This guide is designed for the college instructor who plans to use some of the 12 units of the Mathematics-Methods Program. The program is based on three assumptions about the teaching and learning of mathematics: (1) Mathematics content and methods should be combined in the training of prospective elementary school teachers; (2) Mathematics…

Since its inception, Project Mathematics Anxiety Reduction Training (Project MART) has assisted community college students enrolled in career programs attain sufficient skill and confidence in mathematics so as not to limit their occupational options. Given the realities of the community college, MART has attempted to inform faculty about the role…

This catalog is the fourth in a series extending and updating teaching materials previously disseminated through the ERIC system, including the "Greenbook System" of training materials for higher education professionals (ED 103 083-084 and 148 438), Open Classroom Documentation, a procedural manual for an autoinstructional learning…

The purpose of this study was to explore whether "holistic" instruction is an effective way to improve student attitudes toward instruction. Study participants were students in two Mathematics 111 classes at Malcolm X College (Illinois), 27 in the experimental and 27 in the control group. The experimental group received holistic…

Presented are the following reports: (1) Math Anxiety: Real and Complex; (2) Math Anxiety and Middle School Students; (3) Math Anxiety and College Freshmen; (4) Math Anxiety and Elementary Teachers; and (5) Math Anxiety: Conclusions, Discussions, and Remedies. The studies attempt to answer questions regarding mathematics anxiety: (1) what is it,…

This unit, which looks at applications of linear algebra to population studies, is designed to help pupils: (1) understand an application of matrix algebra to the study of populations; (2) see how knowledge of eigen values and eigen vectors is useful in studying powers of matrices; and (3) be briefly exposed to some difficult but interesting…

The Poisson probability distribution is seen to provide a mathematical model from which useful information can be obtained in practical applications. The distribution and some situations to which it applies are studied, and ways to find answers to practical questions are noted. The unit includes exercises and a model exam, and provides answers to…

Four units make up the contents of this document. The first examines applications of finite mathematics to business and economies. The user is expected to learn the method of optimization in optimal assignment problems. The second module presents applications of difference equations to economics and social sciences, and shows how to: 1) interpret…

Ten research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Five of the reports deal with aspects of mathematics instructional practices, four with areas of learning theory, and one with student achievement. Research related to mathematics education which was reported in RIE and CIJE between July and September 1980 is…

A study involving 441 students enrolled in pre-calculus mathematics courses at Black Hawk College, Illinois, during Spring 1981 was conducted to measure the correlation between the level of students' math anxiety and four independent variables: sex, age, math background (as measured by the highest level of math course previously completed), and…

The uses of verbal rules in solving arithmetic problems are presented. Thirty-six problems were used in individual testing of five students who were enrolled in a remedial mathematics course at a community college. Two or three weeks prior to the individual exams, the students had been tested in their class on the material. The study indicated…

Test results are summarized for the second year of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test administered to 47,725 entering freshmen in the fall of 1979. Performance is categorized into one of three groups: appears proficient in basic skills tested; demonstrates proficiency in some (but not all) of the areas tested; and demonstrates a…

Freshmen placed into the second or third quarter of the first year calculus sequence at the University of Washington were studied. Two major findings were: freshmen eligible for advanced placement earned mean mathematics Grade Point Averages (GPAs) which were quite high; and advanced placement students earned mean mathematics GPAs substantially…

Presented are student performance objectives, a student progress chart, and assignment sheets with objective and diagnostic measures for the stated performance objectives in college arithmetic and pre-algebra. Topics covered include: sets, whole numbers, integers, decimal fractions, fractions, ratio and proportion, percent, powers and roots, the…

Several methods of teaching college-level mathematics sequences are examined for their advantages, disadvantages, and costs. Materials considered include textbooks, film sequences, videotaped lectures, and individualized teaching machines. (SD)