Chapter 6: Lessons Teachers can Learn about Students’ Mathematical Understanding through Conversations with them about their Thinking: Implications for Practice

For more than a decade, mathematics teachers at Holt High School (HHS)—influenced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards (1989, 1991, 2000), the work of Oakes (1985) and Wheelock (1992) regarding the impact of tracking students, and the inclusion movement of special education (Lipsky & Gartner, 1997)—have redesigned the school’s mathematics curriculum to include all students. In particular, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board and NCTM’s assertion that mathematical literacy is paramount for the workforce of today prompted members of the HHS mathematics department and school administrators to restructure the mathematics requirements such that every student is required to take Algebra I and Geometry.