For centuries, the basic operations of school mathematics have been identified as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Notably, these operations are "basic," not because they are foundational to mathematics knowledge, but because they were vital to a newly industrialized and market-driven economy several hundred years…

This chapter describes a promising new approach to teaching developmental arithmetic and prealgebra, and presents research findings that demonstrate how a faculty support network helped instructors adopt new teaching strategies and gain confidence in teaching the reformed course.

Pratham's "Read India" initiative is a large-scale intervention to improve basic learning and arithmetic among children in primary school. It was started almost 10 years ago and has evolved considerably over time. Currently, this initiative uses two strategies. The first strategy is to work directly with village communities and local…

This article describes a follow-up analysis of findings from a randomized study that tested the efficacy of a blended version of Enhanced Anchored Instruction (EAI) designed to improve both the computation and problem-solving performances of middle school students with disabilities. The goals of the secondary analysis were to track overall error…

Interactive whiteboards are somewhat unimpressive at first and look like the whiteboards that already hang on the walls of many classrooms. However, integrating interactive whiteboard technology in a unit on adding and subtracting integers enhances student engagement and understanding. In this article, the author describes how she used an…

The analysis presented in this article tries to obtain a global view of the field of interactive learning environments (ILE) dedicated to arithmetic and algebra. As preliminaries, a brief overview of evaluation methods focusing on educational software is given and a short description of ten ILEs concerned by the study is provided as a kind of a…

The addition and subtraction of integers is the first major avenue, and roadblock, to student success in learning algebra. This article describes a hands-on activity using a regular deck of playing cards that facilitates class discussion and helps students overcome this initial roadblock. (Contains 14 figures.)

Describes a classroom-based model for professional development that allows teachers to gain further insight into matching learning experiences with a child's potential. (ASK)

Described is the Delaware Elementary Mathematics League; a state mathematics competition for grades 4-6. Included are specific sample test items and a discussion of how they can nurture the development of problem-solving skills. Sample tests are also discussed. (CW)

Described is a study of second grade classes that participated in a year-long project in which instruction was generally compatible with a socioconstructivist theory of knowledge and recent recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Methods, results, and implications for mathematics instruction are discussed. (CW)

The main aims of this project were the identification of learning difficulties in 107 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, using six months of direct instruction in the Distar program. (BW)