The Design, Field Testing, and Evaluation of a Contextual, Problem-Based Curriculum: Feedback Analysis from Mathematics Teachers on the Field Test Version of Connected Mathematics®4

For over forty years, each edition of the Connected Mathematics® curriculum reflects the understanding that teaching and learning are not distinct—“what to teach” and “how to teach it” are inextricably linked. Each edition goes through iterative cycles of design, development, field testing, data feedback, and revision. Grounded in the theoretical and empirical curriculum design and enactment tensions that emerge in problem-based mathematics classrooms, this study reports on teachers’ perceived effectiveness of implementing and enacting the field test version of Connected Mathematics®4. Analysis of the survey revealed that the problems in the field test version of the fourth edition promote student engagement and learning in mathematics, problem-solving, mathematical connections to real-life applications, and multiple solution strategies. We also discuss implications for how the curriculum design, development, and professional learning experiences involving teachers and their students help provide cohesive and effectively sequenced materials to support students and teachers in rich mathematical problem-solving experiences.