This document presents the course content for a workshop that integrates the use of the computer algebra system Derive with topics in matrix and linear algebra. The first section is a guide to using Derive that provides information on how to write algebraic expressions, make graphs, save files, edit, define functions, differentiate expressions,…

Anchored instruction and anchored assessment are described and illustrated through a mathematics problem from the Jasper problem solving series developed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville (Tennessee). Anchored instruction is instruction situated in a context complex enough to provide meaning and reasons for why information is useful. Problems…

This study examined changes in 19 teachers' beliefs across the first 2 years of a professional development program in cognitively guided instruction (CGI). The study involved five teams of mathematics teachers and teacher educators. Teams attended professional development workshops on several occasions. Each team met monthly to discuss their…

This book is a collection of essays forming a mosaic of theory, research, and practice directed at the task of spreading mathematical knowledge based on the learning theory of constructivism. The authors collectively address questions raised by the observation that current practice frequently generate in the student an aversion to mathematics.…

The ideas of the nature, purpose, and scope of mathematics held by students is an issue of interest to the mathematics education community. Movement from a mathematics as discrete operations perspective to a mathematics as problem-solving perspective is a desired change in mathematics education reform. A pretest/posttest experimental design study…

Proponents of mathematics education reform have emphasized both cognitive and attitudinal goals, seeking improvement in children's problem-solving skills and in their attitudes toward mathematics. A pretest/posttest experimental design study examined the effects of SQUARE ONE TV, a television series about mathematics aimed at 8- to 12-year-old…

The Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire was designed to sample thoughts and feelings of students in grades 7 through 9 in relation to solving mathematical word problems. Test development studies began in 1986-87 with a review of research and literature and the writing of sample statements that were evaluated by 16 experienced teachers and…

One of the most ambitious attempts to assess students' understanding of mathematics was carried out in England between 1974 and 1979. The results of this study indicate that there is a need in an overall assessment program to evaluate students' algebraic understanding as well as to measure their achievement in algebraic manipulations and problem…

The papers presented in the strand on "Women and Mathematics" at the 1978 Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics form the core of this monograph. Two commentaries synthesizing the presentations and offering additional suggestions for action are also included. The papers consider sex-related differences in…

Utilizing word problems relevant to the data processing field, this workbook presents a concept-oriented approach to competency development in ten areas of basic mathematics: (1) the expression of numbers as figures and words; (2) the multiplication, addition, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; (3) ratios and proportions; (4)…

The Design Lab Manual provides a detailed description of various types of Design Labs used in the USMES program. Chapters cover the USMES Design Lab concept; tone of Design Lab activities; in-class Design Lab; portable Design Lab; the Design Lab room; cost/scrounging; staffing and scheduling a Design Lab; Design Lab training for teachers; Design…

This study, presented at the 1979 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Francisco, examines the relationship between a student's mathematical problem-solving ability and the nature of the student's recall of information from previously-solved problems. Seventy-seven seventh-grade students completed tasks measuring…

This paper reports on a study that examines mathematics scores when hands on manipulatives and group activities are used in the classroom at the middle school level. The study also explores changes in students' opinions of mathematics, assesses the intentions of females to take higher mathematics classes in high school, and surveys the amount of…

In this study a university mathematics instructor was observed teaching a mathematics content course for preservice elementary teachers. The study focused on her interpretation of meaningful mathematical discussions. The instructor believed in the importance of teacher-student communication and discussion, but saw no differences between meaningful…

Described are pentonimoe activities which nurture a nonanxious attitude toward math and science, promote an atmosphere of cooperation, support development of problem-solving skills, and provide spatial-ability skill exercises. These activities can be used by students at all educational levels. (KR)