A hallmark of much of the research on children's thinking in the 1970s had been the focus on explicit content domains. Much of this research had been represented by an eclectic collection of studies sampled from a variety of disciplines and content areas. However, in the few years before this publication, research in several content domains has begun to coalesce into a coherent body of knowledge. Originally published in 1982, the chapters in this work represent one of the first attempts to bring together the perspectives of a variety of different researchers investigating a specific, well defined content domain. This book presents theoretical views and research findings of a group of international scholars who are investigating the early acquisition of addition and subtraction skills by young children. Together, the contributors bring a blend of psychology, educational psychology, and mathematics education to this topic. Fields of interest such as information processing, artificial intelligence, early childhood, and classroom teaching and learning are included in this blend.

This volume focuses on the important mathematical idea of functions that, with the technology of computers and calculators, can be dynamically represented in ways that have not been possible previously. The book's editors contend that as result of recent technological developments combined with the integrated knowledge available from research on teaching, instruction, students' thinking, and assessment, curriculum developers, researchers, and teacher educators are faced with an unprecedented opportunity for making dramatic changes. The book presents content considerations that occur when the mathematics of graphs and functions relate to curriculum. It also examines content in a carefully considered integration of research that conveys where the field stands and where it might go. Drawing heavily on their own work, the chapter authors reconceptualize research in their specific areas so that this knowledge is integrated with the others' strands. This model for synthesizing research can serve as a paradigm for how research in mathematics education can -- and probably should -- proceed.

Until recently there had been relatively little integration of programs of research on teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment. However, in the last few years it has become increasingly apparent that a more unified program of research is needed to acquire an understanding of teaching and learning in schools that will inform curriculum development and assessment. The chapters in this volume represent a first step toward an integration of research paradigms in one clearly specified mathematical domain. Integrating a number of different research perspectives is a complex task, and ways must be found to reduce the complexity without sacrificing the integration. The research discussed in this volume is tied together because it deals with a common content strand. During the last ten years specific content domains have served as focal points for research on the development of mathematical concepts in children. The areas of addition and subtraction, algebra, rational numbers, and geometry are notable examples. Whether a similar organizational structure will prevail for programs of research that integrate the study of teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment is an open question. The perspectives presented in this volume illustrate the potential for adopting this perspective.

Summarizing data derived from a four-year combined longitudinal/ cross-sectional comparative study of the implementation of one standards-based middle school curriculum program, Mathematics in Context, this book demonstrates the challenges of conducting comparative longitudinal research in the reality of school life. The study was designed to answer three questions: What is the impact on student performance of the Mathematics in Context instructional approach, which differs from most conventional mathematics texts in both content and expected pedagogy? How is this impact different from that of traditional instruction on student performance? What variables associated with classroom instruction account for variation in student performance? The researchers examined a range of variables that affected data collection. These variations highlight the need to study the effects of the culture in which student learning is situated when analyzing the impact of standards-based curricula on student achievement. This book is directed to educational researchers interested in curriculum implementation, mathematics educators interested in the effects of using reform curriculum materials in classrooms, evaluators and research methodologists interested in structural modeling and scaling of instructional variables, and educational policy makers concerned about reform efforts.

Summarizing data derived from a four-year combined longitudinal/ cross-sectional comparative study of the implementation of one standards-based middle school curriculum program, Mathematics in Context, this book demonstrates the challenges of conducting comparative longitudinal research in the reality of school life. The study was designed to answer three questions: What is the impact on student performance of the Mathematics in Context instructional approach, which differs from most conventional mathematics texts in both content and expected pedagogy? How is this impact different from that of traditional instruction on student performance? What variables associated with classroom instruction account for variation in student performance? The researchers examined a range of variables that affected data collection. These variations highlight the need to study the effects of the culture in which student learning is situated when analyzing the impact of standards-based curricula on student achievement. This book is directed to educational researchers interested in curriculum implementation, mathematics educators interested in the effects of using reform curriculum materials in classrooms, evaluators and research methodologists interested in structural modeling and scaling of instructional variables, and educational policy makers concerned about reform efforts.

The research reported in this book provides reliable evidence on and knowledge about mathematics and science instruction that emphasizes student understanding--instruction consistent with the needs of students who will be citizens in an increasingly demanding technological world. The National Center for Improving Student Learning in Mathematics and Science--established in 1996 as a research center and funded by the U.S. Department of Education--was instrumental in developing instructional practices supportive of high student achievement in and understanding of mathematics and science concepts. NCISLA researchers worked with teachers, students, and administrators to construct learning environments that exemplify current research and theory about effective learning of mathematics and science. The careful programs of research conducted examined how instructional content and design, assessment, professional development, and organizational support can be designed, implemented, and orchestrated to support the learning of all students. This book presents a summary of the concepts, findings, and conclusions of the Center's research from 1996-2001. In the Introduction, the chapters in Understanding Mathematics and Science Matters are situated in terms of the reform movement in school mathematics and school science. Three thematically structured sections focus on, respectively, research directed toward what is involved when students learn mathematics and science with understanding; research on the role of teachers and the problems they face when attempting to teach their students mathematics and science with understanding; and a collaboration among some of the contributors to this volume to gather information about classroom assessment practices and organizational support for reform. The goal of this book is to help educational practitioners, policymakers, and the general public to see the validity of the reform recommendations, understand the recommended guidelines, and to use these to transform teaching and learning of mathematics and science in U.S. classrooms.

The research reported in this book provides reliable evidence on and knowledge about mathematics and science instruction that emphasizes student understanding--instruction consistent with the needs of students who will be citizens in an increasingly demanding technological world. The National Center for Improving Student Learning in Mathematics and Science--established in 1996 as a research center and funded by the U.S. Department of Education--was instrumental in developing instructional practices supportive of high student achievement in and understanding of mathematics and science concepts. NCISLA researchers worked with teachers, students, and administrators to construct learning environments that exemplify current research and theory about effective learning of mathematics and science. The careful programs of research conducted examined how instructional content and design, assessment, professional development, and organizational support can be designed, implemented, and orchestrated to support the learning of all students. This book presents a summary of the concepts, findings, and conclusions of the Center's research from 1996-2001. In the Introduction, the chapters in Understanding Mathematics and Science Matters are situated in terms of the reform movement in school mathematics and school science. Three thematically structured sections focus on, respectively, research directed toward what is involved when students learn mathematics and science with understanding; research on the role of teachers and the problems they face when attempting to teach their students mathematics and science with understanding; and a collaboration among some of the contributors to this volume to gather information about classroom assessment practices and organizational support for reform. The goal of this book is to help educational practitioners, policymakers, and the general public to see the validity of the reform recommendations, understand the recommended guidelines, and to use these to transform teaching and learning of mathematics and science in U.S. classrooms.

"Mathematics Classrooms That Promote Understanding" synthesizes the implications of research done by the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences on integrating two somewhat diverse bodies of scholarly inquiry: the study of teaching and the study of learning mathematics.
This research was organized around content domains and/or continuing issues of education, such as equity and assessment of learning, and was guided by two common goals--defining the mathematics content of the K-12 curriculum in light of the changing mathematical needs of citizens for the 21st century, and identifying common components of classrooms that enable students to learn the redefined mathematics with understanding. To accomplish these goals, classrooms in which instruction facilitated the growth of understanding were established and/or studied. This volume reports and discusses the findings which grew out of this research, and subsequent papers and discussions among the scholars engaged in the endeavor.
Section I, "Setting the Stage," focuses on three major threads: What mathematics should be taught; how we should define and increase students' understanding of that mathematics; and how learning with understanding can be facilitated for all students. Section II, "Classrooms That Promote Understanding," includes vignettes from diverse classrooms that illustrate classroom discourse, student work, and student engagement in the mathematics described in Chapter 1 as well as the mental activities described in Chapter 2. These chapters also illustrate how teachers deal with the equity concerns described in Chapter 3. Section III addresses "Developing Classrooms That Promote Understanding."
The knowledge of the teaching/learning process gained from the research reported in this volume is a necessary prerequisite for implementing the revisions called for in the current reform movement. The classrooms described show that innovative reform in teaching and learning mathematics is possible. Unlike many volumes reporting research, this book is written at a level appropriate for master's degree students. Very few references are included in the chapters themselves; instead, each chapter includes a short annotated list of articles for expanded reading which provides the scholarly basis and research substantiation for this volume.

"Mathematics Classrooms That Promote Understanding" synthesizes the implications of research done by the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences on integrating two somewhat diverse bodies of scholarly inquiry: the study of teaching and the study of learning mathematics.
This research was organized around content domains and/or continuing issues of education, such as equity and assessment of learning, and was guided by two common goals--defining the mathematics content of the K-12 curriculum in light of the changing mathematical needs of citizens for the 21st century, and identifying common components of classrooms that enable students to learn the redefined mathematics with understanding. To accomplish these goals, classrooms in which instruction facilitated the growth of understanding were established and/or studied. This volume reports and discusses the findings which grew out of this research, and subsequent papers and discussions among the scholars engaged in the endeavor.
Section I, "Setting the Stage," focuses on three major threads: What mathematics should be taught; how we should define and increase students' understanding of that mathematics; and how learning with understanding can be facilitated for all students. Section II, "Classrooms That Promote Understanding," includes vignettes from diverse classrooms that illustrate classroom discourse, student work, and student engagement in the mathematics described in Chapter 1 as well as the mental activities described in Chapter 2. These chapters also illustrate how teachers deal with the equity concerns described in Chapter 3. Section III addresses "Developing Classrooms That Promote Understanding."
The knowledge of the teaching/learning process gained from the research reported in this volume is a necessary prerequisite for implementing the revisions called for in the current reform movement. The classrooms described show that innovative reform in teaching and learning mathematics is possible. Unlike many volumes reporting research, this book is written at a level appropriate for master's degree students. Very few references are included in the chapters themselves; instead, each chapter includes a short annotated list of articles for expanded reading which provides the scholarly basis and research substantiation for this volume.

This volume focuses on the important mathematical idea of functions that, with the technology of computers and calculators, can be dynamically represented in ways that have not been possible previously. The book's editors contend that as result of recent technological developments combined with the integrated knowledge available from research on teaching, instruction, students' thinking, and assessment, curriculum developers, researchers, and teacher educators are faced with an unprecedented opportunity for making dramatic changes.
The book presents content considerations that occur when the mathematics of graphs and functions relate to curriculum. It also examines content in a carefully considered integration of research that conveys where the field stands and where it might go. Drawing heavily on their own work, the chapter authors reconceptualize research in their specific areas so that this knowledge is integrated with the others' strands. This model for synthesizing research can serve as a paradigm for how research in mathematics education can -- and probably should -- proceed.

Until recently there had been relatively little integration of programs of research on teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment. However, in the last few years it has become increasingly apparent that a more unified program of research is needed to acquire an understanding of teaching and learning in schools that will inform curriculum development and assessment. The chapters in this volume represent a first step toward an integration of research paradigms in one clearly specified mathematical domain.
Integrating a number of different research perspectives is a complex task, and ways must be found to reduce the complexity without sacrificing the integration. The research discussed in this volume is tied together because it deals with a common content strand. During the last ten years specific content domains have served as focal points for research on the development of mathematical concepts in children. The areas of addition and subtraction, algebra, rational numbers, and geometry are notable examples. Whether a similar organizational structure will prevail for programs of research that integrate the study of teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment is an open question. The perspectives presented in this volume illustrate the potential for adopting this perspective.