Middle-school students are expected to understand key components of graphs, such as slope and y-intercept. However, constructing graphs is a skill that has received relatively little research attention. This study examined students' construction of graphs of linear functions, focusing specifically on the relative difficulties of graphing slope and…

This article presents the results of a 7th-grade classroom teaching experiment that supported students' understanding of integer addition and subtraction. The experiment was conducted to test and revise a hypothetical learning trajectory so as to propose a potential instructional theory for integer addition and subtraction. The instructional…

In this study, the authors investigate the impact of authoring hypermedia on English as a second language sixth- and seventh-grade students' academic English vocabulary and underlying-concept development. Analysis of data showed that students participating in hypermedia projects, as opposed to traditional science or social science curriculum, were…

Presents a teaching experience that resulted in students getting to a point of full understanding of the kinesthetic activity and the algebra behind it. Includes a lesson plan for a traffic jam activity. (KHR)

This study investigated whether the van Hiele model accurately describes the geometric thinking of gifted students in the 6th through 8th grades prior to a formal course in geometry and made comparisons with what has been found with other populations. The results from 120 students who completed a 25-item multiple choice paper-and-pencil test,…

Proposes a revised learning cycle model termed the Metacognitive Learning Cycle which emphasizes formal opportunities for teachers and students to talk about their science ideas. Analyses two different pedagogical classroom approaches, the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) approach and the metacognitive approach, and observes changes in…

This paper is concerned with understanding how a scaffolding process is utilized in the natural setting of a middle-school mathematics class. Wood, Bruner, & Ross (1976) characterize scaffolding as a learning process of a novice which is assisted and dominated by the adult. Rogoff and Gardner (1984) also point out that "to make messages…

This book introduces journal-writing prompts in mathematics for grades 7-8. Content prompts, attitudinal or affective prompts, and process prompts are presented. Each of the content prompts relates or connects topics within and outside of mathematics, targeting important or meaningful concepts and skills. The content prompts also provide…

Researchers from BBN Laboratories and Lesley College (Massachusetts) have begun exploratory studies to build an understanding of the learning that occurs when middle school students interact with science-based simulations. Sixty hours of discussion among eight middle school students were videotaped as they used the simulations from the…

This study used an open-ended problem-solving approach to teaching and assessing middle school students' understanding of the concept of arithmetic average. Three main results of this study show evidence of positive instructional impact on students' understanding of the concept of average: (1) the number of students who gave correct answers…

This paper reports on the evaluation of an 11-week curriculum created to foster seventh grade students' understanding of scientific modeling. In the curriculum, students engaged in model-oriented activities such as creating non-Newtonian computer microworlds to embody their conceptual models, evaluating their models with criteria, and reflecting…

Generative learning strategies are the focus of the study described in this paper. Research questions pertain to the effect of practice in the generation of analogies and summaries by Grade 7 students on their achievement in science, the different types and numbers of analogies that students generate, and students' perceptions of the effectiveness…

Proposes having students write about what they learned from science films as a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the film. Supplies examples of students' writing on films and techniques for exploiting the results. (MDH)