Understanding Student-Centered Teaching Practices in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms

Although student-centered teaching practices have been advocated in mathematics education reform, implementing them at the classroom level remains challenging. This exploratory case study examined two unevenly successful student-centered approaches to see how teachers understand and characterize reform, and to articulate issues in implementing reform ideas. The comparison and contrast between the classrooms showed similar classroom social norms but dramatically different mathematical practices. This affords the possibility of exploring the challenges of reform for teachers and other personnel who are attempting to move teaching practices towards the student-centered ideals.