A collection of activities and tips for elementary teachers, culled from material the magazine has published over 20 years, includes cornerstones of classroom management, top teaching strategies, and curriculum classics. A new poster offers activities for commemorating student birthdays and for enjoying the first day of school. (SM)

Describes an experiment to determine which of four objects, hollow cylinders, solid cylinders, hollow balls, and solid balls, will reach the bottom of an inclined plane first when released simultaneously. Provides solutions to the problem and supplementary exercises. (MDH)

Discussed is a method of approximating the roots of a quadratic that allows the discovery of relationships between parabolas and circles and between the use of geometry and algebra. Included are the procedure and justification of the method. (KR)

An open-ended data-analysis activity, prompted by a Royal Mail advertisement, explores the claim that the real cost of first class postage has fallen below the inflation rate. The activity provides realistic exercises in both arithmetic and statistical indices, and in logical interpretation of, and deduction from, the data. (JJK)

Presents six learning activities dealing with planetary motion, the launching of satellites, and Halley's comet, all of which utilize the three laws of Johannes Kepler. These three laws are discussed in detail, and answers to the activities are provided. (KR)

Presents illustrated examples that promote problem solving through the student's consideration of a visible predicament from a three-dimensional viewpoint rather than the typical planar perspective. Includes six student exercises involving rays, circles, quadrilaterals, and hexagons, with hints and solutions provided. (JJK)

This section includes eight problems to which the journal invites readers to respond. Problem topics include angles in alternate segments, pentominoes, a new triangle of numbers, cricket scores, symmetrical pentagons, inequalities, a pythagorean dissection, and magic squares. (MDH)

Drama is a way of learning through role playing and problem solving. The dramatic process calls for self-awareness, communication skills, concentration, and group cooperation. A linear drama approach enables teachers to provide drama activities in a comfortable step-by-step sequence. Incorporating drama into content instruction allows students to…

A series of activities involving figurate numbers that allow students at various levels to integrate numerical, geometric, arithmetic, patterning, measuring, and problem-solving skills are presented. A discussion of the geometric and numerical aspects of figurate numbers is included. Appended are IBM Logo procedures that will create pentagonal…

Students (n=105) enrolled in a college remedial mathematics course participated in a one-semester experiment to determine whether cooperative learning would help students increase their problem-solving skills in mathematics. Results indicated significant differences in favor of students using cooperative learning in solving word problems in…

Presents an activity to investigate the dimensions of the maximum rectangular area given a fixed perimeter using mathematical modeling and manipulative materials. Students collect and compare data, find patterns, graph data, write functions, and discuss the meaning of the related mathematical model. Provides three reproducible worksheets for the…

Describes oral activities that help middle and junior high school students develop decision-making skills. The activities, based on Gary Paulsen's novel "Hatchet," focus on struggling for survival. Recommends "Hatchet" as a vehicle for observing the maturing process and for teaching skills that students can apply to their own…

Two geometry problems generated from a design problem involving a shuttle return mechanism in a weaving machine are presented. The solutions to these problems are detailed. (CW)

Parents can encourage their children to become better mathematical thinkers. The article describes how to assist children with problem solving and presents activities that develop specific skills (estimating, counting, sorting, volume, fractions, multiplication, money, story problems, patterning, averaging, computation, magic squares, plane…

Considers how to enhance media literacy in university media courses and offers a case study of a flexible learning project designed to help first-year undergraduates acquire independent skills of research, information management, reading, analysis, problem-solving, and writing. Discusses planning strategies, modules, learning activities,…