Reconstructing mathematics education: stories of teachers meeting the challenge of reform

Abstract

In recent years, a consensus has emerged around a constructivist vision for mathematics education, but few have seriously considered how to realise this vision. Employing case studies, the authors provide images of what is possible with this new mathematics pedagogy. Reconstructing Mathematics Education contains the experiences of teachers who, guided by evolving constructivist understandings of mathematics learning, work to bring the vision to life in their day-to-day practice. The reader is frequently brought into classrooms to observe students engaged in mathematical activity: second graders hypothesising about even and odd numbers; third graders demonstrating the commutative property of multiplication; sixth graders puzzling over the mysteries of fractions. In each situation, the authors consider the teacher's intentions in designing the activity, the instructional decisions she makes as the children engage in it, and her reflections afterwards.