The teacher role in a reformed classroom is that of a facilitator of learning. In this role, the teacher helps students process information, models the learning process, and facilitates student thinking. In general students feel as though there is more dialogue both between the teacher and the student and between students. Extrapolating from the statements about the curriculum, students are expected to participate in problem formulation and problem solving activities, to communicate about mathematics, to reason mathematically and to make connections between mathematical concepts and across contexts. One of the ways we get students to function as workers is through higher order thinking skills.
Students predict, compare, contrast, or tell why a turning point is significant.
Our role is different, too. We facilitate, not disseminate. Our goal is to nurture classrooms where people think. At the heart of this new approach to teaching is a dramatically different role for students. This new role of students is illustrated further by the following.