This paper considers recommendations from the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) in relation to pedagogy for the visually impaired. The authors present three examples of ways that mathematics instruction for blind learners can employ representations in ways that are consistent with PSSM. In reflecting on these examples, the authors identify lessons for all mathematics teachers. The nature of these accommodations provide a new perspective on the recommendations in the PSSM.
This article addresses President Clinton's call for a National Voluntary Mathematics Test (NVMT) in the eighth grade. First, we discuss the form and content of the NVMT. Our analysis suggests that several unanswered questions regarding the validity of the test devalue the information it can provide for students, parents, and teachers. Second, we describe the consequences of implementing a national test of student performance. We contend that these consequences require additional policy initiatives designed to address the effects of test implementation. We conclude that the enactment of the NVMT as currently proposed is unwise.AUTHORS' NOTE: The authors collaborated equally in the writing of this article. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Christopher Hartmann,
This paper illustrates ways to employ teacher portfolios to improve the quality of methods course experiences for prospective mathematics teachers. Based upon research conducted in an undergraduate teacher preparation program, this case study describes how the author used teacher portfolios to mentor prospective teachers in new ways. The case describes the author's experiences through a case study of his assessment of and response to one prospective teacher's portfolio. This portfolio illustrated themes that were present in other teachers' portfolios, but did so in ways that highlighted strategies for change to the methods course. Through the lens of this teacher's portfolio the author identified specific ways that the prospective teacher's beliefs were impacting her teaching practice, a result that enabled him to better help all of the teachers in the methods course reflect on their teaching. By providing a detailed account of the feedback process that led to this result, this paper illustrates how mathematics teacher educators can use prospective teachers' portfolios to enrich the quality of their methods courses.
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