Students often have the misconception that mathematics involves reading the problem, staring at the page, and then writing down an answer. With more than twenty years of experience working with students in eighth-grade math through college calculus, the author has been increasingly interested in how she can foster problem-solving skills in her…

In this article, a classroom teacher discusses ambiguities in mathematics vocabulary and strategies for ELL students in building understanding. The authors note that mathematics vocabulary may be more difficult to learn than other academic vocabulary for several reasons: (1) definitions are filled with technical vocabulary, symbols, and diagrams;…

Card tricks based on mathematical principles can be a great way to get students interested in exploring some important mathematical ideas. In this article, the author discusses a simple spreadsheet implementation that shows students why the card trick works and allows them to explore several variations. As an added bonus, students are introduced…

Most students love to play games. Ernest (1986) believed that games could be used to teach mathematics effectively in four areas: motivation, concept development, reinforcement of skills, and practice of problem-solving strategies. Fifteen is an interesting and thought-provoking game that helps students learn mathematics at the same time. Playing…

Discusses two concrete models that have been useful in helping students understand operations with percentages. Includes information on materials needed, procedures for students, limitations, and instructional strategies. (JN)

Discusses how the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded curricula stack up against the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)'s "Principles and Standards". Identifies distinctive features of the five textbook series and includes an example that shows some of these features for each series. (KHR)

Media Clips aims to offer readers contemporary, authentic applications of quantitative reasoning based on print or electronic media. Clips may be in text or graphic format, and clip sources may be either print or electronic media.

Provided is an activity designed to give grades 7-12 students opportunities to discover numerical patterns and to derive general conclusions from observing data. The activity focuses attention on patterns in products such as 33x34, 333x334, and 3333x3334. Three worksheets and answers are included. (JN)

An exploration of a problem called solving quadratic congruences modulo p is detailed and is built around an alternate method of deriving the quadratic formula. Three practical pedagogical values that have been experienced by students and instructor when the material was presented to classes are noted. (MP)

Describes a workshop on teaching high school geometry to the blind. Includes general suggestions for teachers with a blind student in their classes as well as suggestions related to lecture assignments, homework, and testing. Information on equipment and resource materials is also included. (JN)

Learning activities designed to help students gain experience in reading three types of maps and in using the results to solve multistep problems about average speed and cost per mile are presented. Worksheets suitable for reproduction are provided. (MP)