In its empirical part this paper establishes a general weak understanding of the process of applying a mathematical model. This is also evident in the way teachers regard the application of alternative sharing in their own problem solving and in relating to children's answers. The theoretical part analyses problems that are considered as…

This book is designed to help adults gain the range of math skills they need to succeed in life and work and on standardized tests, including the GED. It is expected to help students overcome math anxiety, discover math as interesting and purposeful, and develop good number sense. Lessons are organized around four strands: (1) skill lessons that…

This study explores students algebraic and geometric approach in solving tasks in functions and the relation of these approaches with complex geometric problem solving. Data were obtained from 95 sophomore pre-service teachers, enrolled in a basic algebra course. Implicative statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the relation between…

The study proves that a didactical model based in a method to solve word problems of increasing complexity which uses a numerical approach was essential to develop the analytical ability and the competent use of the algebraic language with students from three different performance levels in elementary algebra. It is shown that before using the…

The Malaysian educational system tends to take a clear instructionally-focused approach to the teaching of mathematics. This means that many students gain a good procedural command of areas of mathematics. This paper explores one outcome of a teaching experiment in which one area of mathematics (differentiation) was taught in a radically different…

In this work we show some activities designed with a First Year group of the Mathematics Degree to give the graphic register back its mathematical status and promote its use on the part of the students. In particular, we have chosen the topic related to improper integration to reinforce the use of this register by the students. [For complete…

This paper uses data from two mathematics lessons to explore the nature of progressive discourse and examine critical features of teacher actions that contribute to mathematics classrooms functioning as communities of inquiry. Features found to promote progressive discourse include a focus on the conceptual elements of the curriculum and the use…

This document contains the reports of the travel grant awardees who participated in the eighth International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME-8) in Sevilla, Spain, July 14-21, 1996. The support of these awardees marks the importance placed on mathematics education in the United States and participation in the international congresses. This…

We explore how fourth grade (9 to 10 year olds) students can come to understand and use the syntactic rules of algebra on the basis of their understanding about how quantities are interrelated. Our classroom data comes from a longitudinal study with students who participated in weekly Early Algebra activities from grades 2 through 4. We describe…

Whereas different studies have each emphasised the importance of different variables for productive mathematics learning, this study has found the teacher to be of major importance. In the 13 third grade classrooms of five different elementary schools students' feelings about mathematics and their performance in routine and novel problems were…

Much has been said on matter of aesthetics and mathematics--perhaps most commonly articulated in relation to properties such as "beauty" and "elegance," which are used to distinguish good from not-so-good mathematical products. Despite its importance in the work of mathematicians, it has been argued that aesthetics cannot be incorporated into…

This book is designed to help better understand problem-solving instruction. It presents information on helping students understand the problem-solving process as well as information on teaching specific strategies, including: Choose an Operation; Find a Pattern; Make a Table; Make an Organized List; Draw a Picture or Diagram; Guess, Check, and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Casio 9850 and the TI-85 graphing calculators on college students' procedural skills and conceptual understanding in two different developmental mathematics courses. The courses used in this study were Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra. Both the non-graphing calculator group…

This guide contains classroom-tested problems designed to introduce and reinforce mathematical concepts in a quick, "fun" way. Activities emphasize the logic and reasoning skills needed to build a strong foundation in mathematics. The problems are thinking activities and require only elementary level mathematics skills. Activities are…

This paper reports on the processes and results of a project on the instruction and practices of mathematics problem solving and strategies. Students in the second, third, and fifth grades were targeted to increase achievement in the area of math problem solving. Problem solving achievement was measured using performance tasks, rubrics, and tests…