That is, to create a cadre of teachers who use cooperative learning to bring out the best mathematics achievement of their students. This program has significantly affected teaching practices of affiliated research mathematicians. They have learned more about the actual attitudes and abilities of their students and have adjusted their classroom behavior to some degree. CPMP has a deliberately eclectic approach to curriculum. Materials from a number of curriculum development projects are adapted by teachers and university staff.
Teachers develop both a collection of activities and the confidence to find more.
The activities aim at a more conceptual rather than algorithmic understanding of mathematics. This problem-based curriculum is organized in four or five units per year each focused around one mathematical theme. The predominant mode of instruction in American high schools might be called lecture-discussion. The teacher expounds the material while occasionally asking students rather straightforward questions to check the extent of student involvement and understanding. In contrast, CPMP emphasizes as a primary instructional strategy small-group work centered on the students' understanding of a concept.