The first volume of this proceedings contains the papers presented at the 21st annual meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Papers include: (1) "Research, Rhetoric and Reality" (Lyn English); (2) "I Keep Six Honest Serving Men" (Peter Galbraith); (3) "The Intension/Intention of Teaching…

The second volume of this proceedings contains the papers presented at the 21st annual meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Full papers include: (1) "Teachers Interpreting Algebra: Teachers' Views about the Nature of Algebra" (Brenda Menzel and David Clarke); (2) "Long Odds: Longitudinal Development of…

Thinkback is a new instructional process that uses "thinking aloud" strategies developed by Arthur Whimbey and derives its name from the technology of instant video playback. Thinkback is a generalization of techniques described in the program "Problem Solving and Comprehension," which has been used for more than 20 years. The…

This phenomenological study took place over a 16-week semester during which 12 elementary school teachers explored mathematical ideas for elementary school students while using computer microworlds. Four themes were manifested in the case study of one teacher: learning on her own, authority and control, mathematics as manipulating, and frustration…

Facets of problem solving instruction (PSI) were studied in German mathematics classrooms. Nine different facets of PSI were identified from the research literature, and a video rating form was developed to assess these facets and teacher effectiveness. Videotaped mathematics lessons (n=147) for German eighth graders from the sample for the Third…

This document contains Volumes 1 and 2 of the proceedings of the 23rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Incorporated (MERGA) held at Fremantle, Western Australia, July 5-9, 2000. Papers in Volume 1 include: (1) "Bridging Practices: Intertwining Content and Pedagogy in Teaching and Learning To Teach"…

Why should your school have a Family Math Night?: (1) Help students learn essential math concepts; (2) Give parents a chance to serve as models of motivation, persistence and competence; and (3) Promote math success in a supportive setting. With its step-by-step directions and suggestions for both teachers and parents, this book takes the worry…

At the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians, held at Rome in April, 1908, an international commission was organized to make a general study of the progress of mathematical instruction in the various countries. The commission soon found that it was necessary to extend the scope of the investigation to include the teaching of mathematics…

This report describes efforts to create and test variables measuring students' high-school coursetaking in mathematics, foreign language, and science, using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) NELS:88 transcript file (National Center for Education Statitstics (NCES) projects 1.2.4.13 and 1.2.4.39). The first project…

Examples of children's discussions about Escher Kaleidocycles are utilized to show the importance of connecting mathematics to its sources in sense experience, rather than just teaching the conventions which are meaningless to many students. (IS)

Cites need for properly integrating computers into curriculum, warning about past mistakes and looking at methods to promote curricular change. Identifies as important goals a clear definition of mathematics education and the benefits of a technologically integrated curriculum presenting ideas/strategies for achieving these goals. (JM)

Twenty-five outstanding new computer software programs for drill and practice, simulation, and tutoring are reviewed. Programs deal with classroom management and with the teaching of language arts, computer literacy, social studies, science and logic, and mathematics. (PP)

Included in this column are Star Trek, a geometric construction problem; a simplified approach to correlation using scattergrams; a calculus problem concerning second derivatives for extreme values; and a note on integration by parts. (MNS)

This analysis synthesizes the research on characteristics of the mathematically gifted and describes some ways in which programs can be designed to address those characteristics. (MNS)