Reflects on activities designed for computer-enhanced in-service training of high school mathematics teachers. Uses a computer-based graphing calculator, a dynamic geometry program, and a spreadsheet program to explore linear algebraic equations that bridge finite and infinite mathematics structures. (ASK)

Reviews the evolution of the educational computer software "Geometer's Sketchpad" and its history. The features of the software invite exploration and play and enable users to sense their own role in shaping and crafting their understanding of mathematics. (ASK)

Reviews the historical development of subtraction algorithms used in the United States. Discusses different algorithms used and developed throughout history that had a major impact on the way subtraction is taught today. (Contains 22 references.) (ASK)

Discusses the development of new mathematics teacher-education programs in Turkey. Presents examples of curricula for elementary and secondary mathematics teachers. (ASK)

Discusses the nature of mathematics, the goals of education, and the political dimension of mathematics. Considers ethnomathematics, the history of mathematics, and advances in ethnomathematics. Proposes a new conception of curriculum. (ASK)

From the perspective of communication of textualized knowledge, problems that concern mathematics education might be amenable to a sharper treatment in which the role of the usual discourse seems important. Contains 14 references. (ASK)

Examines the mathematics education of African-American students, focusing on problems and explanations identified by scholars and researchers. Reviews literature related to the mathematics education of African-American students. Creates a dialog among mathematics educators about improving the mathematical experiences of African-American students.…

Reviews the historical development of subtraction algorithms used in the United States. Indicates that the algorithms used to teach subtraction have not changed much in the last 40 years, but in the late 1800s and early 1900s, different algorithms were developed that had a great impact. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Reviews the nature and application of the skills of reading and writing as they pertain to the learning of mathematics. Argues that students must learn to read mathematically. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Describes the use of manipulatives for solving simple combinatorial problems which can lead to the discovery of recurrence relations for permutations and combinations. Numerical evidence and visual imagery generated by a computer spreadsheet through modeling these relations can enable students to experience the ease and power of combinatorial…

Pre- and posttests and interviews concerning misconceptions and alternate conceptions of rates of change were administered to (n=42) students in first-semester calculus using a conceptually-motivated curriculum. Suggests that an emphasis on visual representations through construction and interpretation in conjunction with teacher-student analysis…

Discusses the rationale and use of problem fields which are sets of related and/or connected open-ended problem-solving tasks within mathematics instruction. Polygons with matchsticks and the number triangle are two examples of problem fields presented along with variations in conditions that promote other matchstick puzzles. (11 references) (JJK)

Presents four areas of advanced mathematical research (fuzzy set theory, subjective probability, search theory, and Voronoi diagrams) that are proposed for introduction into teacher education programs from an elementary, survey perspective without the intention of accomplishing formal mathematical research, thereby challenging teachers' beliefs…

Presents eleven open-ended questions used to address students' beliefs about mathematics that were culled from a wide variety of mathematics education populations. Each question is followed by a summary of typical responses from those populations that can help teachers plan instruction and structure the classroom environment. (JJK)

Reviews the history of the concept of function, looks at its relationship with other sciences, and discusses its use in the study of real world situations. Discusses the process of constructing mathematical models of function and emphasizes the importance of the roles of the numerical, graphical, and algebraic representational forms. (MDH)