Poor, minority, and low ability students suffer most from the general lack of sustained opportunity to study mathematics in American public schools. Studies indicate that preschool and kindergarten students show only minor social class or racial differences in mathematical thinking and that differences in mathematical performance among older…

Activities designed to develop reasoning skills with Attribute Blocks are presented. The items are arranged according to age level, however, much overlapping exists between the groupings. The level of the activities ranges from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Some of the items are also viewed as appropriate for prospective elementary and…

This guide was prepared as an instructional aid for teachers of a second-year course in algebra. It was designed to be applicable to a wide range of Algebra II programs offered in senior high schools. The content of the Algebra II program has been divided into 13 major units and a preliminary unit designed to review selected Algebra I skills. Each…

Describes a program in a school district (Washington, DC) which brings professional scientists, engineers, and mathematicians into school classrooms to work directly with junior high school students. Reports on the programs progress to date, including the positive changes on the students' attitude toward science and mathematics. (TW)

The use of strategies is an important part of mathematical thinking. Presented are several games that help develop the reasoning strategies of hypothesis making and testing, proving and disproving, looking for patterns, and simplifying a difficult task. (MDH)

Presents activities employing LOGO to help create situations that enable students to make meaningful cognitive connections while exploring mathematical relationships. Activities explore the concepts of angles and rotations, progressing from off-line to on-line activities with suggested extensions. (MDH)

Mechanical devices offer an alternative to computers to explore mathematical concepts in different curricula areas. Described is the discograph, a series of pulleys and wheels, that can be used to teach mathematical principles in pattern drawing, locus, rotation in geared systems, gearing, rotational symmetry, regular plane figures, decimal, and…

Provided is a teacher's guide for a problem-solving activity that establishes a link between number patterns and geometry by focusing on the development of recurrence relations established when generating central polygonal numbers. Reproducible worksheets and a 3.0 BASIC program for the activity are given. (MDH)

Describes three activities to teach mathematical concepts involving probabilities related to outcomes using "Sicherman" and other dice; geometric representations of algebraic identities; and the volume of a cone. (MDH)

The current period in mathematics education can be characterized as one of reform. Many feel that children in the United States are not learning enough appropriate mathematics; these critics are concerned with the specific areas of problem solving and children's conceptions of the nature and uses of mathematics. A pretest/posttest experimental…

The ideas of the nature, purpose, and scope of mathematics held by students is an issue of interest to the mathematics education community. Movement from a mathematics as discrete operations perspective to a mathematics as problem-solving perspective is a desired change in mathematics education reform. A pretest/posttest experimental design study…

Proponents of mathematics education reform have emphasized both cognitive and attitudinal goals, seeking improvement in children's problem-solving skills and in their attitudes toward mathematics. A pretest/posttest experimental design study examined the effects of SQUARE ONE TV, a television series about mathematics aimed at 8- to 12-year-old…

This handbook is intended to provide mathematics curriculum leaders and supervisors with discussion and related activities central to a presentation of algebra for teachers of students with a history of lower academic achievement and who are part of our underserved populations. The handbook: (1) deals with general algebra activities; (2) focuses…

South Carolina requires that prospective teachers pass an Education Entrance Examination (EEE) consisting of three parts--writing, reading, and mathematics. Minorities are having difficulty passing the mathematics portion of this test. This study investigated the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on basic skills mathematics…

The consortium Mini-In-Service Mathematics Project consisted of teachers attending two three-hour graduate classes at each of seven sites in West Virginia. This document reports on the activities of the project and the results of a variety of evaluations done on and about the project. All participants completed a mathematics and a mathematics…