This paper comments on EC 603 157, which discusses cognitive and metacognitive strategy instruction on mathematical problem solving of middle school students with learning disabilities. The commentary analyzes the separability of cognition and metacognition and raises questions about the identifiable components that contribute to the effectiveness…

Because of national concern about the effect of having basic college mathematics courses taught by so many international teaching assistants whose English skills may be limited, this paper reports on the use of language in teaching by regular college faculty, rather than teaching assistants, at Georgia State University. (eight references)…

Describes the typical eighth-grade geometry curriculum (with regard to teacher emphasis on content, time allocations, instructional methodologies, the use of manipulatives, and compared to current research models) of typical (n=109) and enriched (n=23) mathematics classrooms in the United States based on data from the IEA Second International…

Discusses diagnostic information which can be gained from students' writing and presents examples of each, including error patterns, insights into where instruction should begin, failure of students to make connections, difficulties with independent work, clarifying student understanding, and student beliefs and attitudes. (42 references) (MKR)

Describes the development, refinement, and validation of a framework for nurturing and assessing multidigit number sense in young children. Major constructs incorporated were counting, partitioning, grouping, and number relationships. The framework was validated through case studies of six first-grade children. (30 references) (MKR)

Uses the theme of the postal service as a basis for connecting mathematics to art, social studies, children's literature, and real-life situations. Stresses communication and cooperative groups. Includes reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

Presents a team-oriented student activity designed to introduce trigonometric ratios and applications of selected trigonometric functions by constructing tables of values. Can be used at the middle school level. (MKR)

Discusses results of 2 examinations taken by 12th-grade students (n=13,522 for calculus; n=18,031 for statistics) in New Zealand. Males outscored females, significantly in statistics, and private school students outscored state school students. Some differences moderated when mathematics coursework was factored in. (Contains 32 references.)…

Questionnaires were used to survey computer usage by (n=840) secondary students at home and by (n=22) teachers in their classes in Great Britain. There was little educational use of computers at home by students, and 55% of the teachers strongly opposed assigning homework for completion on a computer. (MKR)

Presents instructional strategies for teaching middle school students about time zones and why the earth experiences night and day. Provides instructions for helping students make and use sextants and sun dials. Describes class activities and student-teacher dialogue. (CFR)

Suggested are some instructional strategies for dealing with the challenge of teaching students with limited English language proficiency. An example of a classroom activity designed to implement these suggestions is presented. (CW)

Describes the Information Technology (IT) in Mathematics Project in Great Britain, which surveyed the extent to which IT was used in the teaching of mathematics and examined the extent to which IT skills could or should be taught within mathematics. Experiences with spreadsheets and LOGO are described. (seven references) (LRW)

An algebra class activity of creating computer graphics by connecting a series of ordered number pairs with subsequent investigations involving the transformations of the functional relationship between the elements of those ordered pairs is presented. (JJK)

Discussed is why students have the tendency to apply an "add the numerators and add the denominators" approach to adding fractions. Suggested is providing examples exemplifying this intuitive approach from ratio, concentration, and distance problems to demonstrate under what conditions it is applicable in contrast to the addition algorithm. (MDH)

Described are examples of classroom exercises that use interactive graphics software for personal computers to enhance the teaching of statistical concepts by allowing students to generate multiple examples, make conjectures, and verify their findings about the concept. The transfer of this interactive tool to other subject areas is suggested.…