This article describes how practice problems for the actuarial examination in probability can be used to encourage active, collaborative learning. (Contains 1 table.)

Many teachers have designed lessons for students who will be working in groups to discuss and solve a problem. After investing time in constructing an interesting problem, creating strategically designed groups, and introducing the problem carefully, teachers may be left wondering how to help students collaborate to make sense of mathematical…

Last semester, the author had a particularly vocal class that made it clear that they disliked small group exercises. In an attempt to understand their discomfort, she had this class generate a list of the top 10 reasons they disliked small group exercises. Some of the reasons listed by the students are exactly why the author uses small group work…

The authors report the results of a cross-class project involving sophomore-level students in an Operations Analysis (OA) class with junior-level students in an Operations Management (OM) class. The students formed virtual teams and developed a simulation model of a call center. The OM students provided the management expertise, while the OA…

For more than twenty years, the Richmond, Virginia Public Schools' program for gifted students has conducted an interscholastic competition similar to the nationally known competition, Destination Imagination. In the featured contest of this yearly event, teams of five students present solutions to engineering problems that they have worked on for…

The complexities involved in writing mathematics problems and a cooperative learning activity that gives students the challenge of writing mathematical logic problems for their peers is discussed. Making students construct mathematics problems taps into several important skills in mathematics and students are asked to consider what it means to…

This report analyzes the discursive interactions of four students to understand what heuristic methods they develop as well as how and why they build isomorphisms to resolve a combinatorial problem set in a non-Euclidian context. The findings suggest that results of their heuristic actions lead them to build isomorphisms that in turn allow them to…

A project in which students can develop their understanding of mathematical concepts through the collaborative writing of word problems is discussed. Worksheets for project requirements and daily requirements are provided. A Thanksgiving project is proposed. The use of a fashion modeling problem in the statistics classroom is described. (CW)

For individuals to cooperate they must develop certain skills and understandings. Unless schools engage in specific activities that teach cooperation, students may lack the skills they need to function in an adult society. Cooperative learning has much to offer for the mathematics class. Students enjoy discussing mathematics with other students.…

The CHEMATH course at Edmonds Community College integrates instruction in algebra and chemistry. The course emphasizes problem-solving techniques and relies on active learning through the use of structured group process techniques. CHEMATH is team taught by science and math faculty and is intended primarily for students planning to major in…

Describes a mathematical investigation of gold--how it is weighed, stored, used, and valued. For grades 3-4, children estimate the value of treasure chests filled with gold coins and explore the size and weight of gold bars. Children in grades 5-6 explore how gold is mined and used, and how the value of gold changes over time. (PVD)