This set of papers was selected from presentations made at the Fourth and Fifth Annual Conferences of the Research Council for Diagnostic and Prescriptive Mathematics because of their pertinence to classroom teachers. The papers concern: (1) "Research and Development Related to Learning about Numerals for Whole Numbers: Implications for…

This document suggests ways of using children's intuitive ideas about mathematics as a starting point for an elementary curriculum. Ways are discussed to capitalize on what children already know: to cultivate rather than discourage students' intuitive mathematical sense, and to help students make connections between what they know and what they…

This paper describes the various procedures associated with the individual interviews that are part of the data gathering processes of the Coordinated Study being carried out by the Mathematics Work Group of the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Individualized Schooling. The first major section describes the six basic verbal addition…

This document consists of 51 articles (originally published in the "Arithmetic Teacher") which provide teachers with ideas for manipulative aids and activities. Guidelines used to select articles for this collection called for them to have a clear purpose and be related to a contemporary topic in the elementary school mathematics curriculum, to…

This handbook provides activities for teachers who wish to provide concrete learning experiences for students in a humanistic environment in a mathematics laboratory program. It is designed to serve as a stimulant to encourage teachers to open their minds and employ their imaginations in developing further activities. It is expected that the…

This study describes children's learning in a free-choice environment. Teacher controlled instruction is minimized and children participate in a wide variety of science activities with equipment that is selected by each individual student. The study occurs within an elementary school's Science Enrichment Center and the children work on the…

Ways in which early childhood educators can help children prepare for medical events through play are suggested in this pamphlet. Three qualities are seen as essential to a valuable hospital/medical play experience: (1) a focus on the child's current medical interests and experiences, (2) inclusion of information about a child's forthcoming or…

Ditto masters and visual aids to be used with the bilingual, multiethnic social science instructional unit developed for grade one are found in this ditto packet and supplement for teachers. Materials are to be used with the four kits in this social science unit, which is built around the theme of helping first graders adjust to the classroom…

Investigated was the readiness of fifth, seventh, and eighth graders trained to empirically gather data by manipulating objects and materials with their hands, and to transfer this skill to a problem situation outside the classroom. After one semester's training in the science process under investigation, the increase in the use of the strategy of…

Dr. Gotkin has developed several ways to use effectively games and mechanical devices to teach language skills to preschool and kindergarten children. The matrix game, a set of pictures in columns and rows, which functions on the principles and methods of programed instruction, requires the child to discriminate symbols, pictures, and colors and…

This guide describes activities and materials which can be used in a mathematics laboratory approach to a basic mathematics program for grades 1-6. Thirty-five activities pertaining to geometric concepts are described in terms of purpose, suggested grade levels, materials needed, and procedures. Some concepts included in the guide are: basic…

This study provides a systematic observation and assessment of pupil-teacher behaviors in a mathematics laboratory for underachieving innercity junior high school students. Using the Observational System for Instructional Analysis (OSIA), the author recorded and analyzed 125 mathematics laboratory activity sessions. Five students, selected from a…

This collection of articles presents ideas about the value of children's play and suggests practical ways to implement good play experiences and select appropriate play materials. Articles examine play as an agent of social values, play and thinking, play and child development, the environmental opportunities for play factors that can destroy the…

To identify the parameters of creativity exhibited in products of sixth grade children, 25 subjects (12 girls and 13 boys) were asked to produce written, art, and mechanical objects and to write a description of the product indicating its use. Ten judges graded the relative creativity of the objects by comparing their similarity to an object…

This is a series of four units introducing the concepts of solids, faces of solids, points, lines, and planes. Emphasis is placed on the discovery approach with a maximum of manipulation and experimentation on the part of the children. Each unit has suggested activities that include games, individual projects, worksheets, and discussion questions.…