"Lesson plan study" (LPS), adapted from the Japanese Lesson Study method of professional development, is a sequence of activities designed to engage prospective teachers in broadening and deepening their understanding of school mathematics and teaching strategies. LPS occurs over 5 weeks on the same lesson topic and includes four opportunities to…

Presents three teaching ideas involving (1) results of participation in the annual American Statistical Association's poster contest for students in grades K-12; (2) a variation on an annuity problem in which the contribution each year is increased by a given percentage; and (3) concrete activities to help students understand the meaning of radian…

Discussed is the place and teaching of trigonometry in a NCTM Standards-based mathematics curriculum. Presented is how these standards can be implemented in a technology-rich environment that encourages reasoning, communication, problem solving, and confidence building. Examples focus on functions, graphical sense, modeling, and identities. (KR)

Describes three pieces of practical work (hands-on activities) which have been successful in Scottish secondary schools. Activities involve geotiles, working with percentages, and activities for higher mathematics. (PK)

Presents a teaching model as an activity to introduce preservice secondary mathematics teachers to the law of cosines. The activity is student-centered in which students construct figures; measure angles and segments; calculate areas; investigate relationships; and communicate their results. (MDH)

The practice of students going to the boards to work problems has been a tradition in undergraduate education for over two hundred years. A study was conducted to determine what instructional techniques enabled students to better learn fundamental concepts in mathematics. This study identifies board work as a highly effective instructional…

Methods use to reconstruct traffic accidents provide settings for real life applications for students in precalculus, mathematical analysis, or trigonometry. Described is the investigation of an accident in conjunction with the local Highway Patrol Academy integrating physics, vector, and trigonometry. Class findings were compared with those of…

Presents the results of a preliminary investigation into the feasibility of teachers constructing their own animations for the mathematics classroom using computer animation tools. Provides examples of animation constructed using "Ani ST" and "Mathematica" programs. Concludes that computer animation has potential to be a…

The third in a series of 3 articles, a study of 30 students was conducted to test the effect of restructuring a unit on trigonometric identities around microcomputer activities based on the themes of educational undercurrents identified in Part II. Experimental-group students scored significantly higher relating trigonometric functions to their…

Based on the assumption that each student learns in a unique way, this paper outlines the factors to be considered before selecting the methods of instruction for particular mathematics courses and their students. The advantages and disadvantages of the lecture/textbook and question/answer method, individualized instruction, self-pacing,…

Investigates the construction of understanding of the motion of an object down an inclined plane which takes place through the process of model building in an integrated algebra, trigonometry, and physics class. Discusses four major themes related to student learning through modeling that emerged from the results. Discusses implications for…

The purpose of high-school education has generally been twofold--not only to furnish preparation for college, but also to provide some of the elements of a liberal education for those whose formal and directed study is to go no further. In not a few communities high schools were established in which the former purpose was expressly waived; but…