Mathematics Teaching Today: Perspectives From Three National Surveys

[of instruction] work. This is the way it was taught to us in high school and the way it was taught in college and the way it works for us_I don't think kids can handle in quiry_They just don't have the back ground or sophistication. (3-2:11) problem most common to us teachers is that we can't keep real algebra exciting for the students. When the stu dents ask, 'How am I going to use this stuff?' our usual answer is foggy. The only answer is in higher (3-1:69) What is lacking in the textbook is ap plied mathematics. Even the average text goes into properties. A kid just does not have to know 'commutative' and 'distrib utive' to function in the world. (3-1:68)