This library consists of 24 videotapes and a guidebook that are part of the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Collection. The videotapes provide examples of K-4 classrooms episodes that illustrate nine content areas and four process areas, as outlined in the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989).

The goal of the project was to provide visual examples of mathematics teaching and learning to aid teacher development and spark dialogue about current and future practices in mathematics teaching and learning. Through the extensive collection of videos showing classrooms at work, the participant is challenged to understand and to develop their own approach to teaching mathematics in new and exciting ways, as advocated through mathematics reform documents. The materials are "intended to be used in diverse audience settings, including college and university teacher development programs, in-service workshops, parent-teacher association gatherings, and individual teacher development programs" (page 6, Guidebook introduction).

Eighteen of the videotapes emphasize content in number sense and numeration, concepts of whole number operations, who number computation, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, statistics and probability, fractions and decimals, patterns and relationships, and estimation. Four videotapes illustrate NCTM process standards: problem solving, communication, reasoning, and connections. The guidebook consists of an introductory booklet, nine content standards booklets (each with five units), one process standards booklet (four units) and one Classroom Over Time booklet (two units) that will provide the user with tools to enhance viewing of the videotapes.

The videotapes contain examples of a variety of lessons, including the use of interesting problems that engage students, skilled questioning to determine students' understanding, appropriate and seamless use of calculators and computers, hands-on materials, a variety of learning modalities, successful use of cooperative groups, and students engaged in written and verbal communication. For each video segment, the guidebook contains information on the featured classroom, including the location, grade level, teacher's years of experience, class size, and when in the school year the lesson was taught. The guidebook also contains a hands-on activity to engage the viewer in the content emphasized in the videotape and a variety of questions that will facilitate discussion, particularly in structuring mathematical tasks and facilitating small-group work. Extensions provide ways to elaborate on central ideas of the lessons. The guidebook provides the user with tools to assist in analyzing the content of the videos and enriching the experience through follow-up analysis.

The varied classroom segments show a diversity of teachers and students, including "small, medium, and large; urban, suburban, and rural; those equipped with the latest technology and those without; those with traditional grades and those with multigrade groupings; and those with bilingual and special needs students" (page 4, Guidebook introduction).

Because of the extensive nature of the materials, reviewers recommended that this resource would be best utilized in long-term professional development projects or pre-service content and methods courses. Alternatively, the professional development provider could design individual sessions focusing on a particular content or process strand. These materials could also be used effectively by practicing teachers as a resource in instructional design and/or individual inquiry into mathematics teaching and learning.

Professional development providers should be careful to present these videos as examples of real classrooms rather than "exemplary." The user should also be aware that the videotaped classroom segments are ten to fifteen minutes long and frequently do not include the end of the lesson; therefore, issues might be raised about what happens during the other parts of the lesson, These might include further development of assessment and how to address situations where students may not have demonstrated success with the material.