Presents responses to the Average Days of Spring problem that appeared in the March 2002 issue of this journal. (Author/NB)

Presents the Picasso Masterpiece problem to develop spatial reasoning in students. Addresses the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Geometry Content Standards. (Author/NB)

As part of the Mathematical Problem Solving Project, MPSP, the goals and purposes of miniprojects are explored. Various conjectures are presented which are based partially upon observation of children working on projects and partially upon the opinions of mathematicians who have observed how problem-solving processes are used in real-world…

Presents activities that focus on the mathematical opportunities that abound as part of the Olympic Games. (KHR)

Features activities and problems designed to appeal directly to students and be relevant to today's world. (KHR)

Describes six key practices vital to a problem-centered instructional approach to number sense and computational strategies. Also presents actual classroom examples of strategies. (AIM)

Discusses an approach to learning that uses well-selected problems to capture student interest and challenge their intellect. Presents an example of the problem-centered approach and discusses ways in which it helps all students learn important mathematical concepts and skills. (KHR)

Describes how Suzuki's methods of teaching young pupils to play the violin can be combined with Polya's ideas on problem solving to teach mathematics to elementary school pupils. Six references are listed. (YP)

This project was based on recent interview research which suggested that in choosing operations for story problems in mathematics many students are guided by computational considerations rather than meanings for the operations. This project aimed to refine the catalogue of strategies used by students and to design and test instructional materials…

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)

Discusses definitions of problem solving, sources of real problems, selection of data for use in problems, developing strategies for solving, and deciding when solutions are acceptable. (MKR)

Advocates elementary math instruction that uses realistic problems or examples and that teaches children to think. Suggests methods for accomplishing these objectives, including the use of mathematical games. (SJL)

Presents an instructional strategy for teaching how to solve word problems and understand the operations involved. Describes the acquisition method of the part-whole relationships of problem situations. Provides some samples of the instructional strategy used and classroom test results. Lists nine references. (YP)

This article describes "Hot Math," a third-grade intervention conducted with small groups of students with disabilities or in inclusive classrooms that fosters mathematical problem solving. Hot Math integrates two promising practices to promote mathematical problem solving, explicit instruction about transfer and self-regulation strategies.…

Studies of word problem solving of story problems are reviewed and six immature strategies commonly used by elementary and junior high school students are highlighted. Suggested are some recommendations for mathematics instruction. (YP)