Described are three activities and variations that can help students to understand the concept of place value. Allowing students to use concrete materials and helping them to bridge the gap between manipulatives and paper-and-pencil tasks are emphasized. (KR)

Presents an activity in which students develop their own theorem involving the relationship between the triangles determined by the squares constructed on the sides of any triangle. Provides a set of four reproducible worksheets, directions on their use, worksheet answers, and suggestions for follow-up activities. (MDH)

Presents a teacher-made instructional material that can be used to help students understand and retain the concepts of magnet and magnetic field. Doughnut-shaped magnets levitate above each other when placed over a post with like poles facing each other. Instructions are provided to make the device. (MDH)

General guidelines for the use of manipulative materials are presented. Teacher management of the lessons involving manipulative materials is stressed. (CW)

Effects of 3 different types of instruction (use of manipulatives, use of diagrams, and use of symbols only) of rational number content and teaching techniques were compared for 75 preservice teachers in a course in elementary mathematics. Only the manipulatives group showed significant improvement pretest to posttest. Implications are discussed.…

Asserts that stereotyped images often interfere with accurate and effective instruction about Latin America. Describes the "traveling suitcases program" developed by the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida. Compares the strengths and deficiencies of the traveling suitcase concept of instructional materials.…

Presents an activity in which models help students visualize both the DNA process and transcription. After constructing DNA, RNA messenger, and RNA transfer molecules; students model cells, protein synthesis, codons, and RNA movement. (MDH)

Utilizes the psychological and sociocultural components of a constructivist paradigm to provide a detailed analysis of how the cognitive constructions students make as they enumerate 3D arrays of cubes develop and change in an inquiry-based, problem-centered mathematics classroom. Describes the classroom work of three pairs of 5th-grade students…

Uses the integration of literacy learning in early-childhood classrooms as a model for computer integration. Describes and recommends a basic set of "curriculum integration" software. Discusses how computers can function as scaffolds and manipulatives; includes an example of how to design an integrated unit that incorporates technology. Discusses…

The abacus is a calculating tool that has been used in Asia for thousands of years. Mental abacus calculation is a skill in which an abacus image in the mind is used without the actual physical manipulation of the abacus. Using this method, people can perform extremely rapid and accurate mental calculations. Research indicates that abacus training…

The Model-Assisted Reasoning in Science (MARS) project seeks to promote model-centered instruction as a means of improving middle-school science education. As part of the evaluation of the sixth-grade curriculum, performance of MARS and non-MARS students was compared on a curriculum-neutral task. Fourteen students participated in structured…

Whenever teachers of young children get together there will be differences of opinion about how far children should be taught to count. Some will argue that the focus should be on small numbers to 9, building up the notion of what, say, the name 5 means, what it looks like, and how it can be represented. Others argue that with ice blocks retailing…

This document is designed to assist teachers and other school personnel in the planning and teaching of the fifth grade mathematics course. Contents include: (1) Overview of Grade 5 Mathematics (mission statement, purpose and philosophy, goals, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics, and uses…

This document is designed to assist teachers and other school personnel in the planning and teaching of the sixth grade mathematics course. Contents include: (1) Overview of Grade 6 Mathematics (mission statement, purpose and philosophy, goals, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics, and uses…

This publication is part of a series of monographs on the art of teaching. Each volume, focusing on a specific discipline, explores theory in the context of teaching strategies connected to evaluation of both teachers' and students' learning. Three techniques are offered for use of the guide: dialogues (as self-evaluation and in study groups),…