Discusses the role of writing about problem solving in the development of mathematics and science skills. Provides examples of student writing in math and science to show students' enhanced engagement and cognitive awareness. (JPB)

Describes a large-scale Canadian assessment program which attempted to embed an improvement orientation into assessment by emphasizing how large-scale assessment contributes to learning. The paper investigates the impact of the assessment on how schools addressed accountability and improvement after the program had been in place for 2 years,…

Discusses the coverage of current issues in the mathematics education of young children, noting the numerous examples of activities and processes. Argues that while some insights into mathematics learning and teaching have become outdated, the book is useful for educators working with young children. (JPB)

Off-line metacognition (prediction and evaluation) was assessed in 437 children (grades 2-3) with or without learning disabilities. Off-line metacognitive scores of children with reading disabilities were comparable to those of age-matched typical peers. Significantly lower prediction and evaluation scores were found for children with specific or…

Explores the language used when teaching mathematics to young British children. Considers two aspects of children's learning: (1) understanding a concept being introduced; and (2) learning the appropriate word for the concept. Reports on part of a research project studying 5-year-old children as they acquire new mathematical concepts. (CMK)

Studied relations among children's short-term memory, working memory, inhibitory control, and arithmetic word-problem solving. Found that poor problem solvers had lower scores and made more intrusion errors in working memory tasks requiring inhibition of irrelevant information than good problem solvers. Findings indicated that performance relates…

During the years 2000-2003, a course on Exploring Quantitative Relationships (EQR) was created at Queens College under the support of the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (DOE-FIPSE Grant No. P116B000772). Exploratory in nature, the course goals were to acquaint liberal arts students with…

Inadequate achievement in mathematics frequently occurs especially amongst black learners, and the problem is assuming critical proportions. Tswana learners in the Mafikeng area find themselves in an educational situation that does not always promote optimal actualisation of their personal potential. One possible outcome of this situation is…

Six curriculum-based measures of math performance were developed for use with 4-year old preschool children. Measures included counting objects, selecting numbers, naming numbers, selecting shapes, counting, and visual discrimination. Technical properties of probe scores were assessed in two rural public preschool programs. Alternate forms,…

This study looked at undergraduate students' scores on a mathematics placement exam, mathematics courses taken and grades received, and persistence toward a degree. It was determined that a student's timely progress toward a four-year degree is influenced by the student's initial score on the mathematics placement exam and by subsequent…

The reliability and, to a lesser extent, the validity of the newly created Number Sense Test was evaluated with a group of 40 3- to 5-year-old children attending Head Start. Six number sense skills (e.g., counting, number identification, addition-subtraction) and children's feelings about school were assessed both before and after instruction…

This study investigated the developmental dynamics of mathematical performance during children's transition from preschool to Grade 2 and the cognitive antecedents of this development. 194 Finnish children were examined 6 times according to their math performance, twice during each year across a 3-year period. Cognitive antecedents, that is,…

This article extends and strengthens the knowledge in pieces perspective (diSessa, 1988, 1993) by applying core components to analyze how 5th-grade students with computational knowledge of whole-number multiplication and connections between multiplication and discrete arrays constructed understandings of area and ways of using representations to…

MathsAid was established in 2001 as a university-wide resource for students enrolled on programmes at Kingston University that contain a mathematics or statistics component. Its broad aims are to provide a set of non-threatening remedial and motivational opportunities in maths and statistics through one-to-one tutorial support, peer-assisted…

This article describes using helium balloons to introduce students to integers and integer arithmetic. (Contains 9 figures.)