Mathematics Capital

 

Is math taught differently today than it was in the past?

 

NCTM:  National Council of Teacher of Mathematics

http://www.nctm.org/about/intro.htm

 

NCTM is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership, and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students.  Founded in 1920, NCTM is the world’s largest mathematics education organization, with 100,000 members and 250 Affiliates throughout the United States and Canada.

 

NCTM:  Resources for Math Teachers

http://www.nctm.org/teachmath/resources.htm

Today’s math classroom is an active and exciting one. Over the past few decades, educators have greatly improved their understanding of how students learn math.  At all grade levels, students are actively engaged in the learning process. Teachers facilitate students’ learning by challenging them to think more deeply about the problems they are solving and to make connections with other ideas within mathematics.  NCTM offers electronic resources to facilitate the learning process. Explore some of these resources and see how exciting teaching math can be.

 

Standards for School Mathematics

http://www.nctm.org/standards/standards.htm

 

The Standards for school mathematics describe the mathematical understanding, knowledge, and skills that students should acquire from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Each Standard consists of two to four specific goals that apply across all the grades. For the five Content Standards, each goal encompasses as many as seven specific expectations for the four grade bands considered in Principles and Standards: pre-kindergarten through grade 2, grades 3–5, grades 6–8, and grades 9–12. For each of the five Process Standards, the goals are described through examples that demonstrate what the Standard should look like in a grade band and what the teacher's role should be in achieving the Standard. Although each of these Standards applies to all grades, the relative emphasis on particular Standards will vary across the grade bands

 

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Mathematics

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/index.html

 

These documents will assist the classroom teacher in knowing what is expected in mathematics instruction at any given grade level.

 

Charles A. Dana Center:  The University of Texas at Austin

The Charles A. Dana Center is a research unit of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.  The Dana Center provides Texas education leaders with new knowledge about teaching and learning. They also support K-12 teachers and leaders working to implement high academic standards for all students.

 

 

Mathematics TEKS Toolkit:  Center for Educator Development for Mathematics

http://www.tenet.edu/teks/math/

This site is intended to provide resources for implementing the mathematics Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and for improving mathematics programs in Texas.  This site is developed and maintained by the Texas Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) with support from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as the designated Mathematics Center for Educator Development and from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

TEKS Overview and History

http://www.tenet.edu/teks/math/teks/overview.html

 

This site answers questions about the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.  What are the TEKS?  How are the TEKS used?  How do I get a copy?  How are the TEKS an improvement over what came before?  Who actually wrote the mathematics TEKS?  What was the process for reviewing and improving the TEKS?

 

What Should I Look for in a Math Classroom?

http://www.tenet.edu/teks/math/resources/lookfor.html

 

A math classroom should provide practical experience in mathematical skills that are a bridge to the real world of jobs and adult responsibilities. This means going beyond memorization into a world of reasoning and problem solving.  Sounds good, but how will I recognize a good math classroom when I see it?  Look for these changes from the traditional classroom, and if you see them, you will be looking at a classroom that is preparing students for the world outside of school.

 

Marilyn Burns: 10 Big Math Ideas http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/April04_MBurns.htm

 

Everyone's favorite math guru shares the top 10 ways you can enhance your students' math learning, test scores, and skills.  Several years ago, Michael, one of my third graders, wrote this in his journal: “I never used to look forward to math. All we did was add and subtract. Now I like it more. We work together in class, and we still learn math but in a better way.” In a sense, Michael described the challenge we face as math teachers—to help students become flexible thinkers who are comfortable with all the content areas of mathematics and able to apply their learning to problem-solving situations. I have to admit—my early teaching resembled the math class Michael described, but over time I have found more engaging and effective approaches. Here are the ten “big ideas” I now embrace for helping children learn, understand, and enjoy math class.    

 

A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child with Today's Math http://www.nea.org/parents/math.html

 

When you visit your child's mathematics classroom, it may look different from what you remember. 2 apples + 2 apples still equals 4 apples, and 7 x 8 is still 56, but now you're likely to see students counting real apples instead of just seeing them in a book. The math hasn't changed, but how we look at it has.  We want ALL students to realize that math is more than adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. We want children to be able to connect math to their everyday lives. We know that every child is capable of achieving in math topics such as geometry, data and statistics, algebra, and measurement — topics we've traditionally thought of as only accessible to some.