"I can think of two good criteria ... for deciding what
to teach: whether the knowledge gives a sense of delight and whether
it bestows the gift of intellectual travel beyond the information given,
in the sense of containing within it the basis of generalization."
—Jerome Bruner
Mathematics is a discipline with the potential for
important insights, beautiful symmetries, and unexpected
discoveries. All of our students are capable of experiencing
this potential for themselves. From 1999-2002, the Making Mathematics
project provided mathematicians as mentors and curricular
materials to help teachers and students explore the full
richness of our discipline together.
The NCTM Principles and Standards list five processes
which make it possible for students to work as
mathematicians: problem solving, reasoning and proving,
communicating, making connections, and creating
representations. These skills can be experienced in an
integrated fashion through research efforts in which students
solve problems and then pose new questions that extend and
generalize their initial efforts. The Making Mathematics
project supported students through extended
explorations and the growth of their mathematical creativity
and precision.
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