Introduces Hogben's adaptation of Zeno's paradox, "Achilles and the Tortoise", as a thinking and writing exercise. Emphasizes engaging students' imagination with creative, thought-provoking problems and involving students in evaluating their word problem-solving strategies. Describes the paradox, logical solutions, and students' mathematical…

Assesses the effects of explicitly teaching for transfer by broadening the categories by which students group problems requiring the same solution methods and prompting students to search novel problems for these broad categories. This transfer treatment was combined with instruction on solution methods. Improvement on immediate- and near-transfer…

Discusses an approach to learning that uses well-selected problems to capture student interest and challenge their intellect. Presents an example of the problem-centered approach and discusses ways in which it helps all students learn important mathematical concepts and skills. (KHR)

Describes the history of the unsolved moving sofa problem, presents one possible solution, and gives several suggestions for how this problem can be used in the classroom. (Author/NB)

Describes how mathematical puzzles and riddles can be implemented in the classroom to engage students in rich mathematical explorations and logical reasoning. (YDS)

Examines the performance of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Queensland, Australia when solving arithmetic word problems. Subjects' solutions of word problems confirmed trends for learning students but their performance was delayed in comparison. Confirms other studies in which deaf and hearing-impaired students are delayed in their language…

Examined stability of gang membership in early adolescence, concurrent behaviors, family characteristics, friendships, and school attitudes of stable and unstable gang and nongang members. Found that stable gang members, compared to nongang members, had higher teacher ratings of fighting behavior, hyperactivity, inattention and oppositional…

Field testing of a series of group-learning units in pharmacology based on a patient-oriented problem-solving approach found that the units were well crafted and that students had higher scores on tests of their knowledge of pharmacology after they had used the units. (Author/DB)

Questions assumptions by Schoenfeld and Zirkel in a study reviewing gender discrimination cases against institutions of higher education. Critiques the methodology used in that study, cautions about the overall utility of "outcomes analysis," and reports more promising routes of empirical legal research. (15 references) (MLF)

Parents of learning-disabled children from eight families were interviewed. Seven fields of concern emerged, including parental involvement in education, parent-school relationships, support for parents, social concerns for the child, concern for the child's future, emotional strains of parenting, and effects on the family. (Author/PB)

Significant changes in the General Educational Development Math Test require a change in teaching methods. A structured problem-solving approach focused on applying principles and interpreting abstract data will stress process as well as content as required by the test. (SK)

The initial step of a strategic process for solving mathematical problems, "studying the question," is discussed. A lesson plan for teaching students to identify and revise arithmetic problems is presented, involving directed instruction and supervised practice. (JDD)

To achieve lasting educational improvement in the face of rapid social change, this article suggests that disciplinary progression (toward increasing restriction) be instituted, that teachers adopt evening office hours, that bilingual education be abolished, that minimal standards be adopted, that instructional objectives be revamped, and that a…

A four-stage teaching model that encourages students to use fiction as a source of mental imagery and insight into social work issues is presented. Teachers can use the stages flexibly for different courses and levels of student expertise. (Author/MSE)

Young adolescents (N=178) reported their perceptions of interparental conflict, while their mothers and fathers completed a self-report measure of their conflict. Results indicated that both parental report (particularly maternal) and adolescent perception of interparental conflict were significantly related to teacher assessment of adolescent…