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5 Principles of the Modern Mathematics Classroom: Creating a Culture of Innovative Thinking. Order now directly from Corwin. Also available on Kindle from Amazon.
Everyone can be a “Math Person”
Mathematics instruction is frequently conducted under a false assumption: that mathematics is a fixed, linear sequence of skills. This leaves out what makes mathematicians pursue their subject with passion and drive: the mystery and magic of math. This book will help every teacher, from Kindergarten to high school, bring that magic back into the classroom. By learning and applying five simple principles, you can inspire students, teach them how to think like innovators, and make them believe they are all “math people.” The 5 Principles let you build a classroom culture that emphasizes the most important part of any mathematics curriculum: the processes, practices, and habits of mind. In order to embrace the magic, the classroom must be a place where problem solving happens daily and is deeply embedded in its culture. This book will enable you to make that a reality.
The 5 Principles
Conjecture
In a traditional mathematics classroom, the primary goal is for students to get the right answers to questions and exercises. In a classroom where conjecture is encouraged, students ask most of the questions, and the answer to a question is very often another question.
Communication
In a traditional classroom, communication is primarily one way: the teacher explaining a procedure or algorithm to students. In a problem-oriented classroom, students must learn to communicate frequently about problems and how they solve them.
Collaboration
In a traditional classroom, students work alone, and the emphasis is on an individual’s skill fluency. Problem solving classrooms are all about the “we”.
Chaos
Though this sounds sketchy, it is simply encapsulating the idea that real math work is messy. In a traditional classroom, neatness and order rule the day. Real problems, on the other hand, require experimentation, false starts, mistakes, and corrections, sometimes over and over again.