The new common core standards for mathematics demand that students (and teachers!) exhibit deeper conceptual understanding. That's music to the ears of education professor John Tapper, who says teachers have overemphasized teaching procedures--and getting right answers. In his new book, "Solving for Why," he makes a powerful case for moving beyond…

February is a natural time to teach students that love involves more than hearts and candy--it also means giving of oneself. According to Terri Kennamer, a third-grade teacher at West Elementary School in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, it is the responsibility of educators to help students recognize that they are citizens of the world. Children have…

Despite students' interest in informational text, it has played second fiddle in literacy instruction for years. Now, though, nonfiction is getting its turn in the spotlight. The Common Core State Standards require that students become thoughtful consumers of complex, informative texts--taking them beyond the realm of dry textbooks and…

Everyday, people face situations that call for adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing, and at least half of the time, these calculations are accomplished without the use of pen, paper, or calculators. Because figuring "in your head" is such an important life skill, it should have a regular role in classroom math teaching. This article…

While researchers and teachers are still sorting out which programs work best in which circumstances, some basic ideas about thinking can be used by teachers. Suggestions for encouraging thinking in the classroom are offered. (MT)

This article deals with the increasing academic pressure facing five-year-old children who are in kindergarten schools in the U.S. Part of the reason kindergarten is becoming more and more academic is a growing understanding of the importance of early learning and the capabilities of young children. Proponents of ramping up standards in early…

Graphing skills are growing in importance in our information society, presenting facts and concepts in newspapers, magazines, and on television. Graphs incorporated into teaching develop children's problem-solving skills. Ways to use graphs in the classroom are discussed, and examples are given. (MT)

Presents 21 ideas for helping children learn to do story problems in math. (SJL)

For most teachers, more important than supplies and a spacious classroom is a happy learning environment in which each child feels welcome and safe. That is why it is so dismaying that according to one recent study, 43% of students worry about going to the restroom for fear of encountering a bully. The same study reported that a child is bullied…

Teachers can help students become better problem solvers when they introduce several problem solving strategies. Activities for classroom use are offered. (DF)

Presents reasons for students' use of calculators in math class and techniques for encouraging their optimal use. Many educators suggest that calculators free students from concentration on computation and enable them to concentrate on problem solving. The article includes product information. (SM)

Twelve games are described which serve to reduce students' mathematics anxiety. Children solve problems by observing, visualizing, manipulating, finding patterns, and using logical sequence. Some games do not involve numbers, but all games require original thinking and encourage intuition. (JMK)

Presents a six-step problem-solving process which the author has used to present creative science investigations to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. (Author/SJL)

Teachers often have difficulty responding to emotionally upset children in ways that help the students solve their problems. Examples of commonly used "put-downs and put-offs" and suggested techniques that teachers can use to lend emotional support are offered. (DF)

Scapegoating in the classroom is a destructive problem that disrupts the social life of the class. Suggestions are offered in the form of a fable to help both the outcast and those who victimize. (DF)