An approach to teaching mildly retarded children math skills using finger calculation is discussed. Drills progress from using one to two hands and doing multiplication and division. The appropriateness of finger calculation with children in the sensory motor and preoperational stages of development is noted, and the approach's ability to enhance…

Six easy-to-learn strategies are offered to help students with learning problems in mathematics make error-free subtraction calculations when either the subtrahend or remainder is a 9, 8, or 7 and when the minuend is in the teens. (CB)

The study compared the improvement in computational skills of two similar groups of accounting students, one using calculators in examinations and the other not. Not using calculators seems to improve the arithmetical ability of students, but does not significantly improve students' feel for numbers or ability to solve word problems. (CH)

After reviewing several assumptions that support the future ubiquitousness of computers in society and in scholarly research, summarizes three interrelated frameworks for developing instructional computing. (GC)

Describes a strategy to make chi-square calculations and interpretations more understandable by presenting the theory behind the test to the students in a visual manner. Involves using dihybrid corn to generate a large sample of chi-squares followed by plotting a frequency distribution to get at the meaning behind the chi-square table. (JRH)

Debates the place of standard methods, the calculator, and mental mathematics in elementary education. Proposes a framework for computation that emphasizes a sequence for introducing computational procedures. (ASK)

A practical approach for familiarizing students with the thermodynamics of the inclusion phenomena is described. The experiment facilitates calculation of the activation parameters corresponding to the reactions involved in the inclusion mechanism.

The ubiquity of calculators led to many "computational abuses", when numbers substitute for substance. On the other hand, it resulted in decrease in number oriented dexterity of students. The latter led to a disdain for even simple calculations to work about unfamiliar mathematical problems. As a reaction to the former, the reputation of…

This article describes the impact of thinking about addition and subtraction facts instead of rotely memorizing them.

This article describes a mathematical biology workshop given to secondary school teachers of the Danville area in Virginia, USA. The goal of the workshop was to enable teams of teachers with biology and mathematics expertise to incorporate lesson plans in mathematical modelling into the curriculum. The biological focus of the activities is the…

This article reports on a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of 68 experiments on teaching mathematics to individuals with significant cognitive disabilities. Most of the studies in the review addressed numbers and computation or measurement. Within the computation studies identified, most focused on counting, calculation, or number…

Describes the method to solve problems called T-E-M-T-T: trial, error, and modified trial through technology. The method integrates students' skills of estimation, mental computation, and appropriate choice of calculator use. Includes 2 activities for each of grades K-4 and 5-8 that illustrate the method. (MDH)

This article explores the origins and potential benefits of the empty number line for the development of mental computation. It also provides a learner's perspective of its use through the reflections of nine-year-old Emily. (Contains 3 figures.)

This paper describes the construction of a slide-rule computer that allows one to quickly determine magnitudes of several effects that result from the detonation of a nuclear device. Suggestions for exercises are also included that allow high school and college-level physics students to explore scenarios involving these effects. It is hoped that…

The Bondi K-calculus is a delightful method that has been used to provide rich insights into relativistic kinematics. In this paper, we will try to show how several important results of relativistic kinetics can be derived simply by using this approach. In addition, we will also indicate how the K-calculus can be used to simplify certain…