Describes a form of adaptive communication, referred to as single switch technology, as a method for assessing and developing mathematics skills of speech and motor disabled students. Provides a BASIC program to illustrate a basic single switch mathematics program. (MDH)

Presents measurement activities for K-3, 4-6, 5-6, and 7-8 grade levels. Activities include a measurement scavenger hunt, using a clinometer to measure angles of elevation, estimating the age of trees, measuring the height of a tree, and measuring objects at a distance. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Analyzed students' reasoning with fractions. Found that skilled students applied strategies specifically tailored to restricted classes of fractions and produced reliable solutions with a minimum of computation effort. Results suggest that competent reasoning depends on a knowledge base that includes numerically specific and invented strategies,…

Describes a wide range of activities based on a grade-number theme of "two" in second grade, "three" in third grade, and "four" in fourth grade. (MKR/SW)

Twenty elementary teachers were supported in developing curriculum-based measurement and peer-mediated instruction to serve math students with learning disabilities (LD); 10 of the teachers also used decision rules and specialized adaptations when student progress was inadequate. Teachers implemented the specialized adaptation with respectable…

Tests of (n=105) ninth-grade algebra students involving the addition and multiplication of monomials found that common, systematic errors made when multiplying monomials were related logically to the symbolism used and the algebraic convention of using an implicit 1 as an exponent. (16 references) (MKR)

Explores ways to share mathematics both in and out of school and uses the newspaper as a vehicle for communicating ideas about mathematics. Includes reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

Reports on how a school-university partnership used Virginia's Public Education Network to help third graders learn about metamorphosis in insects and the scientific method of experimentation, observation, and data collection. (MKR)

Discusses ways teachers can encourage students to construct useful meanings for the fractional unit. Provides three examples of representations of common fractions and illustrates misconceptions in fraction problems. Includes a brief summary of constructivist mathematics education and an example in which a teacher misunderstands a fractional unit.…

Describes the use of geometry now by a U.S. Department of Defense quality assurance representative and in ancient times by the Egyptians and Babylonians. Includes reproducible student worksheets on quality assurance. (MKR)

As part of a cross-disciplinary project to develop interactive, multimedia college instruction, a mathematics team developed a hypertext version of an existing textbook and created seven modules in basic calculus. Lessons and principles learned about courseware development are presented here to help faculty without previous software experience to…

Proposes analogy as the central mechanism of knowledge acquisition in formal domains. Discusses experimental data on preschoolers' knowledge of one-to-one correspondence and college students' understanding of force decomposition. Suggests that a knowledge base domain is a thematically organized knowledge structure and that thematic relations in a…

Writing during math supports students' learning as they clarify their ideas and highlight what they understand. This article presents math and writing strategies, answers to common questions, various math writing assignments, and math activities that lead to writing. (SM)

Comparison of U.S. and Chinese middle school mathematics programs found lower intensity in U.S. schools because of extensive drill, repetition of content, lack of challenging problem solving, lower expectations, and ability grouping. China utilizes challenging problem solving, no repetition, and high expectations and values. (22 references)…

Surveys of mathematics department chairpersons about changes in algebra instructional practices in response to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards showed wide variation across schools. Contains survey questions on practices in algebra and a bibliography of first-year algebra textbooks. (12…