A BASIC computer program based on a game that involves picking the appropriate weighings to find an odd base from among 13 balls in three tries is discussed. A sample run is included. (MN)

Described are differences in the mathematical problem-solving performance of third-grade gifted and fifth-grade average students observed during an eight-week period. Results indicate that attitudes, motivation, and belief systems were important to performance. There were major differences in problem-solving behavior between boys and girls.…

This study investigated the problem-solving competency of four secondary pre service teachers (PSTs) of University of London as they explored geometry problems in dynamic geometry environment (DGE) in 2004. A constructivist experiment was designed in which dynamic software Cabri-Geometre II (hereafter Cabri) was used as an interactive medium.…

The proceedings of the 24th annual meeting of the Psychology of Mathematics Education North American Chapter (PME-NA) contains research reports, plenaries, and poster presentations. Papers include: (1) "What Do We Believe about Teacher Learning and How Can We Learn With and From Our Beliefs?" (Deborah Loewenberg Ball); (2) "Toward Evidence for…

This publication features articles that illustrate how several Northwest teachers are using problem solving to achieve rigorous and imaginative learning in their classrooms. Articles include: (1) "Open-Ended Problem Solving: Weaving a Web of Ideas" (Denise Jarrett); (2) "Teenager or Tyke, Students Learn Best by Tackling Challenging Math" (Suzie…

This document features the experiences of three science teachers who video and audiotaped classroom proceedings in order to go back over what was said in classroom events, to explore the intentions and ideas that were perhaps not fully understood at the time. Mary DiSchino, who teaches 3rd and 4th graders, teaches a science curriculum which she…

This report describes a program for improving students' comprehension of the language of mathematical problems. The targeted population consists of 5th and 6th grade multi-age students and multi-age learners with special needs at a middle school located outside a major city in a Midwestern community. Evidence for the existence of this problem…

The new emphasis on communication of ideas and problem solving in mathematics teaching places an additional burden on limited English proficient (LEP) students with relatively poor language skills and their teachers. This research addresses the question of how students' language proficiency affects teachers' assessment of students' mathematical…

Presented are four activities which integrate mathematics and science activities involving problem-solving skills. Topics of activities include derivation of pi (3.14), determining the volume of a bell jar, estimation skills, supplementary exercises using geometric and metric system tables, general laboratory exercises, and supplemental problems.…

More work with fractions needs to be done in the elementary school, with emphasis on concepts rather than computational algorithms. (MP)

The structure and results of a two-year comparative study of alternatives in mathematics preparation of elementary teachers is reviewed. The study, conducted at The Ohio State University, investigated effects varying relative ratios of time spent on mathematics content, methods, school experience, and the effects of different levels of…

This study examined the role of dynamic assessment involving specific and general instructional strategies on expert and novice third graders' error patterns in solving part-whole mathematics word problems. The assessment showed that novices in general required more prompts than did experts. Experts in the specific strategy group had decreased…

Illustrates the diverse ways in which the computer spreadsheet can be used by both teachers and students as a problem-solving tool in high school mathematics, and provides detailed examples of spreadsheet use in word problems. Discusses the functions of spreadsheet tables, columns, and graphs. (AEF)

Studies the developmental process of how the concepts of ratio and proportion do not develop in isolation, but rather are part of the individual's multiplicative conceptual field, which includes other concepts such as multiplication, division, and rational numbers. Follows one fifth-grade student as he attempts to schematize his…

Investigates students' understanding of the basic concepts of introductory set theory which are set, set element, cardinality, subset, and the empty set. Data was collected from preservice elementary school teachers. The project included experimentation with basic set concepts in an open computer-based environment using the mathematical computer…