We should not, in the name of "back to basics," regress to the old methodologies of memorization and drill. Computational skills must be thoroughly developed, but mathematics should also be taught in a way that will enhance thinking skills and problem solving in an enjoyable atmosphere. (Author/SJL)

In presenting a rationale for allowing--even encouraging--children to count on their fingers, the author illustrates finger counting systems from African and American Indian tribes and the medieval European system cataloged by the Venerable Bede. She cites number words from many languages which derive from names for gestures. (SJL)

A proposal to shift to a conceptually oriented curriculum using the calculator as an instructional tool and to eliminate the teaching of complex computations in elementary school is presented. (MP)

An example of an unrealistic "real world" problem from the National Assessment of Educational Progress highlights a comparison of school and "folk" mathematics. The failures of typical problems taught in school and some suggested remedies are featured. (MP) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document:…

Directions for making a device that parents can use to help children practice basic skills are given. (MK)

Activities to develop counting skills are given. (MK)

A technique is described whereby the center of an irregularly shaped object can be determined. Several activities are suggested that require the use of a piece of cardboard mounted at its center of gravity. (SA)

Attainment relative to six cognitive operations and four number and computational skills was assessed for 90 elementary students using clinical procedures. Variance associated with conservation of number, seriation, and logical classification competency accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in achievement scores. (Author/MK)

The author suggests that educators are not using enough nonprint materials or are not using them correctly. She lists inexpensive nonprint materials in the areas of reading, writing, and computation which are worth previewing. (KC)

This essay discusses the possible types of uses of calculators in the elementary school, citing several publications, articles, and research studies. (MP)

This calculator experiment for seventh-grade students on prime factorization contains objectives, difficulties, a discussion, several examples, and a worksheet. (MP)

Two units of study are given here for teaching elementary school students the use of the programable calculator. Storage registers and the program memory are considered. (MP)

Factors suggested as accounting for poor problem solving are inadequate programs for teaching problem solving, choice of operation, and the number of problems. (MP)

A method is given for computer calculation of transcendental functions. (MK)

Explores the mathematical abilities of human infants compared with various species of animals. Studies indicate that human infants enter the world capable of doing simple mathematical operations. Nonhuman animals can discriminate among sets of objects based on the number of items in each set. Further studies may pinpoint the age at which children…