Autonomy, beliefs and the learning of elementary mathematics teachers

Seven elementary teachers participated in a project designed to help them learn to teach mathematics according to reform recommendations. Teachers were provided opportunities to learn through both private reflection and public inquiry about their teaching and children's learning. The teachers' instruction, reflection, and beliefs were studied. All of the teachers adopted some reform-based procedures including having children report problem-solving strategies. However, only three of them developed more complex practice in which children were involved in inquiry into one another's strategies. The groups had different beliefs about the autonomy of children to construct mathematics and their own autonomy to make instructional decisions.