This action research describes a program for improving mathematical problem solving skills. The targeted population consisted of first grade students in a transient, middle class community as well as third and sixth grade students from a growing, middle to upper class in Illinois. The concerns of problem solving were documented through teacher…

Analysis showed that a word problem is difficult to solve if: it is of a different type from the problem that preceded it; its solution requires a large number of different operations; its surface structure is complex; it has a large number of words; or it requires a conversion of units. (Authors)

Results indicated that Piagetian developmental level significantly predicted problem-solving performance, whereas level of field independence did not appear to clarify individual differences in a meaningful way. (Author)

Sixth grade students with cooperative direction of departmentalized reading and science teachers develop questions for research papers and activity projects during aerospace science unit. Student initiative and self-direction and teacher guidance are emphasized in the individualized reading instruction and small group science activities. (JM)

Eighty-four sixth-grade students were assigned to three conditions, and studied two controversial issues with materials representing both pro and con views. Controversy, compared with concurrence seeking and individualistic study, promoted higher achievement and retention, greater search for information, more cognitive rehearsal, and positive…

A study of 46 sixth graders designed to compare the problem-solving performance of pupils using calculators with that of students not using calculators is reported. The argument that calculator availability facilitates problem solving is supported. (MP)

This article gives examples of the way the Apple II microcomputer was used with a sixth-grade class in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (MK)

Interviews conducted with each of 35 sixth graders who made errors on the Metropolitan Achievement Test showed little evidence that poor reading abilities affected children's success on word problems. (DT)

Sixth graders with Australian parents and sixth graders with Greek immigrant parents were given three tasks: memory for a set of 24 pictures, a buttonboard task, and 20 questions. "The results point to the importance of specific strategies on problem-solving tasks and to the importance, in cross-cultural comparisons, of shared understandings…

Investigates gender-related effects of a problem-solving plan for sixth graders (n=155). Analysis indicates a significant interaction effect of occasion of testing, test sequence, and gender. Concludes that females benefited from free exploration, of problem situations followed by an organized exploration whereas males appeared to function equally…

Explores 80 sixth- and seventh-grade students' self-reported use of 14 categories of strategies for processing mathematical word problems and the relationship of strategy use to academic achievement, problem-solving behaviors, and problem-solving success. A chart of categories of strategic behavior and examples from middle schools students is…

Students do not associate traditional word problems with their own experiences because they describe situations textually, rather than contextually, and seem artificially geared to specific number operations and single correct answers. Aided by a state grant, elementary teachers in one Minnesota district are using video anchors to simulate…

Suggests using issue-centered approaches in elementary social studies instruction and discusses one example, the Reconstructive Model by Frank Simon. Argues that by using this model, teachers can develop their own issue-centered lessons and units about history. Provides an example of a sixth-grade lesson on disabled students developed using this…

Introduces mathematical guessing games to teach algebra that motivate students in learning mathematics by stimulating their curiosity and problem-solving abilities. (ASK)

Describes a study of sixth grade middle school students that examined whether tuning students' attention to information in a mathematics problem impacted their problem-solving performance. Discusses use of the Jasper Woodbury Problem-Solving series and results of statistical analyses that showed the importance of creating mathematical problems…