Inclusion and differentiation--hallmarks of the current educational system--require a paradigm shift in the way that educators run their classrooms. This article enumerates the need for techno-kinesthetic, visually based activities and offers an example of a calculator-based programming activity that addresses that need. After discussing the use…

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) advocates commonly emphasize an interdisciplinary, authentic, project-based, and technology-based approach to learning, though the strength of prior research varies. This study examines the association between a range of classroom activities and academic performance gains in math and science. Using…

This report provides an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations as well as to identify promising future areas of research. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research published since 1999. We summarize the research to review current research trends and enhance understanding of the implications of accommodations use in the…

This paper reports the results from a study which explored the influence of condition (access to four-function calculator, access to graphing calculator with instructional exposure, and access to graphing calculator without instructional exposure) on the mathematical performance of students with and without a disability. The results were analyzed…

Why is subsequent recall sometimes better for self-generated answers than for answers obtained from an external source (e.g., calculator)? In this study, we explore the relative contribution of 2 processes, recall attempts and self-computation, to this "generation effect" (i.e., enhanced answer recall relative to when problems are practiced with a…

We used population-based, longitudinal data to investigate the relation between mathematics instructional practices used by first-grade teachers in the United States and the mathematics achievement of their students. Factor analysis identified four types of instructional activities (i.e., teacher-directed, student-centered,…

A solid foundation of chemistry principles is only gained through a true comprehension of the material as opposed to pure memorization. One of the most fundamental concepts in chemistry is that of determining the amount of product formed in a chemical reaction when one of the reactants is limiting. To increase students' comprehension of this…

WIRIS quizzes are an online mathematics tool for educational purposes that upgrade Moodle quizzes and allow the development of personalized quizzes using random data and conditional instructions. WIRIS quizzes can be used in any mathematics or science degree; their complex operators allow it to be used to solve electrical circuits. This tool…

When a Computer Algebra System (CAS) is used as a pedagogical and functional tool in class and as a functional tool in exams, its effect on student achievement can be quite profound. The timing of when students are first introduced to a CAS has an impact on gains in student achievement. In this action research project, the CAS calculator was…

The explanatory correlational research study examined the degree of the relationships between the three elements and teachers' implementation of calculators in the mathematics classroom. The three elements include teachers' attitude toward technology, teachers' instructional use of calculators, and teachers' attitude toward…

This book's 28 chapters are adapted and updated from articles published in NCTM's "Journal for Research in Mathematics Education" between 2000 and 2010. The authors have rewritten and revised their work to make it clear, understandable, and--most of all--useful for mathematics teachers today. To help teachers even more, these articles…

For almost all students, what happens when they push buttons on their calculators is essentially magic, and the techniques used are seemingly pure wizardry. In this article, the author draws back the curtain to expose some of the mathematics behind computational wizardry and introduces some fundamental ideas that are accessible to precalculus…

Although in some schools cell phones have to be turned off or perhaps kept in lockers to avoid misuse, the authors hope to demonstrate in this article how they can be used under supervision to assist learning. This ubiquitous device can be a powerful classroom tool. (Contains 2 figures.)

Three calculator tests were administered to a national sample of 1,469 Irish students in Grade 9--the last cohort to study mathematics without calculators (Phase 1). Three years later, the same tests were administered to a similar sample with calculators (Phase 2). Scores on a test of calculator-inappropriate items showed no significant change…

The Program for International Assessment tested students in mathematics from 41 countries and found that students in the United States ranked in the lowest percentile. This struggle with math among youth in the United States prompted this quasi-experimental quantitative study about using interactive technology to engage and motivate 9th grade…