Developing Mathematical Practices for Geometry, Algebra II and Beyond

Developed by Education Development Center, Inc. with support from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Course Goals•Understand the Standards for

Mathematical Practice•See how the practices contribute to

increasing the sophistication of students’ mathematical exploration and problem-solving

•Learn how the practices bring coherence to the high school mathematics program

•Consider instructional strategies that support students’ development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice

Why Focus on the Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice ?

“These Standards are not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business. They are a call to take the next step. It is time for states to work together to build on lessons learned from two decades of standards based reforms.”

-2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics (page 4)

-Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (page 5)

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These Practices Define the “Next Step!” in Math Education

•“The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe ways in which developing student practitioners of the discipline of mathematics increasingly ought to engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout the elementary, middle and high school years.”Page 17, 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum

Framework for Mathematics

Who should sign up for this course?•Grades 9-12 mathematics teachers •Special education teachers working in

grades 9-12 mathematics classrooms•Secondary mathematics coaches•Cross-district or cross-grade teams are

encouraged

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The Participant Experience

Learn about the Eight Standards for Mathematical

Practice 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in

solving them.2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.3. Construct viable arguments and

critique the reasoning of others.4. Model with mathematics.5. Use appropriate tools strategically.6. Attend to precision.7. Look for and make use of structure.8. Look for and express regularity in

repeated reasoning.

The Mathematics:•Focus on mathematics

beyond Algebra 1•Make connections

across the high school course of study

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Participant Experience

•Do mathematics together to identify their own (and colleagues’) use of the Mathematical Practices

•Learn to appreciate multiple approaches to mathematical problem-solving

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•Consider how to treat other areas of the curriculum in ways that highlight both specific content and the Standards for Mathematical Practice

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Participant Experience, continued

Follow-up Sessions

•Presentation of final projects

•Discussion of student work

Tools:

Strategies:

• Big Ideas of the Standards for Mathematical Practice • “Ask yourself…” questions to recognize the

Mathematical Practice • “Lessons in Action” lesson planning template

• Guess-Check-Generalize• Chunking• Point Tester

Participant Take-Aways

Lesson Plans:

• For lessons they’ve created, as well as • Ideas from lessons generated by colleagues

Guess and

Check

Guess and

Check

Guess-Check-Generalize

49x2 + 35x + 6

49x2 + 35x + 6 = (7x)2 + 5(7x) + 6

= ♣2 + 5♣ + 6

= (♣ + 3)(♣ + 2)

= (7x + 3)(7x + 2)

Chunking

Course Logistics•45 hours: equivalent to 6 full day

sessions (8:00-4:00) plus classroom experimentation

•Five full days in Summer, plus 2 half-day follow-up sessions during the school year.

•3 graduate credits (for a fee) or 67.5 PDPs

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SummerSessions 1-5

FallS6

FallS7

Teacher Impact•Understanding of what the Standards for

Mathematical Practice are, and how they can be used to unify the high school mathematics curriculum.

•The capacity to identify the use of the Mathematical Practices in student work.

•An appreciation of, and a commitment to teaching via the type of “low threshold, high ceiling tasks” that prompt the use and development of mathematical habits of mind.

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