A variety of suggestions for making the mathematics curriculum more meaningful and interesting to students are described. Activities that incorporate real-world situations are provided for verbal items, common and decimal fractions, estimations and rounding off numbers, large and small numbers, geometry, probability, and statistics. (KR)

This study examined specific math practices utilized by 25 teachers in gifted preschool/kindergarten programs. Results indicated that most respondents used unstructured activities in small groups when providing math instruction. Although some concepts generally introduced to older students were taught, concepts of time and measurement were rarely…

Based on the cognitive psychological theories of Vygotsky and Davydov, discusses the establishment of connections between mathematical elements, and the algorithmic rules that govern them, and children's spontaneous mathematical concepts. Presents examples that establish connections involving addition and subtraction, comparing numerical…

Describes a teacher's experiences in a classroom where mathematics problems are presented in the context of aliens and other galaxies. (ASK)

Shares different students' solutions for a problem entitled How Much Film?, which appeared in the November 1997 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. The problem has to do with how many rolls of film are necessary to take 687 pictures. (ASK)

Examines the incremental validity of Differential Ability Scales (DAS) factor scores in predicting standardized achievement scores in Word Reading, Basic Number Skills, and Spelling by using a nationally representative sample stratified on gender, ethnicity, geographic region, parental education, and educational classification. Results show that…

Presents building-up strategies and activities for preservice teachers to help students move from using informal strategies to expressing proportional relationships in algebraic terms. (ASK)

Describes four 50-minute lessons in which complex numbers are introduced to year-12 calculus students using hand-held calculators and laptop computers. (ASK)

Demonstrates examples, one of which is an extension of "guess and check," to include variables rather than numbers. The quadratic equation az2+bz+c=0, is solved by assuming a complex solution of the form z=x+iy. Explores the use of deMoivre's theorem in deriving trigonometric identities with other examples. (Author/ASK)

Reports selected findings from a study of number-sense proficiency in students aged 8 to 14 years in Australia, Sweden, the United States, and Taiwan. Comments on the meaning and importance of number sense, the development of the assessment instruments, and student responses to the items. Discusses some implications for classrooms. Contains 39…

Explores the possibility that particular properties of how number words are used within sentences inform children of the semantic class to which they belong. Analysis of transcripts of the spontaneous speech of three children and their parents suggests that the relevant cues are available as input in parents' speech to children and that children…

Presents an activity using fractal cards--eye-catching pop-up cards--by applying simple iterative processes to single sheets of paper. This activity incorporates the concepts of measurement, number systems, sequences, series, limits, recursion, iteration, self-similarity, and fractional dimensions. Contains 12 references. (ASK)

Two experiments examined the development of children's understanding of part-whole relations. Found that five- and six-year olds evidenced understanding of part-whole relations, but four-year olds did not. Results support the conclusion that an understanding of the relationship between a superordinate set and the basic-level sets that comprise it…

Twenty-seven children (ages 7-10) with learning disabilities and 42 controls were tested on three different mathematics tasks. Significantly more controls abstracted composite unit structures suggestive of operational logic on modified nonverbal and associativity of length tasks. On a flash card task, children with learning disabilities achieved…

Examined the effects of using structurally organized tile patterns or diverse objects in various patterns to represent numbers on kindergartners' learning of number concepts. Found that at the level of numerical operations, structured materials facilitate children's choice of non- finger strategies and speed up response time for finger-strategy…