The Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) is a program of CEMREL, Inc., one of the national educational laboratories, and was funded by the National Institute of Education (NIE). Its major purpose is the development of curriculum materials for grades kindergarten through 6. A comparison of student achievement at the end of fourth grade…

Investigation into fourth- through sixth-grade students' (N=257) motivational differences regarding computer-assisted mathematics instruction revealed that intrinsically-motivated students performed better at the computer, but not on a paper-and-pencil achievement test, than extrinsically-motivated students. Students who had self-criteria for…

Describes superintendents' and principals' beliefs about organizing students for mathematics instruction in the intermediate grades, based on a random selection of 60 Missouri elementary schools. Findings show that teachers' infrequent use of small-group strategies cannot be attributed to administrators' disapproval. (TE)

Presents four problem-solving activities which require only simple, readily available materials. Comments about the activities and ready-to-duplicate worksheets are provided for each activity. Activities are suitable for students in the lower secondary grades. (JN)

Describes a mathematics education research project conducted among seventh graders with the goal of identifying important processes, skills, and understandings needed by students to use mathematical ideas in everyday situations. Discusses information utilization skills required for solving a written problem containing extensive verbal and…

Activities with balance beams were used to motivate students and help them to learn basic mathematical principles. Illustrations are included. (MNS)

No significant difference was found in sixth-grade reading, language, and mathematics achievement between students who were excused from regular classroom activities for the study of instrumental music and students not studying instrumental music. (Author/RM)

Presents a sample lesson plan (suitable for grades 6-10) and examples of other problems useful in teaching data processing skills. The plan (focusing on planning investigations, data collection, and data processing) is based on the Data Processing Operation Guide, a 10-step model of intellectual operations that can be used in problem solving. (JN)

Describes how one student improved his mathematics performance by keeping a journal of class activities and homework assignments. (FL)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how collaborative problem solving affects individual mathematical problem-solving ability. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations were conducted, focusing on four students in the same fourth grade mathematics class in Taipei, Taiwan, as they participated in two steps of individual problem-solving…

This study is on the importance of reading in mathematics. The hypothesis is that reading word problems affects the outcome of problem solving. Students, 44 fourth-graders in two different math classes taught by the same teacher, were given computation problems and other students received the same computation problems within a story problem. The…

The view of the researcher is that students in the upper elementary to middle school range need to increase their problem-solving skills by making logical deductions and organizing and structuring their thoughts through the use of word problems. Giving children a daily word problem challenged and introduced them to the lesson. This activity…

In this study, 155 fourth-grade students in five classrooms were compared during mathematics instruction to assess differences in teacher wait-time among high, medium, and low academic achievers and to examine differences in wait-time between girls and boys. (Authors/CJ)

A Maryland middle-school teacher can no longer imagine a math classroom without computers, word processing programs, graphing calculators, graphic design programs, and colored printers and monitors. Aided by these devices, her students made great leaps toward the 21st-century technology goals spelled out by the Department of Education in 1995.…

A Copy/Cover/Compare method of teaching multiplication facts to a sixth grade student with learning disabilities was evaluated. Results indicated that the Copy/Cover/Compare method was effective in increasing percent correct for the targeted multiplication facts. Practical implications of employing this drill and practice procedure in the…