Research and theory suggest several instructional practices that could enhance student self-efficacy. However, little is known about the ways these instructional practices interact with individual students to create opportunities or challenges for developing adaptive self-efficacy. In this study, we focused on two sources of efficacy, mastery…

Examines elementary students' perspectives on the engagement potential of particular mathematical problems and students' views on classroom problem-solving activities in general. Nonroutine examples that focused on important reasoning processes and did not involve computation had the greatest engagement potential, whereas computational problems…

The author discusses the use of free-hand drawing, the modified Socratic teaching method, and the differentiation of mathematical language from colloquial usage as techniques which he has found helpful in creating a positive classroom environment for teaching problem solving. (MN)

Presents a model that relates Polya's ideas on problem solving to teaching practices that help create a mathematics learning environment in which students are actively involved in doing mathematics. Illustrates the model utilizing a high school geometry problem that asks students to measure the width of a river. (MDH)

A list of potential writing ideas and general guidelines to be used in integrating writing into the mathematics classroom are provided. Ideas under the headings of narrative, descriptive, and expository writing are included. (KR)

Proposes that problem scenarios are activities that give students opportunities to employ mathematics across the curriculum by asking them to define problems, identify information needed and potential sources of data, and make related conjectures. Discusses an example of a scenario involving transportation. (MDH)