In looking at successful inquiry activities, patterns in pedagogical approach emerge (Meyer et al. 2011). This article discusses one such approach--the design challenge. A design challenge can be defined as an activity in which students are given an explicit task to create a product that meets a defined goal. However, simply asking students to…

According to self-determination theory, social contexts that support students' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness foster motivation toward behaviors that are valued in that social context. This study investigated the socio-contextual elements of a learning environment that support or undermine students' basic…

This booklet contains the teacher's guide to a mathematics placement test which was developed to assist teachers in providing the best match between instructional materials and student needs. It covers math skills from whole numbers to algebra. The placement test is divided into six parts, each consisting of 10 to 22 problems, and is based on exit…

Presents weekly activities that focus on strategies derived from generalizations and patterns found in explorations using hundreds charts, manipulatives, and other models. (KHR)

This collection of problems provides a resource for teachers to use in the classroom to improve the problem-solving experiences of their students. This book provides middle school teachers with some perspectives on problem solving. A framework for organizing the problem- solving experience is presented. Each phase of the problem-solving experience…

Math Sense consists of five books that develop from basic to more advanced math skills. This document contains a placement test used with Math Sense to help students and their teachers decide into which Math Sense book to begin working. The placement test is divided into six parts, each consisting of 10 to 22 problems, and is based on exit skill…