Describes an activity that demonstrates a teaching-learning model in which students ask yes or no questions to determine an unknown number on a number line. Provides a sequence of five steps to carry out the activity and suggestions for extending and expanding the activity for different grade levels. (MDH)

Describes "The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury," a series of four problem-solving videodisc adventure stories designed for research purposes that provide students with open-ended problems based on real-world situations. Presents design principles, research results, the teacher's role, and technology issues related to the utilization of the…

Reviews research on (1) schemata acquisition while learning mathematics and techniques for detecting schema in mathematics learners; and (2) assessment of the distribution of cognitive resources while learning mathematics that lead to the design of instructional techniques to facilitate schema acquisition. (26 references) (MDH)

Describes seven number-sense skills for elementary and middle school grades. Provides eight short stories for grades three through eight designed to develop students' number-sense skills in which students replace missing data so that the story makes sense. (MDH)

Describes a step-by-step procedure that enables teachers to develop lessons that effectively use software or special calculators in the classroom. Problem-solving strategies and questions are determined that correspond to the technology through which students are able to construct their own knowledge. Illustrates the procedure using spreadsheets,…

A Navajo blanket design was constructed on a bulletin board and on geoboards. Then a program was written in LOGO to construct the pattern. Both top-down and bottom-up techniques were used. Students were encouraged to make their programs more efficient by utilizing repeat and subprocedures. (GW)

Presents activities in which students develop and analyze scatterplots on graphing calculators to model corn growth, decay, a box of maximum volume, and weather prediction. Provides reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Discusses the concept of social mathematics in which numerical information is connected to the people and issues of social studies. Maintains elementary students can learn that data represent information from the real world. Includes class activities using historical timelines, data collection, and database computer programs. (CFR)

Discusses research involving instruction to help students develop their mental managerial processes or metacognition, the role of a framework for problem-solving activities, the teacher as model or moderator, problem solving involving groups or pairs, and weaving writing into problem solving. (Contains 18 references.) (MKR)

Describes a study that investigated preservice elementary teachers' decisions about teaching strategies and their attitudes toward mathematics and computer-related technologies in a constructivist-centered methods course which included the use of problem-solving multimedia. The effectiveness of these strategies in developing more positive…

From a very young age, shoes for boys tend to be wider than shoes for girls. Is this because boys have wider feet, or because it is assumed that girls are willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion, even in elementary school? To assess the former, a statistician measures kids' feet. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Out of the 38 nations studied in the 1999 "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study" (TIMSS), children in Singapore scored highest in mathematics (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES, 2003). Why do Singapore's children do so well in mathematics? The reasons are undoubtedly complex and involve social aspects.…

The overall purpose of this paper is to describe a practical and useful approach to mathematics assessment that is meaningful to teachers, students and families. The format is highly flexible, yet specifically designed to provide detailed information as to the performance characteristics of the student and a variety of curricula and instructional…

While it has been suggested that patterning activities support early algebra learning, it is widely acknowledged that the shift from perceiving patterns to understanding algebraic functions--and correspondingly, from reporting empirical patterns to providing explanations--is difficult. This paper reports on the collaborations of grade 4 students…

This article examines students' ability to use the balance model to solve for unknowns. A teaching experiment was conducted in four Year 3 classrooms. This experiment focused on exploring the application of the balance model as an analogue for representing equations and solving for unknowns. The teaching experiment promoted a shift by students…