Provides domino geometry problems, problems with arithmetic progressions, and magic pentagram sums. (JM)

Studies abacus calculation to explore the development of skills and the resulting consequences. Consideration of the effects of abacus training, transfer of the skill to other tasks, and the contexts in which abacus skill develops demonstrates the multiple ways in which specific skills can contribute to cognitive development. (ETS)

A hierarchical-clustering technique was used to examine relationships among computation-related skills by pupils in grades one to four in two Irish schools. A clear hierarchical ordering of skills was obtained at each grade. (MNS)

Four types of computational estimation were explored in relation to other mathematical skills and sex differences with 309 eighth graders. Open-ended estimation was the most difficult, followed by estimation relative to a reference number and estimation within an order of magnitude. (MNS)

Determined if providing feedback to students had any impact on the correlation between performance in physics and a test of simple, mechanistic mathematics skills. Also determined if students who drop out of the physics course demonstrated any identifiable difference in performance on tests involving a variety of reasoning and problem-solving…

Discusses what areas of ability are being assessed in timed, closed-book examinations and to what extent the procedure might foster possible educational objectives. Also describes a list of 10 "qualities" by which a mathematics question can be graded to see what skills are needed for its solution. (Author/JN)

The focus of this issue of "NetNews" is dyscalculia, or math disability. Most of the attention over the years has been on reading and writing difficulties, thus leading to the belief that math difficulties are not very common or serious. However, it has been estimated that about 6% of school-age children experience significant math difficulties.…

This paper addresses the nature of child-initiated episodes of mathematical patterning prior to formal schooling. In a multi-site case study, children's engagement in mathematical patterning experiences was investigated as was the teachers' involvement and influence in these experiences. A conceptual framework was used to guide the examination of…

This paper analyses five Mozambican secondary school teachers' professional knowledge about limits of functions. Building up on Even's analysis of SMK [subject-matter knowledge], a new framework has been put together for this analysis. Interviews have been held with the teachers to analyse their knowledge according to this framework. Data suggest…

Many students do not apply their real world intuitions and sense-making abilities when solving mathematics problems in school. In an effort to better understand how to help students draw upon these valued resources, we investigate the manner in which the solution to a particular problem activity is repeatedly re-interpreted by a student. This is…

This is the first in a series of issue briefs to be written for The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement during 2006. A longstanding tenet of American education--one built into the very fabric of teacher training and licensure--is that elementary teachers need only general teaching skills and that having a caring personality is…

In order to provide accurate estimates of how much teachers affect the achievement of their students, this study used panel data covering over a decade of elementary student test scores and teacher assignment in two contiguous New Jersey school districts. The test score data, which spanned the years 1989-1990 to 2000-2001, came from nationally…

This pilot study determined some typical cognitive-motivational profiles of Finnish lower secondary students dealing with fractions and decimal numbers. Forty seven students from grades 7-9 participated in a number concept test, where also the motivational aspects, such as self-efficacy, certainty and tolerance were measured. Four distinctively…

The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework for categorizing and describing the different types of processes that undergraduates use to construct proofs. Based on 176 observations of undergraduates constructing proofs collected over several studies, I describe three qualitatively different ways that undergraduates use to construct proofs. In…

This paper reports on methods of students' justifications of their solution to a problem in the area of combinatorics. From the analysis of the problem solving of 150 students in a variety of settings from high-school to graduate study, four major forms of reasoning evolved: (1) Justification by Cases, (2) Inductive Argument, (3) Elimination…