This paper is the second of a series of four reports that document the achievement monitoring component of a three-year study on the acquisition of addition-subtraction problem-solving skills by young children. A set of performance objectives contained in or ancillary to 10 instructional units on sentence-writing for verbal problems and algorithms…

Promotes the use of computers in teaching not only to solve problems but also to help students be better at analyzing problems and developing procedures for their solution. Outlines several problems where a computer-assisted analysis can help give students a thorough understanding of the topic. (TW)

Describes two studies of mathematical problem solving using an episode from "The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury," a set of curriculum materials that afford complex problem-solving opportunities. Discussion focuses on characteristics of problems that make solutions difficult, kinds of reasoning that dyadic interactions support, and…

Reviews two programs: (1) "The Weather Machine" on understanding weather and weather forecasting and (2) "The Mystery of the Hotel Victoria" on problem solving in mathematics. Presents the descriptions, advantages, and weaknesses of the software. (YP)

Presents a historical and content background of the metric system. Describes 1 of a series of integrated hands-on lessons for grades 4-7 to teach the measuring of volume with metrics. Provides a worksheet for the lesson and a concept map of the metric system. (MDH)

The opinions of 98 Australian educational experts concerning mathematics skills necessary for future numeracy were solicited. The qualitative comments were incorporated into three scenarios reflecting alternative visions for the future: a careful scenario, a futuristic scenario, and a process scenario. (24 references) (MDH)

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…

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)

Since teachers are the most familiar with the students they meet and with their own classroom opportunities, they are in the best position to design instruction for specific groups. This manual is a guide for creating activities for gifted and other students to do independently, without prior large group instruction. The activities enable teachers…

The majority of research investigating gender-related differences in problem-solving ability has focused on the product of word problem solving--the problem solution. This paper reports an investigation of potential gender-related effects on sixth-graders of an explicitly stated problem-solving plan. Two versions of the test were given: the…

The current period in mathematics education can be characterized as one of reform. Many feel that children in the United States are not learning enough appropriate mathematics; these critics are concerned with the specific areas of problem solving and children's conceptions of the nature and uses of mathematics. A pretest/posttest experimental…

These proceedings contain 4 keynote addresses and 88 papers concerning the theme of the conference: Contexts in Mathematics Education. The four keynote addresses are: (1) "Contemplating Cultural Context" (Bill Barton); (2) "Conceptualising Cultural and Social Contexts in Mathematics Education" (Alan Bishop); (3)…

An understanding-based approach to teaching arithmetic word problems is used in the Training Arithmetic Problem Solving Skills (TAPS) research project, for which four semantic schemas or problem representations have been revised and adopted: Combine, Compare, Change, and Vary. It is hypothesized that a good problem solver identifies the schema of…

The aim of this study was to investigate and validate the use of a computerized testing program for the diagnosis of arithmetic difficulties experienced by primary school children. The basic research question was whether a microcomputer could be used to diagnose difficulties in addition, subtraction and multiplication as well as a paper-and-pencil…