Presents three open-ended problems as a basis for discussing concerns and possible hazards in their solution, including partial answers or unjustified guesses, and considers the appropriate use of these types of problems. Appendices include problem solutions. (MKR)

Investigated the effect of children's problem schemata and working memory span on the accuracy of children's solutions of arithmetic word problems. Results supported the hypothesis that the amount of working memory resources activated is independent of schemata activation, and indicated a weak relationship between memory and problem-solving…

Students with language and learning disabilities may have difficulty solving mathematics word problems. Use of a sequential checklist, identifying clues and keywords, and illustrating a problem can all help the student identify and implement the correct computational process. (DB)

Describes teaching methods in a computer-based learning environment called WORDMATH, designed to teach word-problem solving to 9-to 12-year-old students in Singapore primary schools. Discusses the results of a formative study of the tutor. (Author/ASK)

Shares different students' solutions for a problem entitled How Much Film?, which appeared in the November 1997 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. The problem has to do with how many rolls of film are necessary to take 687 pictures. (ASK)

Describes a study of high school students that investigated the kind of knowledge bases mathematics students can develop and the difficulties that may appear. Discusses knowledge-base development within LISD (Learning through Intelligent Software Development), an approach to teaching and learning mathematical problem solving, specifically word…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a schema strategy on the mathematical word-problem-solving performance of four sixth- and seventh-grade students with learning disabilities. The schema strategy led to substantially improved word-problem-solving performance for all four students and these results were maintained at two- and four-week…

Three teaching strategies for problem solving proved to be successful with undergraduates with deafness enrolled in mathematics courses. Strategies included giving an explanation to a peer observer in sign language, visualizing the problem-solving process prior to starting to solve a problem, and observing the teacher modeling the analytical…

When teaching primary mathematics, story problems with themes that are special to children (such as anything to do with animals) work well to develop their numerical reasoning. Children benefit from problem-solving experiences that help develop their number sense. The paper presents an activity for practicing numerical reasoning and offers three…

Comparison of the effectiveness of two computerized environments, Schemes for Problem Analysis (SPA) and Algebraic Proposer (AP), with two sixth-grade classes found that in solving easy word problems, both software systems were equally helpful, but in harder word problems, those students who learned with SPA experienced more success than those who…

Four middle school students with learning disabilities and low mathematics performance received schema strategy training in problem schemata (conceptual understanding) and problem solution (procedural understanding). Results indicated that the schema-based strategy was effective in substantially increasing the number of correctly solved word…

First of three experiments compared third graders who had studied worked, two-step arithmetic word problems to those learning through conventional problem solving. The former grouped showed superior test performance. In experiments two and three, children presented with integrated worked examples outperformed those presented with split-source…

This study compared the effectiveness of 3 procedures for teaching 62 elementary students with learning disabilities to identify the correct algorithm in solving addition and subtraction word problems. The group receiving strategy teaching and sequencing practice problems and the group receiving strategy teaching only scored higher than…

This study examines the updating ability of poor or good problem solvers. Seventy-eight fourth-graders, 43 good and 35 poor arithmetic word problem-solvers, performed the Updating Test used in Palladino et al. [Palladino, P., Cornoldi, C., De Beni, R., and Pazzaglia F. (2002). Working memory and updating processes in reading comprehension. Memory…

This study presents problem solving strategies and processes of thinking of mathematically gifted elementary children with respect to non-routine word problems. The data stem from a university-based course, especially designed to foster gifted children, ages 6-10 years, through the enrichment of the elementary mathematics curriculum. Videotapes of…