The ultimate goal of high school mathematics teachers is to create a meaningful learning environment that is conducive to teaching students the necessary concepts for academic achievement. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that many secondary educators still teach in a rote lecture style that focuses on the teacher providing information to passive,…

Integration of subject areas with technology and thinking skills is a way to help teachers cope with today's overloaded curriculum and to help students see the connectedness of different curriculum areas. This study compares three authentic approaches to teaching a science unit on bird adaptations for habitat that integrate thinking skills and…

This report describes a program for increasing adolescent visualization and understanding of geometry problems. The targeted population consisted of high school students in two geometry classes in a growing middle-class community. The inability of students to adequately visualize and understand geometry problems was documented through teacher-made…

A study compared the effectiveness of three different story-telling strategies on a preschool disabilities population. Participants were exposed to stories through oral story telling using auditory cues only, story telling with illustrations such as Big Books, or story telling using illustrations and puppets. Participants were asked to retell the…

A series of activities involving comparing weights of objects directly, using non-standard units, using standard units, using simple scales, and using complex scales are described. (SD)

Directions are given for activities designed to help children realize that linear measurement is continuous, that it involves the repeated use of a unit in the same way each time, and that measurement is approximate. Non-standard units as well as standard units are included. (DT)

Seventy-one college students were taught probability and statistics for one month by one of three methods: MP, manipulative-pictorial; P, pictorial; and S, symbolic. Analysis of variance yielded significant differences (p.05) between treatment groups for selected subtests of an achievement test and generally favored MP and P over S.

Several issues concerning mathematics curriculum for the primary grades are discussed. Five considerations necessary for building a balanced curriculum are defined and discussed: broadening content, providing variety in learning and thinking strategies, balancing emphasis on skills, concepts and applications, discretion in use of manipulative…

Activities involving graphing are described. Beginning with arranging objects in linear arrays, the authors outline a sequence of activities leading up to graphing of grouped data, and circular graphs. (SD)

ALTHOUGH BLOCKS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT IN A SCHOOLROOM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, INADEQUATE EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE EDUCATIVE VALUES THEY PROVIDE. THEY ARE ADAPTABLE MATERIALS WHICH PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUAL RATES OF DEVELOPMENT. THEIR USE ENCOURAGES THE DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION, RESPONSIBILITY…

The purpose of this study was to determine if college students could benefit from the use of visual and manipulative aids while studying a mathematical topic. A sample of 33 freshmen were pretested for mathematical ability, divided into ability levels by means of ACT composite scores, and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups for a…

The research reported dealt with the ability of first, second, and third grade students to understand the topological concepts of solids, sheets, lines, networks, and of order and betweenness. The concepts were presented through the use of manipulative materials. The instruction was conducted by the regular teachers for a period of three weeks…

This is a set of 8 x 11-inch cards containing ideas for manipulative materials, generally inexpensive household items, for use in the elementary classroom. The cards are tab-indexed into seven categories: sets (which is subdivided into set recognition and set operations), number-numerals, geometry, measurement, probability, number theory, and…

Planned experiences for exploration of materials are suggested for introducing geometric concepts. Examples discussed include motion, symmetry, and shape. (MP)