Challenges and Issues of innovative methods in Teaching Mathematics

Today's mathematics teachers are experiencing major changes not only in the mathematics content they teach, but also in the way they teach. Now teachers are called on to teach new, more challenging mathematics to a very diverse audience using active learning approaches designed to develop understanding. In this paper, I address the challenge and issues of innovative methods on teaching mathematics. To meet this challenge mathematics teachers need the support and encouragement of students at all levels. The challenges addressed here are new curriculum materials, high stakes tests that are not aligned to new curriculum, integration of technology, and block scheduling. The issues such as the role played by mathematics textbooks, the national numeracy strategy, international comparisons of mathematical attainment, the values adopted, implicitly and explicitly in mathematics teaching, how to use and not to use classroom resources also discussed.