North Carolina revised its "Standard Course of Study" in 1985 to reflect the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to function in an industrial age. The entrance into what is being called the information age brings new challenges in preparing students with new skills in the areas of creative thinking, problem solving, interpersonal…

In response to the large numbers of students who were failing or dropping out of basic algebra and calculus classes, Cottey College, in Missouri, developed a math placement program in 1982 using Basic Algebra (BA) and Calculus Readiness (CR) tests from the Mathematical Association of America's Placement Testing Program. Cut off scores for the…

This document is a compilation of abstracts of 28 research papers presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The major portion of the reports concerned methods of instruction; nine were related to college mathematics, ten on secondary school mathematics, and two at the elementary school mathematics…

The paper considers a teaching experiment carried out with secondary school students (9th grade), who face modelling tasks to approach some basic concepts of algebra and early calculus. The focus is on an embodied analysis of students' cognitive processes. The analysis highlights the use of metaphors as a means of sharing knowledge. (Contains 2…

Integrating mathematics with other disciplines is an important issue for mathematics education. Writing is one such discipline that can be usefully integrated with mathematics instruction. This collection of essays on the use of writing to teach mathematics is an outgrowth of sessions of contributed papers presented at the 1988 and 1989 Annual…

This CD-ROM contains the lectures, abstracts, workshops, and posters of all participants in the Third International Conference on Technology in Mathematics Teaching (ICTMT 3). Various topics on teaching mathematics with technology are reviewed and some software and demos are also included. Main talks focus on such topics as graphing calculators,…

Describes a game used in precalculus that builds interest and confidence in the uses of inverse functions. The game is preceded by a worksheet that enables students to discover that f(x) and f-1(x) are mirror images of the line y=x. (DDR)

Presents three fundamental ideas of calculus and explains using the coordinate plane geometrically. Uses Cabri Geometry II to show how computer geometry systems can facilitate student understanding of general conic objects and its dynamic algebraic equations. (KHR)

Described is a decomposition theory from which the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, the diagonalizability of complex square matrices, and functional calculus can be developed. The theory and its applications are based on elementary polynomial algebra. (KR)

Given are instructions for teaching spreadsheet use for problem solving in mathematics. Examples of relevant problems from algebra through calculus are provided. The advantages of using computer spreadsheets in this application are stressed. (CW)

Discusses using the computer to promote versatile learning of higher order concepts in algebra and calculus. Generic organizers, generic difficulties, and differences between mathematical and cognitive approaches are considered. (YP)

Deficits common among secondary students with learning disabilities or mathematics deficiencies are considered, along with a strategy to teach upper level mathematics, such as algebra or calculus. The strategy involves use of a mentor to help students to comprehend mathematics vocabulary, develop their own problem-solving strategy, and create a…

Discusses a classroom presentation using a Tonka toy truck's forward and backward motion that (1) develops a graphical representation of the truck's one-dimensional motion; (2) creates graphs representing constant velocity; (3) leads students to a definition of average velocity; and (4) introduces the concept of instantaneous velocity. (MDH)

Discussed is an application of the computer software package, "Mathematica," to solve typical optimization problems from freshman calculus. An example of the use of this method is provided. (CW)

This article addresses the enhancement of the learning environment by using Java applets in the mathematics classroom. Currently, the first year mathematics program at the United States Military Academy involves one semester of modeling with discrete dynamical systems (DDS). Several faculty members from the Academy have integrated Java applets…