Eric.ed.gov – Add-Ventures for Girls: Building Math Confidence, Elementary Teacher’s Guide.

This guide is designed to provide teachers with materials they can use with young women to help them to attain higher levels of mathematics achievement and to encourage them to take as many math courses as possible in high school. During their early school years, students develop skills and attitudes toward learning that form the basis of future academic growth. This guide for elementary school teachers includes strategies, activities and resources that deal with five major topics. Part 1, “Attitudes and Math,” includes materials on mathematics confidence, math aspirations and expectations, and attribution patterns. Part 2, “Math Relevance,” contains materials related to interest in mathematics, making mathematics more relevant and useful, and positive role models for girls. Part 3, “The Learning Environment,” contains materials on teacher-student interaction patterns, cooperative learning, problem solving, and independent thinking, intellectual risk taking, and creative problem solving. Other issues are collected in Part 4. Materials on computers, spatial visualization skills, and test-taking skills are included. Part 5 “Mathematics Promotion,” includes materials on parent involvement, school counselors, and administrators and other teachers. Each topic in this guide begins with a discussion of research findings on the practices and/or attitudes that affect girls’ math attitudes and performance. Strategies, activities, and resources that can be used to address each topic are described. Within each topic, activities for the primary grades are generally listed before those for the intermediate grades. An annotated resource list at the end of each chapter provides resources that contain strategies, activities, and ideas. (CW)