Presents a series of activities that help students discover the Pythagorean Theorem and extension activities to explore various dissection proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Discusses the potential that school mathematics has for being a source of exploration and discovery for students and teachers. Provides a process-oriented definition of understanding mathematics. Presents activities in which students construct computer and actual models of polyhedra and make conjectures regarding a medical research application of…

Preservice elementary teachers worked cooperatively to explore the relationship between the measure of the central angle and the number of sides of regular polygons using the reflection of a line in a hinged mirror. The experience involved conjecture and experimentation, communication, and building connections between science, geometry, and…

Presents four hands-on and computer-based activities to develop measurement skills. Students examine, measure, compare, and contrast the area, perimeter, and volume of geometric figures using concrete materials and computer spreadsheets. (MDH)

Presents four articles for elementary teachers. The first shows how teachers can guide students to write stories from personal experiences. The second offers suggestions for mathematics instruction, focusing on primary level geometry and intermediate level problem solving. The third focuses on folk-art barn paintings. The fourth uses pumpkins to…

Educators recognize that group work and physical involvement with learning materials can greatly enhance the understanding and retention of difficult concepts. As a result, math manipulatives--such as pattern blocks and number lines--have increasingly been making their way into classrooms and children's museums. Yet without the constant guidance…

This paper presents a new model for simulating procedural knowledge in the problem solving process with our ontological system, InfoMap. The method divides procedural knowledge into two parts: process control and action performer. By adopting InfoMap, we hope to help teachers construct curricula (declarative knowledge) and teaching strategies by…

"Houghton Mifflin Mathematics" is a core curriculum for kindergarten through grade 6 students at all ability levels. According to its developer, "Houghton Mifflin Mathematics" emphasizes the five content strands and processes recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards. At each grade level the…

Sociocultural theory has challenged existing notions of cognitive development by suggesting that psychological functioning is specific to its social context and is dependent on the mastery of culturally defined modes of speaking, thinking, and acting. This book provides a representative sample of work on the social and cultural foundations of…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, these seven workbooks are designed to enhance the basic skills of pipefitters. Reading and Solving Basic Pipefitting Problems #1 defines and uses eight basic terms pipefitters need to know, reviews steps a pipefitter must take to identify and solve a simple pipefitting…

A project was conducted to adapt and modify the four-part workplace literacy curriculum previously created by the College of Lake County (Illinois) and six industries in the county in order to improve the usefulness and application of the information in the original curriculum. Information for the adaptation project was generated by instructors…

This report summarizes the mathematical and pedagogical content of the 230 programs in the SQUARE ONE TV library after five seasons of production, relating that content to the three goals of the series: (1) to promote positive attitudes toward, and enthusiasm for, mathematics; (2) to encourage the use and application of problem-solving processes;…

Eleven experts in mathematics education, special education, and assessment completed an open-ended survey on current math instruction in relation to the "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards" of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the perceived appropriateness and feasibility of the standards for students with…

The "Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics (PETTM) Project" (1988-1991) was a cooperative university/school effort to improve the teaching of mathematics by elementary teachers with its primary focus on improving the university training of preservice teachers (PSTs) in mathematics. This document, volume II of the project's…

Children begin school with the ability to use their informal and implicit conceptual knowledge to guide their problem solving, but shift to the use of superficial strategies in their attempts to solve word problems as they progress through school. This paper describes a study designed to investigate the effects of an instructional sequence that…