Volume 101 (4), April 2001

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Table of Contents

Abstracts

Table of Contents

Abstracts

Teaching and Learning Mathematics With Interactive Spreadsheets

Hollylynne Stohl Drier
North Carolina State University


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Learning to teach mathematics at the middle and secondary levels should include many opportunities for teachers to learn how to use technology to better understand mathematics themselves and promote studentsâ learning of mathematical concepts with technology-enabled pedagogy.  This article highlights work done in a variety of preservice and in-service mathematics teacher education courses to help teachers use commonly available spreadsheets as an interactive exploratory learning tool.  Several examples of teachersâ subsequent use of spreadsheets in their own teaching are also discussed.
 
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Multiple Intelligences Theory: A Framework for Personalizing Science Curricula

Karen Goodnough
University of Rochester


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        This case study reports on the experiences of a high school science teacher, Dave, as he explored multiple intelligences (MI) theory within the context of an action research group. The theory was used as a framework to make decisions about how he would structure learning experiences for his grade nine students in a science unit on space and astronomy. Through participation in the project, Dave believed he was able to offer his students a more student-centered, engaging science curriculum that catered to individual learning needs. Thus, the case provides insight into the nature of MI theory and how the framework of MI theory can be used to make science accessible to students and to assist them  in achieving high levels of scientific literacy.
 

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Content and Organization of Teacherâs Manuals: An Analysis of Japanese Elementary Mathematics Teacherâs Manuals

Tad Watanabe
Towson University


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In this paper, results from a study that analyzed the content and organization of teacherâs manuals for elementary school mathematics from Japan and the United States are presented. Studies have shown that the nature of mathematics instruction in Japan is different from instruction commonly observed in the United States. Moreover, other scholars have noted that elementary school teachers, both in the United States and Japan, rely heavily on textbooks to teach mathematics. Thus, teacherâs manuals accompanying textbook series may be a contributing factor to this difference. The results of the analysis showed that there are some significant differences in the way Japanese teachersâ manuals are prepared from those of the US series. The findings suggest that curriculum developers should critically reflect on how to prepare teacherâs manuals so that they become useful resources for teachers.
 
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Science Fairs: What Are the Sources of Help for Students and How Prevalent Is Cheating?

Cassidy A. Syer and Bruce M. Shore
McGill University


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        This study examined the sources and kinds of help that students who were required to participate in science fairs considered fair and reasonable and the kinds of help they actually received for their project. In addition, the possibility of cheating was explicitly probed. A previously reported gap between potential and actual sources and kinds of help was confirmed, and 5 of the 24 students whose participation was required in a science fair admitted to making up their data or results. Pressure of time was the most highly reported obstacle faced by all students. Although 5 students cheated, one demonstrated a strong sense of right and wrong, but all the students who cheated lacked or did not make  use of adaptive strategies.

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