Thinking Math: The Tool For Teachers

Heather Williams

Kymberly Taylor-Whitehurst

Evaluations

Common Core Evidence

Domains Lesson Plans

Parent Conferences

Focus

Artifacts Standards for Math Practices Walk-throughs

Distinguished Effective

Rigor

Coherence

Engaging students

Pre-observation conference Classroom environment

Professional Responsibilities Best Practices

History of Thinking Math • 1989 American Federation of Teachers

• Product of collaboration

• Research on how students learn math

• Useable knowledge

• Professional Development for teachers

• Peer training

• Principles emerged from findings

10 Principles of Thinking Math 1. Build from intuitive knowledge.

2. Establish a strong number sense through counting, estimation, use of benchmarks, mental computation skills, and understanding the effects of operations.

3. Base instruction on situational story problems.

4. Use manipulatives and other representations to represent the problem situation; then link concrete and symbolic representations.

5. Require students to describe and justify their mathematical thinking.

6. Accept multiple correct solutions and when appropriate, more than one correct answer.

7. Use a variety of teaching strategies.

8. Balance conceptual and procedural learning.

9. Use ongoing and new types of assessment to guide instruction.

10.Adjust the curriculum timeline.

Ten Principles & Research Activity

Match the Thinking Math Principle with the research

Think…

• How would you teach 2/3 times 3/4?

• Lesson: check off any of the 10 principles you see the teacher implement

• A Passion For Fractions

What did you find?

• Which 10 principles did you find in the video?

• With which domains and/or Common Core shifts do these principles align?

10 = 3 + 4

When teachers implement the 10 Principles, both the 3 shifts of

Common Core and the 4 domains of Danielson/Marzano are addressed.

WHY Thinking Math

• How Thinking Math changed us

• Cypress Creek Excitement

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Other Questions

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How can you get involved? Andrew Spar

President, VTO