Merging Mathematics Education with Cognitive Restructuring By

One of the foremost problems confronting education today is the lack of student success in mathematics courses. This lack of success for some begins as early as elementary school and may continue through middle school and high school, sometimes creating the possibility of college failure. “For too long, mathematics was viewed and taught in the United States as a set of isolated skills to be learned mostly through repetitive practice. An unfortunate result is that many students today lack understanding of what they are doing; they can do mathematics problems but have little comprehension of the underlying principles (Bruning et al., 2004). ” Colleges and universities address this lack of understanding with developmental math classes but "fewer than half of the students who take (remedial) courses are successful on their first attempt. ” (Stage & Kloosterman, 1995, p.295). The problem has become an accepted part of our culture to the extent that solving the problem involves more than revising the mathematics curriculum and methods of teaching. The solution involves placing importance on “voice ” which Lim (2004) conceives of “as the process of constructing self, personality, and identity, as well a