The current period in mathematics education can be characterized as one of reform. Among the goals of the proponents of the movement are that children learn to value mathematics, become confident in their ability, and become mathematical problem solvers. A pretest/posttest experimental design study examined the effects of SQUARE ONE TV, a…

This publication provides background information, ideas, and sample activities to help teachers in their efforts to aid students in developing problem solving skills. It provides an overview of the stages in the problem solving model recommended in the elementary mathematics program of studies. Several clusters of problem solving strategies are…

Abstracts of 11 mathematics education research studies are provided. Each abstract is accompanied by the abstractor's analysis of or comments about the study. Studies reported include: "The Importance of Spatial Visualization and Cognitive Development for Geometry Learning in Preservice Elementary Teachers"; "Classroom Ratio of High…

This handbook is part of a series of three, corresponding to the three grades (4, 6, and 8) at which Mastery Tests are administered. This publication was written as a resource for teachers for developing mathematics programs for students in grades 3 and 4. The Mastery Test in Mathematics at Grade 4 assesses student performance for 25 instructional…

This handbook is part of a series of three, corresponding to the three grades (4, 6, and 8) at which Mastery Tests are administered. This publication was written as a resource for teachers developing mathematics programs for students in grades 4, 5, and 6. The Mastery Test in Mathematics at Grade 6 assesses student performance for 36 instructional…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation's Report Card, has developed and pilot-tested a variety of hands-on science and mathematics tasks. These tasks were developed as prototypes for use in future national assessments, but the concepts measured and the innovative approaches used are equally suitable for classroom…

This paper examines sixth-grade children's thinking related to solving ratio and proportion problems before these children had received any instruction in the domain. It explores unitizing and norming, one of the processes identified by both content analyses (Behr, Harel, Post, & Lesh, 1990); Harel, Behr, Post & Lesh, 1990) and research in…

Research on mathematics instruction is reviewed in order to respond to two questions: (1) Has the influx of talented people who have entered the mathematics instruction field over the last three decades changed anything? and (2) Will any of the work being done actually improve mathematics instruction? The different ways in which parents, students,…

The activities in this monograph are self-contained explorations into mathematical topics not often included in regular classroom work in grades 3-8. They were selected because of their intriguing enjoyment and because they deal with honest mathematics; they also strengthen skills, especially problem-solving skills. Included are activities with…

This manual was written to help district curriculum leaders in New Jersey improve instruction in mathematical problem solving in middle and junior high schools. Four training modules contain the material and information needed to conduct a staff development course. The manual was designed to accompany turn-key training sessions to prepare the…

Presented are review questions and exercises for several mathematics topics. The first five sections cover the following major topics of the course: algebra, geometry, logic, probability, and statistics. Each of these five units follows a similar format. Each major topic is broken into several subtopics, with examples for each topic taken from…

An overview is presented of information processing analyses of knowledge and performance in three areas of the elementary mathematics curriculum: basic addition and subtraction facts, complex procedures such as multicolumn subtraction, and the solution of word problems. Theories of the knowledge associated with "expert" performance are discussed.…

An increasingly technological world demands strong mathematical skills for the workforce and everyday life, and these demands will increase in the future. Research has shown that children are more likely to be successful in mathematics and other academic subjects when parents actively support their learning. To ensure that children are on track…

Technology has revolutionized the way mathematics and science are taught and few innovations in mathematics education have had as much impact as the graphing calculator. Fourteen classroom teachers were brought together during the summer of 1997 and during a week-long workshop, the teachers collaborated to develop a resource guide for integrating…

Describes journal writing with first-graders to promote math relevancy. Children brainstormed situations requiring mathematics, wrote about them in journals, and shared journal entries with classmates. After children solved a word problem that the teacher created from journal entries, they wrote their own word problems, worked in pairs to check…