Pedagogy by my Standards: A Teacher’s Views on Two Process Standards

This study focused on how a high school mathematics teacher in the United States interpreted and used the NCTM standards: communication and reasoning and proof in class. The Algebra I class of a grade 10 teacher was observed for one week and after each observation he was interviewed. This teacher valued mental computation, drill and practice, and the use of basic facts and rules. The study showed that he used his own standards based on the wisdom of his experience. The reform movement marked by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards (NCTM, 1989, 2000) placed a significant emphasis on processes besides on specific content strands. For many teachers, adopting the new standards implied a considerable change in their pedagogical styles. Pedagogy based on the standards has been termed standards-like pedagogy which Muckerheide (2001) described as having the following characteristics: (1) It makes use of student knowledge to inform instruction and it recognizes mathematical knowledge to be constructed from within the student but grounded in the social context of the classroom. To this end, a standards-like pedagogy encourages classroom discourses, non-routine problem solving, student autonomy, an