The purpose of this study is to develop and implement an alternative elementary mathematics curriculum to enhance creative problem solving ability. The curriculum consisting of three main elements was developed. The three elements are content knowledge, process knowledge and creative thinking skills. The curriculum contents and the units were developed by mathematics educators, elementary educators, psychologists, elementary school teachers and curriculum specialists for 3 years. In order to test the effectiveness of the developed curriculum, the 5 units based on a problem-based-learning (PBL) method were implemented in a 5th grade class as an experimental group during the second semester. For the comparison group the ordinary lesson based on the 6th national mathematics curriculum was implemented during the same period. Performance assessment was developed and used for the pre and post test. T-est was use to testify that the effect of the curriculum is statistically signigicant. The results of the test showed that the experimental group progressed significantly in the creative problem solving ability, but the comparison group did not.

This paper is discussing about the culture of mathematics classroom for problem solving. The mathematics classroom which we have to aim at is where every students make proper belief and attitude about mathematics, and also can express their own idea and make question freely. In that classroom, the students can meet with various problem solving methods and communicate with other students, and then elaborate their own method.

This paper presents cross-national perspectives on challenges in implementing current mathematics education reform ideals. This paper includes detailed qualitative descriptions of mathematics instruction from unevenly successful second-grade classrooms both in Koran and in the U. S with regared to reform recommendations. Despits dramatic differences in mathematics achivement between Korean and the U.S student. problems in both countries with regard to mathematics education are perceived to be very similar. The shared problems have a common origin in teacher-centered instruction. Educational leaders in both countries have persistently attempted to change the teacher-centered pedagogy to a student-centered approach. Many teachers report familiarity with and adherence to reform ideas, but their actual classroom teaching practices do not reflect the full implications of the reform ideals. Given the challenges in implementing reform, this study explored the breakdown that may occur between teachers adoption of reform objectives and their successful incorporation of reform ideals by comparing and contrasting two reform-oriented classrooms in both countries. This comparison and contrast provided a unique opportunity to reflect on possible subtle but crucial issues with regard to reform implementation. Thus, this study departed from past international comparisons in which the common objective has been to compare general social norma of typical mathematics classes across countries. This study was and exploratory, qualitative, comparative case study using grounded theory methodology based on constant comparative analysis for which the primary data sources were classroom video recordings and transcripts. The Korean portion of this study was conducted by the team of four researchers, including the author. The U.S portion of this study and a brief joint analysis were conducted by the author. This study compared and contrasted the classroom general social norms and sociomathematical norms of two Korean and two U.S second-grade teachers who aspired to implement reform. The two classrooms in each country were chosen because of their unequal success in activating the reform recommendation. Four mathematics lessons were videotaped from Korean classes, whereas fourteen lessons were videotaped from the U.S. classes. Intensive interviews were conducted with each teacher. The two classes within each country established similar participation patterns but very different sociomathematical norms. In both classes open-ended questioning, collaborative group work, and students own problem solving constituted the primary modes of classroom participation. However in one class mathematical significance was constituted as using standard algorithm with accuracy, whereas the other established a focus on providing reasonable and convincing arguments. Given these different mathematical foci, the students in the latter class had more opportunities to develop conceptual understanding than their counterparts. The similarities and differences to between the two teaching practices within each country clearly show that students learning opportunities do not arise social norms of a classroom community. Instead, they are closely related to its sociomathematical norms. Thus this study suggests that reform efforts highlight the importance of sociomathematical norms that established in the classroom microculture. This study also provides a more caution for the Korean reform movement than for its U.S. counterpart.

Based on the contents of probability and statistics areas in the seventh curriculum, we developed a statistics education model programmed by visual basic for upper grade students of elementary schools. The model that was consisted of ten modules can be easily manipulated by elementary schools students. The objects with a variety of colors are presented on P.C monitor and dynamic functions are performed by clicking a mouse. According to the survey after using the model, students positively evaluated the contents and characteristics and showed great interest in the model. We will upload the execution files of the model on our homepage. One can download and use them free.

The objectives of the current study are first, to compare and analyze the two different teaching methods of elementary mathematics in the traditional method and in the constructivists view, and, second, thereby to reveal possible problems of the present teaching practice and to suggest some guidelines to solve those problems.The results of this research are as follows: First, longer time was spent to reach the target pont of class because the class was a little bit disturbed and noisy due to a large amount of student activities in the beginning of the class in the constructive view. Second, in the class in the constructive view, the teacher should be able to respond appropriately to the situation where the students were cognitively. And the teachers sufficient preparation for the class was found essential to have the students reach the target point by themselves through identifying children`s minds. Third, the class in the constructivists view provide the teaching environment were the teacher could evaluate each students ability accurately and study progress of the class. And fourth, finally, it was not easy for the teacher to pay attention individually to each student in the current situation of large class, The effort to have more concern for students seems to contribute to opening student`s closed minds and to forming positive attitudes toward mathematics.

This research is the object to investigate these thing; how do teachers undertaking at the spot classrooms to recognize performance assessment and how do they decide to question and how go the present practiced state and what is the problem points in the present performance assessment. Additonal things of problem point like a research object are following; Lets look over recognition, actual situations and various problems for mathematics performance assessment of elementary school teachers. Concerning question papers, the problem largely lie in 4 regions, that is to say the recognition of performance assessment, the current state of affairs in practice, deciding questions and problems of putting theory into practices, of the 480 teachers-the object of our studies-about 380 returned our questionaire. However, as there were too many in the age range 30 to 40 are excluded 80, choosing 300 to us as data in our analysis.