The mathematics methodology subjects the author undertook in the early 1980s encouraged him to adopt a very expository style of teaching in which each new concept is introduced by its formal definition. The teacher should then explain a few carefully chosen examples for students to copy into their books, and then provide plenty of graded practice exercises from the textbook for students to complete. It is what Mitchelmore (2000) calls the ABC approach: where abstract definitions are taught before any concrete examples are considered. So, for many years, his teaching of trigonometry in Year 9 began with exercises in identifying opposite and adjacent sides in right-angled triangles, definitions of the trigonometric ratios and the mnemonic SOHCAHTOA, then lots of work on calculating unknown sides and angles, all devoid of any realistic context. Finally, right at the end of the topic, he gave the class some word problems involving applications like angles of elevation and compass bearings. It was only when he undertook further study some years later and was exposed to alternative ways of thinking about the nature of mathematics and its pedagogy that he began to reassess his classroom practice. In this article, the author outlines briefly some of the elements of his new approach and how he developed them. (Contains 3 figures.)