High school geometry students were presented lessons with either a high degree of structure or a low degree of structure. Structure was defined in terms of the frequency with which concepts were repeated from one sentence to the next. After the lessons, students were tested for comprehension of the material covered and then they rated the lessons…

Activities originally designed to teach third-grade students about measuring liquids are presented. Included in the document are reasons to teach students how to use the basic units of liquid measurement and the development of a "laboratory" within the classroom where pupils could work while minimizing the mess. Some of the topics developed for…

The results of one of the earliest studies in a series of investigations on teachers' selection of content for mathematics instruction suggested that teachers are responsive to content messages that are communicated through textbooks and standardizes tests. The content analyses that are summarized in this report were therefore undertaken in an…

This guide provides material for teaching problems with rate and ratio calculations. There has been a traditional and worsening shortfall of student performance on rate and ratio problems which do not apply to other components of the mathematics program. The major problems found with traditional curriculum approaches are: (1) rate and ratio…

It is argued that course content should be specified as explicitly as possible in terms of what is expected of the student in the future. Four levels of details are addressed: (1) customary course objectives; (2) behavioral questions; (3) behavioral objectives; and (4) exams. The report described the Statistical Test Item Collection System…

This document views mathematics instruction as an area that was developed to deal with experiences of the real world, and that needs to change in response to the realities of today's world. To insure the continued teaching of significant ideas and skills, certain traditional topics must be deleted from the curriculum and new ones added. Teaching…

This document examines specifically relevant issues and offers useful guidance in making decisions for elementary and secondary school mathematics education in the 1980's. The expertise of 19 authors is reflected in 14 chapters that provide an overview of mathematics today and recommendations for the future. The individual chapters are titled: (1)…

This paper studies the difficulties children have solving word problems that correspond to one of the situations modeled by multiplication; that of a ratio (e.g. "candies per box"), multiplied by an extensive quantity (e.g. "boxes") (I x E). Sixty children were individually observed solving and repeating I x E problems. Various…

The results from the longitudinal evaluation of over 2000 low income students involved in the Direct Instruction Follow Through Project between kindergarten and third grade are reviewed. Of the ten major education approaches evaluated, students in the Direct Instruction model performed highest in all areas of Math: (1) Computations (66%…

This document presents six chapters on four-dimensional geometry, whose titles are: (1) A Brief History; (2) What Is Four-Dimensional Geometry?; (3) Selected Drawings and Models; (4) How to Study the Configurations; (5) Selected Topics; and (6) Applications. The text, suitable for students in advanced levels of secondary school mathematics,…

This collection of activities shows how teachers can help pupils develop problem-solving techniques or strategies using a basic four-function calculator. The techniques "look for a pattern,""make a chart or organized list," and "guess and check" are used repeatedly in activities that range from discovery to application to strategy games. The…

The potential of using calculators and microcomputers successfully with exceptional children is addressed. This document features specific devices and models when referring to applications of calculators in the classroom. For the exceptional or handicapped student, calculators are viewed as the "least restrictive" learning device; which are…

Research has shown causal and correlational links between teacher enthusiasm and student achievement, and between student at-task behavior and student achievement. This study tested the causal link between teacher enthusiasm and student achievement, using teaching as an independent variable and at-task behavior as a dependent variable in…

The purpose of this manual is to link classroom food experiences for elementary school students to academic objectives in health, reading and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Objectives, grade level, and food experience activities are listed for each lesson, which reinforce academic objectives and teach principles of good…

The features of content area materials that can be manipulated to improve primary grade content area reading instruction are explored in this paper. Sections of the paper examine organizational patterns, writing styles, vocabulary, and other characteristics of science, social studies, literature, and mathematics materials at the primary grade…