Problem-based instruction (PBI) is a research-based, student-centered instructional strategy that uses rich mathematical tasks to connect students' previously acquired math knowledge to new mathematical concepts. Unlike traditional teaching and learning strategies, PBI facilitates learning by making connections between mathematical concepts and…

Reimagining elementary mathematics pedagogy using a three-step process--See It, Say It, Symbolize It--author Patrick L. Sullivan provides a guide for developing a dynamic and flexible understanding of numbers and operations. By helping students develop a language that is consistent across concepts and connecting it to what is seen and symbolized,…

Get a deeper understanding of teaching functions, 9-12 with our concise and comprehensive Go-To Guide. Based on "Developing Essential Understanding of Functions 9-12" and "Putting Essential Understanding of Functions into Practice 9-12," this summary distills the key concepts and ideas into a quick-reference guide that's…

For students to develop adequate conceptual understanding about fractions, they require experiences that afford them opportunities to think flexibly about multiple interpretations of fractions. This article presents a sequence of lessons designed to offer such experiences for students in Years 3 and Year 4. The lessons adopt a challenging tasks…

Do you sometimes start to teach a mathematics concept and feel like you are staring at a sea of bewildered faces? What happens when you discover that students previously learned a calculation trick or a mnemonic that has muddied their long-term understanding? When "rules" seem to change from year to year, teacher to teacher, or school to…

This extensively updated teaching resource provides over 100 engaging, full-color visuals with explanations of how they can be used to stimulate mathematics learning, to explain mathematical concepts, and to assess students' mathematical understanding in grades K-8. Readers are provided with a strong mathematical background, downloadable copies of…

"High Yield Routines 2nd Edition, Grades K-8," is an essential resource for elementary and middle school mathematics teachers seeking to enhance their instructional practices and optimize classroom time. Authored by experienced educators, this book presents effective mathematical routines designed to integrate seamlessly into everyday…

The purpose of this guide is to provide strategies and materials for developing and implementing lessons for students who need intensive instruction in the area of place value, numeracy, and counting. Resource room teachers, math interventionists, and others working with struggling students may find this guide helpful. Within college- and…

This book provides an introduction to what it means to be numerate, and how numeracy can best be developed and nurtured in children and in adults. It also presents a cohesive coverage of numeracy development from early childhood to adulthood. This book draws on international research and practice to provide a comprehensive overview on the topic.…

"Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations" identifies and addresses critical challenges in high school mathematics to ensure that each and every student has the mathematical experiences necessary for his or her future personal and professional success. These challenges include: (1) explicitly…

"Ensuring Mathematical Success for All" (NCTM 2010) outlines eight teaching practices for effective teaching and learning of mathematics. One of the teaching practices, building procedural fluency from conceptual understanding, states the following: Effective teaching of mathematics builds fluency with procedures on a foundation of…

Without a doubt, fractions prove to be a stumbling block for many children. Researchers have suggested a variety of explanations for why this is the case. The introduction of symbolization and operations before the development of conceptual understanding of fractions, a lack of understanding of the role of the numerator and denominator, and an…

Figure analysis is a novel active learning teaching technique that reinforces visual literacy. Small groups of students discuss diagrams in class in order to learn content. The instructor then gives a brief introduction and later summarizes the content of the figure. This teaching technique can be used in place of lecture as a mechanism to deliver…

"Project-Based Learning in the Math Classroom" explains how to keep inquiry at the heart of mathematics teaching and helps teachers build students' abilities to be true mathematicians. This book outlines basic teaching strategies, such as questioning and exploration of concepts. It also provides advanced strategies for teachers who are…

REL Southeast developed this facilitator's guide on the topic of mathematical problem solving for use in professional learning community (PLC) settings. The facilitator's guide is a set of professional development materials designed to supplement the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4…