In February, 1985, the Ford Foundation launched an experimental program to strengthen mathematics education in inner-city high schools. Five grants helped establish urban mathematics collaboratives (UMC) in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Later, additional UMCs were set up in Durham, Memphis, New…

Reasons for poor performance in mathematics by students in the United States are discussed. According to the authors, too many students never experience arithmetic at a physical, concrete level. Students are drilled in arithmetic facts without any meaningful context and are given few opportunities to use numerical concepts in real-life…

This is a series of research projects that can be used for enrichment of the middle school mathematics curriculum. It is suggested that the topics are either not found in the standard curriculum or represent a more indepth study of standard topics. The areas considered are: microcomputer programs; divisibility; magic squares; pentominoes; the…

This document describes one of the second-year courses meeting the two-year mathematics high school requirement satisfying the New York Regents Action Plan. This handbook is designed to meet the needs of teachers who will be teaching the Consumer Mathematics course. The handbook, for use with staff development programs, has five main sections: (1)…

This self-paced, individualized course, adapted from military curriculum materials for use in vocational and technical education, teaches students the skills needed to become aviation structural mechanics (first class). The course materials consist of three pamphlets. The first pamphlet covers aircraft maintenance management, records, and reports…

A battery of work sample tests, the Micro-TOWER System of Vocational Evaluation, has been developed for use in vocational and career education programs. Verbal, numerical, and perceptual motor skills useful in various occupations are measured. The system has been field tested in vocational rehabilitation centers, prisons, schools, and psychiatric…

Each of the 14 environment-related mathematics activities included in this publication by the Upper Mississippi River ECO-Center includes objectives, materials needed, preparation, and activity description. Occasionally, variations and helpful hints are added. Because the student can gain experience to help him with the practical application of…

For American Indian students, math anxiety and math avoidance are the most serious obstacles to general education and to the choice of scientific careers. Indian students interviewed generally exhibited fear and loathing of mathematics and a major lack of basic skills which were caused by a missing or negative impression of the mathematics…

The career activities guide in mathematics, part of an Idaho State Department of Vocational Education career exploration series for grades 7, 8, and 9, is designed as supplementary material to enrich the regular curriculum. Any one activity in the guide might be used without involving any other activities. The cross-referenced index indicates…

Presents five activities to help students construct meaning for multiplying fractions through real-world problem contexts, physical or pictorial models, the recognition of patterns, and the use of calculators. In the context of a garden plot, worksheets examine various aspects of parts of plots, patterns in plots, and a maximization problem.…

Proposes the method of student-generated story problems to supplement textbook problems, generate student interest, and bring real-life situations into the mathematics classroom. Gives steps to initiate the method that incorporates small groups and peer teaching to develop problem-solving and problem-posing abilities. (MDH)

A longitudinal study followed Brian from grade five through grade seven to examine his representation and development of mathematical knowledge. Some observations over the four years were that Brian liked to figure things out, responded poorly to suggestions not fitting the representation he constructed, and changed attitudes from purposeful and…

Focuses on connections between mathematics and environmental concerns. Activities were designed to make students aware of, and increase their knowledge of, the various materials people ordinarily use and discard and ways to use materials more conservatively. Each activity includes data gathering, graphing, and interpreting data. Activity sheets…

An exploratory study assessed the degree to which 13- and 14-year olds (n=100) adjusted assumptions of direct proportionality suggested by surface structure of word problems. Virtually no errors were made on "straightforward" items, but many students showed no adjustment for realistic constraints on complex items. (Contains 21…

These instructional materials include a teacher's guide designed to assist instructors in organizing and presenting an introductory course in technology education and a student guide. The materials are based on the curriculum-alignment concept of first stating the objectives, developing instructional strategies for teaching those objectives, and…