Interspersing easy problems among challenging problems has been shown to both increase students' preference for completing math worksheets and the fluency with which they complete challenging problems. Although early research examining the interspersal procedure in mathematics was conducted with college-age students, there are a growing number of…

This paper describes an intervention at the 8th grade level where university mathematics researchers presented a series of lessons on introductory concepts in probability and statistics. Pre- and post-tests, and interviews were conducted to examine whether or not students at this grade level can understand these concepts. Students showed a…

A solution to the Rubik's Cube was introduced to an eighth grade mathematics class. The purpose of this study was to determine if an introduction to a solution to the Rubik's Cube could enhance students' problem-solving abilities, increase their general interest in mathematics, and enhance students' problem solving self-efficacy. Pre and Post…

Sixty four preservice teachers taking a mathematics methods class for middle schools were given 3 math problems: multiply a three digit number by a two digit number; divide a whole number by a fraction; and compare the volume of two cylinders made in different ways from the same rectangular sheet. They were to a) solve them, explaining their…

The greatest benefit of including leap year in the calculation is not to increase precision, but to show students that a problem can be solved without such presumption. A birthday problem is analyzed showing that calculating a leap-year birthday probability is not a frivolous computation.

A technology-mediated solution to enhance the learning experience for students in a large lecture setting was evaluated. Online problem sets were developed to engage students in the content of a human biology course and implemented in the classes of eight faculty coordinators. The weekly problem sets contained several multiple choice problems,…

Problem-based learning (PBL), initiated when learners meet the problem scenarios, develops learners' skills and subject matter content to make the transition from beginner to more expert problem solver. Beginning students might benefit from simple, well-structured problems, in which the understanding of sets of rules and principles results in a…

The study describes students' patterns of thinking for statistical problems set in two different contexts. Fifteen students representing a wide range of experiences with high school mathematics participated in problem-solving clinical interview sessions. At one point during the interviews, each solved a problem that involved determining the…

A classroom intervention employing math racetracks was carried out to teach math facts to two elementary students with learning disabilities. A math racetrack is a drill and practice procedure where known and unknown facts are placed on a sheet of paper like an oval racetrack. The effectiveness of using math racetracks was evaluated with a…

Norms govern the criteria by which students decide what is good and what is not good, and align their learning trajectories accordingly.We found that the high-school students' norm is to produce working, but not necessarily error-free, programs and to argue for their correctness solely on the basis of a few executions. Therefore, they prefer…

Web-Based Instruction is increasingly being recognized as a means of teaching and learning. In dietetics, the interactions between drugs and nutrients are complex due to the wide variety of drugs and their mechanism and interactions with nutrients. How to help student professionals acquired necessary skills and knowledge is important in a dietetic…