Understanding fraction as a quantity has been identified as a key developmental understanding. In this study, students in Grades 5, 8, and 11 were asked to compare the areas of two halves of the same square--a rectangle and a right triangle. Findings from this study suggest that students who understand fraction as a quantity use reasoning related…

A project called Mobile City Science (MCS), a partnership between the University of Washington, New York Hall of Science, the Digital Youth Network, and two high schools, leverages young people's proclivity for on-the-move digital engagement to re-place and mobilize learning through public, community settings that youth identify as being relevant…

The purpose of this study is to investigate and conceptualize the ranks of importance of social cognitive variables on university students' computer programming performances. Spatial ability, working memory, self-efficacy, gender, prior knowledge and the universities students attend were taken as variables to be analyzed. The study has been…

Enabling learning through meaningful classroom experiences has always been a challenge for teachers. Bringing about a balance of the "conceptual" and the "hands-on", along with contextual embeddedness in problem-solving situations, broadly characterises the experience of development and trials of three Design and Technology…

This study was inspired by a history of student difficulties in calculus, and innovation in response to those difficulties. The goals of the study were fourfold. First, to design a mathlet for students to explore local linearity. Second, to redesign the curriculum of first semester calculus around the use of technology, an emphasis on…

Answers several questions regarding background information on research in spatial skills. Describes strategies that graphics educators can adopt to develop these skills in students. (Author/CCM)

Describes new geometric computer models used in contemporary computer-aided design (CAD) software including wire frame, surface, solid, and parametric models. Reviews their use in engineering design and discusses the impact of these new technologies on the engineering design graphics curriculum. (Author/CCM)

An overview that gives an introduction to the theories, terms, concepts, and prior research conducted on visualization is presented. This information is to be used as a basis for developing spatial research studies that lend support to the theory that the engineering and technical design graphics curriculum is important in the development of…

Explores ways in which 6-year-old children make sense of screen-based images on the computer. Uses both static and relatively dynamic software programs in the investigation. Suggests that young children should be exposed to activities that establish explicit links between 2D and 3D objects away from the computer before attempting difficult links…

The purpose of this report is twofold. The first is to deliver an accurate portrayal of students' achievement in geometry and measurement as gleaned from the results of the 1986 Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). The second is to provide K-12 teachers of mathematics with activities that have proven to be helpful in encouraging…

Proposed is a hierarchy of visual learning giving three primary stages of visual learning as well as seven hierarchical stages. A clarification of terms associated with visual learning is presented. (KR)

A thematic approach to curriculum enables students to connect topics and supports meaningful inquiry. Presents 4 activities for levels K-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 in which students explore problems of interest to them involving the theme of construction and architecture. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)