Two methods to facilitate classroom management and initiate student responsibilities are presented. The first describes student responsibilities for making up missed tests or assignments. The second describes a student scorecard to help students keep track of their grades and act as a motivational technique. (MDH)

In the first part, both the rationale and the policies for allowing students to use notes during tests in an advanced class are presented. The second part contains suggestions for color-coding a grade book thus promoting efficient information retrieval and easier analyses of students' progress and/or grades. (JJK)

This bulletin concerns the role of memorization in mathematics instruction. Sections of the bulletin are devoted to discussions of: old math vs. new math; the importance of memorization ability on mathematics learning; misconceptions about memory; how to enhance the memory, including short-term vs. long-term memory systems, attention, interest,…

This theme issue discusses education of gifted students in the areas of math and science. The issue contains several articles, an editorial, a program description, and a profile of an educator. "Our Most Important Investment for the Future: The Education of Our Youth" (Marian C. Diamond) describes educational programs of the Lawrence…

Part I describes the presentation of six different proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem by groups of three students in a party atmosphere. Part II delineates the analysis behind a student conjecture concerning the area of certain closed polar-coordinate figures. Part III proposes a categorical worksheet for determining when to apply the proper rule…

Thirty-three primary teachers were trained in the 1989 Standards for School Mathematics to study the relationship between the implementation of alternative assessment and such variables as: teacher grading orientation, class size, grade level, and student mathematical ability. Teachers were found to use knowledge level items significantly more…

This review of the findings of recent cognitive science research pertaining to learning and teaching focuses on how science and mathematics are being taught, analyzes how the presence of the computer demonstrates a need for radical rethinking of both the theory and the practice of learning, and points out that if educators fail to consider the…

Postulated here is the notion that the exploration of number patterns with calculators is a valuable mathematical learning activity that should be commenced in the primary grades. Various activities are presented that make use of the constant function key, which is available on many of the inexpensive four-function calculators. (JJK)

This brief presents the case for the reform of assessment systems as an essential component of systemic reform. The scope includes ways to share conceptual understanding among all stakeholders in the educational system, ways to evaluate the impact of systemic reforms in terms of student attainment of relevant goals, and ideas on how assessment can…

Presented are a rationale and sample techniques for the implementation and continued use of alternative school mathematics evaluation programs that are in alignment with the proposed curriculum standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Emphasis is directed toward holistic scoring techniques including calculator/computer…

These five issues of the serial "Communicator" published during 1993 discuss various aspects of gifted education, focusing, respectively, on mathematics and science, middle school gifted, parenting the gifted, talent development, and high school gifted. Articles include: "Our Most Important Investment for the Future: The Education of Our Youth"…

Presented are abstracts and analyses of eleven research reports related to mathematics education. Five deal with aspects of learning theory, three with classroom practices, and one each on student characteristics, cognitive development, and mathematics anxiety. Research related to mathematics education which was reported in RIE and CIJE between…

Assessment is more than simply ascribing an 'A' or a 'B' to a particular student achievement. In an era of state-mandated proficiencies and alternative assessment strategies, educators need practical ideas they can use to meaningfully assess their students' learning and their own practice. This issue of "ENC Focus" centers on the topic…

Fourteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Five studies deal with aspects of mathematics instruction, and there are four reports each on mathematics achievement and on two cognitive processes. The remaining items concern calculators, attitudes, and aptitude-treatment interaction. Research related to…

Fourteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Five of the reports deal with various student characteristics, four with teaching techniques, two with calculators, and one each with placement, open education, and teacher education. Research related to mathematics education which was reported in RIE and CIJE…