In this brief review, research on varying types of instructional materials is summarized. The evidence indicates that the textbook is the most widely used instructional material, and few teachers appear to use any other materials more than five times a year. Research findings on the value of the use of manipulative materials seems clear: they have…

This book presents activities designed to promote students' understanding of important mathematical ideas as well as to provide learning experiences intended to let students practice and refine their skills. Chapter topics include: (1) understanding and using numbers; (2) computation; (3) problem solving; (4) calculators; (5) fractions and…

A problem-solving program supplemented by calculators in one treatment group was conducted in 63 grade 7 classes with about 1350 students. Teachers were provided with problems correlated with textbooks, and instruction for teaching problem-solving strategies. School districts provided calculators and problem-solving materials. Pretest scores…

Details about an investigation into the nature of the mathematics curriculum at the elementary level and suggestions about ways to improve existing programs are the focus of this material. It is noted that there appeared to be a great gulf between the type of instruction typically provided and the type viewed as the best possible to provide, with…

Eighteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Four of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, five with topics in mathematics instruction (history of mathematics, exponents, probability, calculus, and calculators), four with teacher characteristics, and one each with testing, student interests,…

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of a heuristic approach to problem-solving instruction. The 330 subjects were randomly assigned to either a Problem Solving, Calculator Problem Solving, or Control group. The two experimental groups studied problem-solving heuristics applied to nonroutine problems for 18 weeks, after which…

This report discusses some of the activities of the Iowa Problem-Solving Project (IPSP). The document has three main sections: (1) Materials Development, where IPSP teaching materials and test development are discussed; (2) Summative Evaluation of Materials, presenting the procedures, results, and findings of the 1978-79 evaluations; and (3)…

This document actually consists of two state-of-the-art reviews on the use of calculators in education, one prepared in April 1978 and the second in May 1979. Each presents a concise summary of current status, with sections elaborating on the extent of use of calculators in schools, research on calculator effects, the development of instructional…

The message of this article is that there are many types of problems ordinarily requiring advanced techniques or special insight to solve which can now be done as simple programming exercises on inexpensive programmable calculators. Several examples appropriate for the secondary school curriculum are given. These are: (1) evaluating polynomials;…

The abstracts and critical analyses of research in this document were prepared and compiled to add to the fund of information on the effects of hand-held calculators on achievement and learning. Since many persons find it difficult to secure original copies of all research studies, the expanded abstracts should provide specific information…

Many problems and activities which can be worked with a calculator are contained in this booklet. The problems include: pattern recognition, combinations of operations, estimation, squares and square roots, rate problems, area, and volume. Chapter topics include: getting to know the calculator, single-step problems, using formulas, and…

The twenty-two essays on problem solving included in this publication give ideas and examples for use in the classroom at all levels of instruction. Topics discussed in the essays include but are not limited to: problem posing, clues from research, story problems, calculators, textbook problems, and measuring problem solving. Polya's heuristics as…

An instructor's manual and student activity guide on the clerical use of calculators are provided in this set of prevocational education materials which focuses on the vocational area of office occupations. (This set of materials is one of ninety-two prevocational education sets arranged around a cluster of seven vocational offerings: agriculture,…

Presented is a budgetary decision model developed to aid the executive officers in arriving at tentative decisions on enrollment, tuition rates, increased compensation, and level of staffing as they affect the total institutional budget. The model utilizes a desk-top programmable calculator (in this case, a Burroughs Model C 3660). The model…

Eighteen children (12- to 15-years-old) with learning disabilities and behavioral problems were assessed to determine the effect of desk calculators on student achievement, attitude, and behavior. The Ss, whose IQs ranged from 68 to 116, used four calculators in a mathematics class to check answers of mathematics problems for 6 months. Comparison…