Teaching Mathematics to the New Standards : Relearning the Dance

With refreshing candor, Ruth Heaton, an elementary mathematics educator with ten years of experience, describes and traces her efforts to change her teaching practice in response to current national reforms in mathematics education. Part of what makes this account so compelling is that Heaton explores her changing practice from the vantages of both teacher and researcher. In the face of increased standards and state mandates, Heaton does learn new ways to teach and the results of her experience are of great value to educators everywhere who face increasing challenges to their craft. This autobiographical and academically rigorous book makes a much-needed contribution to the literature on teaching and offers an insider’s view of the nature and process of changing one’s practice.

Ruth Heaton is an assistant professor in the Center for Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.