Sound Off! Trade in Your Pendulum for a Personal Spacecraft

Abstract

Over my fifteen–year career in mathematics education, I have seen major changes in the way textbooks are written and used as well as in how state standards are written and tested. Many of the mathematics teachers with whom I have spoken are excited about the momentum brought about by the increase in research and the publication of the NCTM Standards documents in 1989, 1991, 1995, and 2000. These include recommendations in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional responsibilities. I have witnessed curriculum changes that include shifts in emphasis, inclusion of new topics, exclusion of outdated topics, and the integration of content within high school mathematics courses. Instructional changes have included a shift toward using more hands–on materials at the high school level, an increase in awareness of the role of multiple representations, a shift from occasional use of scientific calculators to frequent use of graphing calculators, and an emphasis on the role of the student as an active learner in the mathematics classroom. Assessment changes include less emphasis on tests as the be–all and end–all of assessment and a shift toward having students explain their reasoning as a part of the assessment process.