In spite of all the national efforts, many educators believe that the state of mathematics is still at risk in the U.S. mainland. The situation is even more dismal in Puerto Rico, as demonstrated by studies from the College Board and reflected in the high failure rate of freshmen in the entry-level math courses.

At the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao (UPRH), we have been using constructivism in teaching precalculus and calculus since 1993. Promising results were found in terms of retention, attitude, achievement, and rate of success. We adhere as much as possible to the principals of the NCTM standards, emphasizing problem solving, constructivism, cooperative learning, and technology in teaching mathematics. This pedagogical approach is based on a constructivist theoretical perspective of how mathematics is learned, following the theory of active learning of Piaget and Dubinsky.

Malhab C. Keirouz, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao College