In Asia, some children are taught a calculation technique known as the 'mental abacus'. Previous research indicated that mental abacus experts can perform extraordinary feats of mental arithmetic, but it disagrees as to whether the technique improves working memory. The present study extended and clarified these findings by contrasting performance…

Whole-number arithmetic is a core content area of primary mathematics, which lays the foundation for children's later conceptual development. This paper focuses on teaching whole-number multiplication (WNM) to build a stepping stone for children's proportional reasoning. Our intention in writing this paper is to obtain a practice-based perspective…

This paper investigates how the selected three East Asian countries--Japan, Korea, and Taiwan-- introduce and develop ideas related to fractions and fraction addition and subtraction compared to the Common Core State Standards of Mathematics and EngageNY. Looking at curricular approaches used across countries can provide a better picture of what…

Surprisingly little is known about the extent of children's knowledge about number beyond their ability to recite, read and write numbers and count quantities of objects. There is little information on the extent to which children are aware of how number is used in their everyday environment or of how much they gain from such early exposure. The…

BIT BY BIT is an encryption game that is designed to improve students' understanding of natural language processing in computers. Participants encode clear words into binary code using an encryption key and exchange them in the game. BIT BY BIT enables participants who do not understand the concept of binary numbers to perform the process of…

This study examined whether singular/plural marking in a language helps children learn the meanings of the words "one," "two," and "three." First, CHILDES data in English, Russian (which marks singular/plural), and Japanese (which does not) were compared for frequency, variability, and contexts of number-word use.…

Proposes the hypothesis that preschoolers have number concepts based on the numbers 1-5 rather than on the decimal structure. Results suggest that children understand numbers to 5 as a privileged anchor. Proposes a new model for a representational system of numbers. (Author/DR)

Presented is a brief overview of Japanese education followed by specific ideas about important considerations in the teaching of mathematics in elementary grades. Examples are given for teaching flexibility in mathematical thinking. (RH)

Investigated the development of number concepts and addition skills in Japanese children. Found that children's use of addition strategies, rather than their solution accuracy, changed primarily as a function of schooling, not age. Children's Base 10 number concepts improved with the amount of schooling, as well as with other social and…

Examines the effects of a teaching strategy in which fifth-grade students evaluated the strengths or weaknesses of solution methods to pattern finding problems, including an experimental and control group each consisting of 34 elementary students, in Japan. The experimental group showed a significantly better performance on the retention test…

Investigates which aspects of the mother behavior in interaction would be related, and in what way, to the child's acquisition of number conservation as a criterion measure of later cognitive development. (MP)

Compares the cognitive representation of number of 24 American, 25 Chinese, 24 Japanese, and 40 Korean first-graders, and 20 Korean kindergartners. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean children preferred to use a construction of tens and ones to show numbers, whereas English-speaking children preferred to use a collection of units. (RJC)

Examines the performance of children in different grades as they attempt to solve simple equations involving addition and subtraction of integer numbers. The extended task involves creating a story that matches the equations. (DDR)

Algebra is no longer just for college-bound students. After a widespread push by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and teachers across the country, algebra is now a required part of most curricula. However, students' standardized test scores are not at the level they should be. NCTM's seventieth yearbook takes a look at the…

An international numeracy scale compared how well adults in seven countries--the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and Denmark--handled some basic tasks involving numbers. The questionnaire comprised a set of 12 numeracy tasks that respondents were asked to complete using pen and paper. Within each country, the…