This book presents a numerical problem-solving environment for middle grade students using the computerized spreadsheet. It offers a package of spreadsheet models and suggested activities that promote student thinking with numbers. (ASK)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how drawings can contribute to generating new information when solvers use drawings in solving mathematical problems. For this purpose, two episodes, in which drawings enabled a solver to find ideas useful for his solutions, were qualitatively and closely analyzed, especially focusing on what roles…

Written for all teachers of young children, this book illustrates activities that promote early mathematics development for children ages three to five and "showcases" mathematics for the young child. The thirty-five activities in this book are distributed into five content areas: number and operations, geometry, algebra, measurement, and data…

These analyses form part of a three-year project looking at mathematical thinking as a socially organized activity. We revisit data from a University Calculus class using tools from two theoretical perspectives, used increasingly in mathematics education research: (1) semiotic mediation; and (2) discursive practices. We highlight how different…

This book contains a collection of multiplication lessons that support curriculum and instruction. The goals of the lessons are to give all students the chance to learn how to mentally multiply by 10, powers of 10, and multiples of 10; use the distributive property to calculate products; use paper and pencil to record thinking when solving…

This book contains a collection of addition and subtraction lessons that support curriculum and instruction. The activities are rich with child-friendly contexts that are fun and engaging and give students opportunities to gain computational skills while developing their own confidence in and enjoyment of mathematics. Three elements are regarded…

Arithmetic is the major focus of elementary mathematics instruction. This book contains a series of lessons designed to meet the goals of place value instruction and give students a rich understanding of how the number system works. Topics include counting larger numbers in two or more ways, recognizing that the number of objects in a group…

Emphasizing higher order thinking skills is of primary concern within mathematics. Learning environments emphasizing the learners understanding of the subject matter are constantly under review, with one learner-centered emphasis upon instruction leading the way: WebQuests. The design and development of WebQuests for the mathematical classroom…

In response to the recommendation that teachers incorporate more statistics into their mathematics classes, this paper offers several ways in which students can work with real data. Among the ideas included are their birthdays. Having the students generate a data set that includes their month of birth, exact time of birth, day of the month, and…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recently published "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics." For the first time, these new standards include pre-kindergarten standards, while outlining the mathematics that children should learn as they progress through school. The standards present a broad view of what…

This illustrated book examines everything having to do with the square. It begins with a basic definition of the square and continues by giving some examples of squares and other interesting historical information. Some ideas addressed include why cities are laid out in square blocks, how buildings are designed from squares and cubes, and how…

What should constitute a preschool mathematics program for children ages 3 and a half to 5 years? What mathematical ideas could youngsters explore? This paper discusses six broad mathematical concepts for investigation by preschoolers: number, space and location, shape, patterns, measurement, and permutations. For each big idea, activities are…

This guide contains classroom-tested problems designed to introduce and reinforce mathematical concepts in a quick, "fun" way. Activities emphasize the logic and reasoning skills needed to build a strong foundation in mathematics. The problems are thinking activities and require only upper elementary level mathematics skills. Activities are…

A word problem concerning weights of a pail containing different amounts of nails appeared in January 1997 issue of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Teachers were invited to try the problem with classes and submit examples of students' work with a brief analysis. This article contains three student solutions. Argues that posing such…

Describes a project that allows students to derive fractions with varying denominators, estimate that fractional representation in a pie chart as a piece of the whole, and add their various fractions to find the sum equal to one whole. Includes samples of student work. (DDR)