encourage thinking about arithmetic problems. Presented in video game format, performance is a measure of correctness, speed, accuracy, and fortune as well. Play presents a challenge to individuals at various skill levels. The program, run on an Apple…