Experiencing School Mathematics

• Contents: A.H. Schoenfeld, Foreword. Preface. Introduction. The Schools, Students, and Research Methods. An Introduction to Amber Hill and Phoenix Park Schools. Amber Hill Mathematics: Experiences and Reflections. Phoenix Park Mathematics: Experiences and Reflections. Finding Out What They Could Do. Exploring the Differences. Knowledge, Beliefs, and Mathematical Identities. Girls, Boys, and Learning Styles. Ability Grouping, Equity, and Survival of the Quickest. Looking to the Future.

"Questions are raised about, and new evidence is provided for: the ways in which 'traditional' and 'reform oriented' mathematics teaching approaches can impact student attitudes, beliefs, and achievements, and the effectiveness of different teaching methods in preparing students for the demands of the 'real world' and the 21st century; the impact of tracking and heterogenous ability grouping; gender and teaching styles--the potential of different teaching approaches for the attainment of equity. The book draws some radical new conclusions about the ways that traditional teaching methods lead to limited forms of knowledge that are ineffective in nonschool settings."—Zentralblatt fur Didaktik der Mathematik"Through her comprehensive, penetrating study of the mathematics departments in two English schools, Jo Boaler shows how mathematics teaching and learning are shaped by teachers and by the settings in which they work. For Americans wondering about the direction that mathematics is taking in their schools, this remarkable book affords profound insights and compelling conclusions."—Jeremy KilpatrickUniversity of Georgia"It holds a lot of information for anyone who is into research dealing with constructivist and nonconstructivist thinking and teaching. There are also some strong clues into how students perceive the mathematics they are asked to learn and a plethora of other interesting research topics and discussion areas in mathematics education.""The past decade has seen a resurgence in debates about approaches to teaching mathematics, and concerns about persistent inequities in students' opportunities to learn and learning. Too rarely, however, are these debates grounded in systematic investigation of the enactment of these approaches in real classrooms and their impact on students' learning....Boaler's compelling study provides a vivid portrait of contrasts in students' opportunities to learn in two dramatically different approaches to the curriculum and teaching of mathematics, supplying much-needed evidence about the teaching and learning of mathematics."—Deborah Loewenberg BallUniversity of Michigan