This document has been prepared to help teachers and administrators in New York plan and execute a mathematics program for grade eight. The syllabus is designed to improve the problem solving abilities of students, while continuing a natural development of mathematical skills and concepts. Problem solving situations are emphasized in each of seven…

Knowledge about the structure of arithmetic expressions enables people to reason effectively about such expressions, including an ability to judge equivalence under transformations. This paper reports an empirical study of six middle-school children who judged the equivalence of three sets of three-term arithmetic expressions with an addition and…

This study investigated differences occurring in student time utilization in three teachers' classes. In Class A, the teacher used a large group instructional mode; in Class B, the teacher used a small group instructional mode; and in Class C, the teacher used an individualized instructional mode. The subjects were 60 eighth grade students from a…

This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in an eighth grade mathematics or consumer program. Time allotment is from four to five hours of classroom time. The objective of this capsule is to teach the basic concepts of banking, including how a bank makes money for its customers, services which a…

Mathematical problem-solving processes used by 27 eighth graders who had studied programming were compared to those of 27 who had not. Programmers used more systematic approaches and reviewed solutions more often than nonprogrammers but did not make more use of equations or do more planning. (PK)

Discusses a method of teaching the multiplication of integers to eighth-grade students that utilizes videotape recordings to represent positive and negative rates. Videotapes of students walking forward and backward in the play and rewind modes illustrate that the product of two negatives is positive. (MDH)

Out of the 38 nations studied in the 1999 "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study" (TIMSS), children in Singapore scored highest in mathematics (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES, 2003). Why do Singapore's children do so well in mathematics? The reasons are undoubtedly complex and involve social aspects.…

In this research, 103 Hispanic junior high school students were instructed using the Kumon Mathematical Method. Instruction took place 1 hour per day, 5 days a week in a public school setting. Instruction extended over an eight month period. Student subjects were pretested and posttested on the Mathematics batteries of the California Achievement…

Presented is an overview of the 1979 Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP) for eighth-grade mathematics. The IIEP is a systematic effort by the Illinois State Board of Education to collect information on the educational achievement of Illinois students in certain areas and to make that information available to educational…

Types of strategies used by (n=36) fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-grade students solving comparison of area tasks were identified and classified. Most students used a direct comparison strategy to compare areas. Use of a part-whole strategy increased with the introduction of fractional terms and symbols. (23 references) (MKR)

Examines technology access and use in urban, suburban, and rural schools by using data from the eighth-grade cohort of the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Survey. Results indicate significant differences in the use of mathematics technology in school settings, and that inequalities in educational opportunity still need to be addressed. (JKP)

Studied relationships between intended, implemented, and tested curricula of (n=84) classes of eighth-grade mathematics students based on data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). Analysis indicated the SIMS test for eighth graders was not representative of curriculum defined by students' texts. (Contains 22 references.)…

Focuses on the language used in mathematics instruction and the ways in which teachers assist students in constructing the formal language of mathematics. Strategies to help students connect vocabulary with mathematical concepts include using teacher modeling, writing, cooperative learning, and having students define words in their own language.…

The effect of inservice teacher training on student perceptions of classroom environment was investigated. Teachers received training on lesson format, classroom management, and instruction in either September or January. Their students completed the Classroom Environment Scale. Student groups differed in perception of student affiliation but not…

Describes the underlying philosophical and cultural changes associated with classroom organizational changes in one eighth-grade teacher's attempts to implement National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. Observations and interviews indicated that there were two distinct cultures ("book world" and organic or…