This collaborative inquiry between an academic (James Russo) and two school-based practitioners (Jessie McCosh and Travis Hewish) explores student attitudes towards learning mathematics through problem solving in a medium sized primary school in regional Victoria.

Marlene Chesney describes a piece of research where the participants were asked to complete a calculation, 16 + 8, and then asked to describe how they solved it. The diversity of invented strategies will be of interest to teachers along with the recommendations that are made. So "how do 'you' solve 16 + 8?"

Teachers and researchers work hard to discover the most effective ways of teaching mathematics in the primary classroom. When searching for new tasks to teach or ways to adapt a task to fit the class's profile, they often "phone a friend," drawing on the know-how and knowledge of colleagues and experts. Other articles in this issue…

The authors examined students' understanding of hypotheses as beliefs that can be empirically verified. Thirty second graders and 30 sixth graders considered cases of disagreement about foods and colors that reflected either alternative hypotheses or different preferences. Their task was to decide whether the validity of each expressed belief…

Describes a plan for a spelling bee in which both sixth graders and senior citizens participate. Argues that such an activity impresses students with the idea that school learning has practical applications in the lives of adults. (HB)

This report describes district-level results from the 2007-2008 AISD Student Climate Survey.

"Adults don't listen to me because they don't think I have anything interesting to say," an eleven-year-old boy explained to the authors of this article during one of the after-school focus groups that took place at Homer (Michigan) Community Schools. However, as part of the Youth Participatory Evaluation (YPE) team's effort to evaluate…