The three studies presented here contrasted the problem-solving outcomes of university students when a break was provided or not provided during a problem-solving session. In addition, two studies explored the effect of providing hints (priming) and the placement of hints during the problem-solving session. First, the ability to solve a previously…

This article proposes that student-written math riddles can provide worthwhile mathematical tasks that support the learning of important concepts as they engage and challenge children. It describes procedures for guiding students as they create math riddles for their classmates to solve.

The results of an action research project in which young children in one classroom are encouraged to solve and pose their own problems in their first year at school are described. The progress of these children supports the finding that kindergarten children could solve a variety of quite difficult word problems on their own.

Simple nongraphing calculators can be powerful tools to enhance students' conceptual understanding of mathematics concepts. Students have opportunities to develop (1) a broad repertoire of problem-solving strategies by observing multiple solution strategies; (2) respect for other students' abilities and ways of thinking about mathematics; (3) the…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of fine motor physical activity with tactile stimulation during two conditions of math problem solving, visual and auditory. Eight 4th and 5th grade students with attention problems participated. Using an alternating treatments design, students solved as many math story problems as they could, presented on…

The purposes of this study were to assess the differential effects of a single strategy (schema-based instruction; SBI) versus multiple strategies (general strategy instruction, GSI) in promoting mathematical problem solving and mathematics achievement as well as to examine the influence of word problem-solving instruction on the development of…

A random sample of middle school special education teachers from various classroom settings completed a survey asking them about what instructional practices and materials they used to teach students with disabilities how to solve word problems, how much time they allocated to problem solving instruction, and what type of problems they gave their…

The Math Forum Problems of the Week Library is designed to leverage the power of interactive technology to hold student interest while increasing their success as strategic thinkers. The Math Forum Library is an online source of non-routine challenges in which problem solving and mathematical communication are key elements of every problem. This…

The general background of this study is an interest in how digital tools contribute to structuring learning activities. The specific interest is to explore how such tools co-determine students' reasoning when solving word problems in mathematics, and what kind of learning that follows. Theoretically the research takes its point of departure in a…

This book provides a collection of 191 mathematical problems aimed at the advanced high school student level and above. Problems cover general mathematical areas including plane geometry, three-dimensional geometry, number theory, algebra, combinatorics and graph theory, and a number of miscellaneous questions that combine mathematical…

This paper presents a developmental model of students' acquisition of competence in quantitative and algebraic problem solving. A key notion underlying the developmental model is a distinction between grounded and abstract representations. Grounded representations, like story problems, are more concrete and familiar, closer to physical objects and…

This report describes a program for improving elementary school students ability to solve mathematical word problems. The targeted population consisted of primary, middle, and junior high students attending two different kindergarten through eighth grade schools. Both schools were located within blue collar neighborhoods in a large metropolitan…

The cognitive effects of self-referencing in math word problems were studied in 100 third, fourth, and fifth graders solving compare-unknown and referent-unknown problems. In general, self-referencing (referring to "you") facilitated encoding processes in solving these problems. Self-referencing appeared to decrease the load on working…

Presents an activity to involve students in mathematical communication and creative thinking. The activity is similar to the "pass it along" gossip game in which each person in a chain adds a piece of information. The class analyzes the resulting mathematics problem using George Polya's problem-solving techniques. (MKR)

Presents responses to a problem that appeared in the April, 1999 issue of this journal. The problem involves finding kite heights compared to each other. (KHR)