Five series of mathematics textbooks for grades seven and eight were examined to see the kinds, amounts, uses, and suggestions for writing included. Few writing activities and very few longer writing tasks were found. (MNS)

Describes a writing unit which coincided with an algebra unit on solving problems with two variables, in which students wrote down their reasons for choosing a particular multiple choice response, expressed an equation in writing, and wrote a six paragraph description of the solution to a problem. (RS)

An examination of the status of teaching mathematics to deaf students showed that teachers ignore the hands-on exploration of objects that promotes conceptualization of basic mathematic principles. An arithmetic teaching strategy is proposed which is activity-based and is derived from Piaget's theory of intellectual development in children.…

Discusses factors leading to mathematics anxiety, including personality factors, pressure from authority figures, time pressure, public failure, the right/wrong dichotomy, constructive criticism, and competition. Suggests a number of specific ways that parents and teachers can help reduce students' anxiety. (MKR)

Describes an action research project using Language for Understanding across the Curriculum to help year-seven students in a mathematics problem-solving unit. Strategies included unpacking the question, modeling the writing process, learning journals, glossaries, classroom charts, and the Newman Questioning Technique. Ability to explain…

Two studies investigated the following: (1) the perceptions of college math teachers and students (n=27) of the clarity of three explanations of a standard problem solution procedure and (2) the extent to which math teachers' and students' (n=23) oral presentations showed some awareness of the general mathematics principles inherent in three math…

Suggests ways in which mathematical models can be presented and developed in the classroom to promote discussion, analysis, and understanding of issues related to energy consumption. Five problems deal with past trends and future projections of availability of a nonrenewable resource, natural gas. (Contains 13 references.) (MDH)

Focuses on the place of discrete mathematics in the grades 9-12 mathematics curriculum and discusses how the topic of recursion should be taught. Presents several examples of recursion involving LOGO, spreadsheets, sequences, Pascal's triangle, and the Tower of Hanoi to illustrate its teaching. (MDH)

Project questions are real-world problems with multiple solutions, no obvious solution sequence, requiring hands-on data collection, and investigation of topics within and outside mathematics. Discusses evaluation of solution processes, describes a detailed example involving the trajectory of a baseball, and suggests 19 other project questions.…

Presents an example of the use of historical materials in developing the concept of logarithm. A description of the unit includes the origins of the word logarithm and the objectives, organization, and implementation of the unit. The historical development establishes the connection between arithmetic and geometric progressions and logarithms.…

Describes two general spreadsheet templates to carry out all types of one-equation chemical equilibrium calculations encountered by students in undergraduate chemistry courses. Algorithms, templates, macros, and representative examples are presented to illustrate the approach. (PR)

Presents results of a study in Greece, Scotland, and the United States in lower secondary mathematics classes using haptic exploration, the intentional movements of one's hands about an object, as an alternative approach for teaching the geometry of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Students performed poorly with solids. (MKR)

Proposes using cookies (recipe included) and pizza to help Chapter I students, grades two through five, understand basic fraction concepts. (MKR)

Demonstrates how students' writings can be used to inform instruction and serve as the foundation for a teacher's portfolio on improving classroom practice. (MKR)

Presents an activity in which students use cereal boxes to describe, classify, order, analyze, graph, tally, and make connections and to study pricing, measures of central tendency, consumerism, measurement, and probability. (MKR)