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From the Editors: Making Mathematics MeaningfulAuthor(s): Louis Lim and Judith CovingtonSource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 100, No. 4, Making Mathematics Meaningful(NOVEMBER 2006), p. 227Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27972198 .
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Making Mathematics
Meaningful
We have all heard the questions: Why do
we have to learn this? When are we ever
going to use this? And some of us struggle with the answers. In the classroom, we must look
ahead to the way students will learn and use math
ematics in the future. At the same time, we must
realistically consider how mathematics fits into
students' Uves in a meaningful way. When students
begin to value mathematics they are more likely to
be motivated to learn, and their learning will lead
to a deeper appreciation of the subject. NCTM has recognized the importance of connec
tions by making it one of its ten Standards of school
mathematics for students from prekindergarten through grade 12 (NCTM 2000). When we ask stu dents to describe what they think mathematics is, do
we want them to talk about acquiring isolated skills
and procedures through memorization, or do we want
to hear that mathematics is connected to their inter ests and their goals, to the real world, or to other sub
ject disciplines or within mathematics? Procedural
and conceptual understandings go hand in hand.
When we selected the topic for this focus issue, we wanted to help teachers incorporate a variety of approaches to making mathematics relevant
to students. Some of the articles in this issue will
help address these questions. While David Buhl, Michael Morissette, and Jeffry Wolff explain how to determine whether a mattress will fit up a stair
well, Rebecca McGraw, David Romero, and Robert
Krueger get their students out collecting data in the
stadium bleachers and Lori Keleher tells how she uses a career file to show students how important and relevant the mathematics they learn in class will
be in their future. Other articles will give examples of lessons that help students develop confidence and
critical thinking skills by using real-life data and
examples. For example, Henry Kranendonk used
population data sets and pyramid graphs to motivate
low-achieving mathematics students in a summer
mathematics program, and Tom Santulli explores
using Efron's dice to model World Series outcomes.
When students appreciate mathematics, they will value mathematics. We hope that you enjoy this issue and find ideas you can put to use in your own classrooms. We owe it to our students to make
mathematics meaningful. There is probably no
greater reward than to see our students' enjoyment of mathematics increase because they have con
nected with the discipline. As always, if you have
your own ideas to share, please submit a manu
script to be considered for future inclusion in the
Mathematics Teacher.
REFERENCE National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM). Principles and Standards for School Math
ematics. Reston, VA: NCTM, 2000. ?>
Focus issue editors Louis Lim and Judith Covinqton
Vol. 100, No. 4 ? November 2006 | MATHEMATICS TEACHER 227
This content downloaded from 82.20.116.29 on Thu, 24 Apr 2014 14:56:28 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions