Presents activities that integrate story telling, history, and problem solving as a stimulus for discussion and creativity in the elementary mathematics classroom, and a way to relieve children's anxiety in an escalating curriculum. (MDH)

Current changes observed in medical education include alterations in program intensity, length, and cost; a greater selection of teaching methods; clinical experience sites; institutional goals and objectives; student evaluation techniques; and teaching sites. Students are being challenged increasingly to become self-directed problem solvers.…

Described are three activities and variations that can help students to understand the concept of place value. Allowing students to use concrete materials and helping them to bridge the gap between manipulatives and paper-and-pencil tasks are emphasized. (KR)

Discussed is the idea that, if students are allowed to use calculators when doing classwork, they should be allowed to use calculators on tests. Examples of calculator-active items are presented that are designed to accurately assess students' learning. (KR)

Presented is a scheduling algorithm that uses all the busses at each step for any rectangular array. Included are two lemmas, proofs, a theorem, the solution, and variations on this problem. (KR)

The NCTM Standards present a picture of classroom instruction different from present practice in secondary schools. Presented are three instructional practices: (1) presenting open-ended problems, (2) communication of ideas, and (3) probing for diversity and recommendations for restructuring mathematics instruction based on the California…

Presented are three methods to enrich the mathematics classroom. The first introduces an activity allowing students to discover the law of sines. The second gives eight distance-rate-time problems of value for their counterintuitive or elegant solutions. The third poses multiple answer questions that promote student interaction and communication.…

Describes the structure and organization of a research and training program focusing on urban poverty and social welfare policy. Explains that the program trains undergraduates in the theory and empirical analysis of issues in poverty research. Notes that students must develop and present a plan of service to a local social service agency in an…

A general common-sense model of interactive teaching is presented, including conscious and partly or totally unconscious decision making. The model assumes that the teacher wishes to choose actions that are as appropriate as possible to the situation and goals of teaching. Knowledge and emotional variables influence the process. (SLD)

This article presents a problem-solving model of vocabulary instruction in content classes and applies it to a social studies lesson for special needs learners. The guidelines of the five-step model include establishing what is known, highlighting the new, generating connections between the "known" and the "new," gathering information, and…

Discusses the challenges of teaching high school geography in a way that enables students to develop an informed, spatial view of the world. Discusses the High School Geography Project and its effect on geography instruction. Suggests a map drawing exercise for students to demonstrate the importance of mental maps. (DK)

Presents an activity in which students develop their own theorem involving the relationship between the triangles determined by the squares constructed on the sides of any triangle. Provides a set of four reproducible worksheets, directions on their use, worksheet answers, and suggestions for follow-up activities. (MDH)

This paper describes the use of cooperative groups in teaching calculus. It discusses benefits and drawbacks of group techniques and presents reactions from both students and the author. (Author)

Discusses the problem of finding the amount of fence it would require for the outfield fence of a baseball field of given dimensions. Presents different solution methods for each of the levels from grades 9-12. The different methods incorporate geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and calculus. (MDH)

Described is a program in which students learn about spectroscopy and instrumentation to solve a chemical forensic mystery. Infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, refractometry, and chromatographic techniques were used. An example of a mystery case is included. (KR)