Within this context, dozens of individual reform efforts have been initiated in recent years. Many have focused on the development of new curricula, others on teacher enhancement, some on both. Still others have taken the use of technology in mathematics instruction as their central theme. The projects listed below are but a small sample of current efforts, but they serve to illustrate the diversity of programs nationwide. Students solve problems by observing patterns and relationships, thereby enhancing their understanding of mathematics.
Natural extensions involve conjecturing, testing, discussing, verbalizing, and generalizing.
Students investigate a series of carefully sequenced activities aimed at hands-on discovery of mathematical concepts that often integrate mathematics with other content areas. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Freudenthal Institute at Utrecht University are collaborating with middle school mathematics teaches to develop the curriculum. These materials will support teachers' efforts to connect students' previous knowledge with new ideas, connect conceptual and procedural knowledge and connect mathematics with other fields of human endeavor. Reading mathematics is stressed for all students and appropriate use of computers and graphing calculators is presumed. The materials assume the use of calculators and manipulatives.