Implementing The Standards: Multiple Approaches to Geometry: Teaching Similarity

Abstract

Geometry as a subject uniquely furnishes a language for describing our physical world. It also gives a way visually to represent concepts and relations in other branches of mathematics. Although debate might always ensue on whether geometry should be a full-year secondary school course, the importance of geometry throughout a student's mathematics education seems to have broad acceptance. Consequently, it is not surprising that in the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989) we find an explicit standard on geometry for all levels K–4, 5–8, and 9–12. In fact, for grades 9–12, two standards on geometry are included—one focusing on a synthetic approach, the other on an algebraic approach.