Implementing the NCTM Standards: Hopes and Hurdles. Issue Paper 92-2.

In this report, the author traces the recent development of standards for mathematics teaching. Two central tensions are examined: (1) the tension between arriving at consensus and effecting change; and (2) the tension between providing direction and affording discretion in practice. With a focus on the challenges inherent in the ambitious vision of teaching articulated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Standards," the author examines a case from her own teaching. The case is based on a lesson in which the author's third-grade students were working on a problem involving fractions. The story recounts the interactions that occurred during the lesson and the reflections of the author in response to those interactions. The report concludes with discussion of issues inherent in the notion of "implementation" of these new standards. (Author/MDH)