The hundreds chart is a valuable tool for teachers in elementary mathematics classrooms. The present study investigated the effects of spatial configurations of virtual hundreds charts on children's knowledge of base-ten concepts. Kindergarten and first-grade students were assigned to three instructional conditions in which they worked with a…

Decades of research conducted worldwide has resulted in a taxonomy for word problems involving additive situations. Research published in the 1980s found that U.S. curricula only exposed first-grade students to a small subset of the easiest types of word problems. Widely adopted curriculum standards in the United States call for first-grade…

The purpose of this study is to compare the differences of four essential aspects (i.e., representational forms, contextual features, cognitive demand levels, and response types) embedded in mathematical problems within the topics of numbers and operations in mathematics textbooks used in Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. This…

Problem solving has long been a priority in mathematics education, and the first Common Core mathematical practice (SMP1) focuses on this priority through the language of "Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them." We present findings from a survey about how prospective elementary teachers' (PTs) make sense of potential…

Mathematics and science have similar learning processes (SLPs) and it has been proposed that courses focused on these and other similarities promote transfer across disciplines. However, it is not known how the use of these processes in lessons taught to children change throughout a preservice teacher education course or which are most likely to…

In this study, I examine how using a writers' workshop model in mathematics creates a space for students to write about their mathematical thinking and problem solving and how their writing impacts instruction. This case study of one classroom with one teacher spanned 6 weeks and included 18 implementations of an adapted version of the Writers'…

The purpose of this study was to investigate three elementary mathematics curricula to examine the accessibility for students with learning disabilities (LD) with regards to challenges associated with working memory. We chose to focus on students' experiences when finding the area of composite shapes due to the multiple steps involved for…

Teaching mathematics through problem solving is a challenge for teachers who learned mathematics by doing exercises. How do teachers develop their own problem solving abilities as well as their abilities to teach mathematics through problem solving? A group of teachers began the journey of learning to teach through problem solving while taking a…

This study examined average-, high- and top-performing US fourth graders' rational number problem solving and their understanding of rational number representations. In phase one, all students completed a written test designed to tap their skills for multiplication, division and rational number word-problem solving. In phase two, a subset of…

Results of mathematics education research in problem solving activities of third-grade children are covered. The assumption that the horizontal number sentence is a useful tool for solving verbal problems is questioned. (MP)

Clarifies the relationship between oral reading accuracy and the ability to solve worded arithmetic problems using literature reviews. Discusses the implications of oral reading and lists eight guidelines for mathematics teachers. Thirty-seven references are listed. (YP)

Investigated was the presence and role of cue words in word problems found in three mathematics textbooks series. The methodology and results of the study are presented. Lists of cue words for grades 3-6 are provided. (CW)

Reviews research which indicates that students performed better on problems when extraneous information was absent than when extraneous information was present. However, recommends that teachers embed word problems with realistic contexts, that is, contexts that contain extraneous bits of information to help students transfer their problem-solving…

Provides guidelines for developing and implementing lessons using selections from children's literature as meaningful and appropriate contexts for solving word problems. Selection procedures, materials for constructing the characters, and two sample problems are provided. Lists 15 references. (YP)

Described is a two-week summer institute with 57 Ohio teachers in grades K-12. The teachers were given experiences in problem solving to help them broaden perceptions of real problem solving. Sixteen problem-solving strategies and four illustrative problems are included, and teachers' evaluative comments are discussed. (MNS)