This study was designed to test whether a learned helplessness treatment would decrease performance on mathematical tasks and to extend learned helplessness findings to include the cognitive development dimension. Results showed no differential advantages to either sex in resisting effects of learned helplessness or in benefiting from strategy…

Outlines two mathematics teaching strategies: the exploration/discovery approach to mathematical concepts, and the use of pair group problem-solving. These require teachers to shift from the traditional role of lecture/demonstrator to a role demanding new skills in planning and facilitating student work. Includes 10 references. (MD)

Using a microcomputer "dart" game, this study of 61 primary school students investigated how children of different ages used counting to make numerical estimates. Results showed developmental differences in accuracy of estimation, fluency in counting and sophistication of self-reported strategy use. (BS)

Offers a teaching technique that proposes to enliven instruction of statistics for mathematics students. This activity focuses on questions and associated calculations pertaining to wildlife in captivity. Directives for the lesson as well as a complete listing of questions and answers on captive wildlife are included. (ML)

In two experiments, self-instruction training for educationally handicapped children consisted of general self-instruction components and explicit instruction in task components. For both experiments the training improved academic performance. It was concluded that successful academic performance occurs when self-instructional statements integrate…

The importance of teaching computational estimation is discussed, with note of its increased significance because of widespread use of calculators and the need to develop number sense. The reason for its failure to be taught is traced to the multiplicity of methods, and some detailed suggestions are therefore presented. (MNS)

Research on the usefulness of calculators in mathematics instruction is cited, and some activities using calculators to develop skills with reading numbers, counting, basic facts, multiplication and division, problem solving, estimation, percentages, decimals, patterns, probability, and games are described. (MNS)

Two decades after the United States was diagnosed as "a nation at risk," academic standards for our primary and secondary schools are more important than ever?and their quality matters enormously. In 1983, as nearly every American knows, the National Commission on Excellence in Education declared that "The educational foundations of our society…

The purpose of the High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE) is to determine student competency in the areas of reading, English, and mathematics. The HSGQE provides this information in the form of test scores that reflect the essential skills that students should know as a result of their public school experience. The requirement to…

This sampler presents assessment tasks that are appropriate for use with students from age 4 through age 8. The book provides teachers of primary grades mathematics with examples of assessment tasks that reflect the various ways assessments can be used prior to, during, and following mathematics instruction. Teachers can then consider the …

This study investigates the impact of America's Choice on student writing performance in Georgia. The analyses in this study focus on the change that occurred during the first year of implementation, the 2001-2002 school year. Two research questions guided these analyses: (1) What effect did Georgia's Choice have on the writing scores from the…

A glyph--short for hieroglyphic--is a form of picture writing that conveys information. This book uses 10 glyphs to teach math concepts that are linked to the new NCTM Standards. There are four key parts to each glyph: (1) a legend (or survey questions); (2) directions for the teacher that tell students what to draw, color, or write based on…

Educational leaders have sought to change the prevailing teacher-centered pedagogy to a student-centered approach. Despite the widespread awareness of the reform agenda, there is an increasing concern of whether a real instructional change happens in a way to promote students' mathematical development. This paper deals with successes and…

This paper presents the early results of an experiment involving a class of elementary student teachers within the context of their mathematics preparation. The motivation of the exercise centered on giving them an experience with mathematical research at their own level and ascertaining its impact on their attitudes and beliefs. The students…

As part of a research project on students' understanding of variability in statistics, 272 students, (84 middle school and 188 secondary school, grades 6-12) were surveyed on a series of tasks involving repeated sampling. Students' reasoning on the tasks predominantly fell into three types: additive, proportional, or distributional, depending on…