In an effort to reverse this trend, some attempts are being made to change mathematics instruction. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics supports the change from a passive way of teaching, in which the student is viewed as an empty container into which we pour information, to an active approach where the student learns by doing. The fundamental basis of the Interactive Mathematics Text Project is the belief that an interactive text can provide an environment in which students are actively involved and can explore mathematics with understanding. An interactive text engages students, encourages teamwork, stimulates creativity, extends and refines knowledge, and requires writing. In brief, it addresses all the concerns of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Students solve problems by reasoning.
They communicate their results and focus on solving problems, not on boring repetitive processes. The software removes that drudgery so that students can focus on real problems which make the connections to many other fields. An interactive text is a computer document within which symbolic, numerical, and graphic tools can be used. All computations can then be pasted into the document so that each learner has an individual record of his or her investigations and discoveries. Students can work through many examples because they can be created immediately with new numbers or new mathematical functions.