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…

Math games bring out kids' natural love of numbers. Yet in the waning days of school, students can't wait for that final bell to ring. Each summer, most students lose about two months of mathematical computation skills. So how do teachers keep their students focused on math up till the end? Before sending them off for the summer, get them hooked…

Fifth graders became interested in math by learning about jobs, housing, and transportation costs based on information in the local newspaper. In the process they learned something about the economics of living, and about how mathematics would be important to them in the years ahead. (KC)

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)

The authors present a scheme for teaching primary grade students about graphing. (SJL)

Ideas for establishing a mathematical menagerie with puppets to facilitate mathematics instruction in the elementary school. (CM)

Some children ignore traditional methods and use intuitive math shortcuts. This demonstrates an understanding of the structure of numbers that should be cultivated in every child. Teaching strategies and shortcuts can nurture this intuitive understanding and give children real insight into numbers. (MT)

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

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)

Author sheds some light on the teaching of ratio in elementary schools. (Author/RK)

As a teacher you can make use of a child's everyday environment to provide meaningful, concrete experiences that involve sorting, comparing, matching, and counting. (Author)

Discusses the developmental stages in mathematical literacy for children ages 5-13 and suggests teaching methods that can be used to develop functional mathematical literacy within the school curriculum. (RB)

Presents activities from "Box-It or Bag-It," a popular mathematics program designed to make elementary students think. The activities are based on the belief that children construct mathematical understandings by playing games, manipulating concrete materials, investigating problems related to personal experiences, and discussing ideas.…

Presents suggestions for helping elementary teachers learn students' names and helping students feel comfortable in the first week of school while studying mathematics skills related to graphing and data. The activities involve graphing students' names and reading a children's book then creating mathematics activities out of the lead character's…

Suggests some creative ideas in a number of learning areas for elementary education. (RK)