A US perspective on the implementation of inquiry-based learning in mathematics

Abstract

This paper discusses issues related to the potential adoption of inquiry-based learning (IBL) projects in mathematics in the United States. To explain the chal- lenges faced in making a place for IBL in the mathematics curriculum, we describe the historical demands of working with a diverse, highly distributed educational system (that is, a system that does not have a central educational deci- sion-making agency with the authority to mandate nation- wide changes), the impact of high-stakes tests to either open or limit the potential for curricular changes, and the changing context in the United States owing to the emer- gence of the Common Core State Standards in Mathe- matics (CCSS-M) and nationwide high-stakes assessments designed to be consistent with the CCSS-M. We identify a number of dimensions along which there would be chal- lenges for the implementation of IBL in US school math- ematics, including: perceived societal needs; schooling traditions; the specific framing of CCSS-M goals pertaining to problem solving, communicating and reasoning, and modeling and data analysis; and the readiness of the US teaching force to implement IBL. We then consider the issue of scaling up interventions such as IBL, and the politics involved therein.