CI 518

“Worthwhile tasks alone are not sufficient for effective teaching.  Teachers must also decide what aspects of a task to highlight, how to organize and orchestrate the work of the students, what questions to ask to challenge those with varied levels of expertise, and how to support students without taking over the process of thinking for them and thus eliminating the challenge.”

-NCTM, 2000, p. 19

Course Description 

Examine research-informed effective and equitable mathematics teaching practices, strategies for their implementation, and the ways they show up in curriculum materials. Deconstruct instructional practice and consider the ways learning environments and decisions about tasks, tools, and talk influence engagement, understanding, and identity development. Includes 30-hour practicum.

Essential Questions

• What are key features of effective and equitable mathematics teaching and how do they influence opportunities to learn?

• How can mathematics teacher leaders influence learning (i.e., teacher learning and student learning) in their setting?

Additional Readings (Linked to Course Website)

Dominguez, H. (2016). Mirrors and windows into student noticing. Teaching Children Mathematics, 22(6), 358-365.

Herbel-Eisenmann, B. A., & Breyfogle, M. L. (2005). Questioning our patterns of questioning. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 10(9), 484-489.

Kazemi, E. (1998). Discourse that promotes conceptual understanding. Teaching Children Mathematics, 4(7), 410-415.

Kobett, B. M., Miles, R. H., & Williams, L. A. (2018). The mathematics lesson-planning handbook, grades K-2: Your blueprint for building cohesive lessons. Corwin.

Miles, R. H., Kobett, B. M., & Williams, L. A. (2018). The mathematics lesson-planning handbook, grades 3-5: Your blueprint for building cohesive lessons. Corwin.

Simic-Muller, K., Turner, E. E., & Varley, M. C. (2009). Math club problem posing. Teaching Children Mathematics, 16(4), 206-212.

Smith, M. S., Hughes, E. K., Engle, R. A., & Stein, M. K. (2009). Orchestrating discussions of challenging tasks: Keeping your eye on the mathematics to be learned. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 14(9), 548-556.

Turner, E. E., & Strawhun, B. T. F. (2007). Posing problems that matter. Teaching Children Mathematics, 13(9), 457-463.

Williams, L. A., Kobett, B. M., & Miles, R. H.  (2019). The mathematics lesson-planning handbook, grades 6-8: Your blueprint for building cohesive lessons. Corwin.

Online Resources

Common Core Standards Writing Team. (2022). Progressions for the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Institute for Mathematics and Education, University of Arizona.  https://mathematicalmusings.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Progressions.pdf.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Author. http://standards.nctm.org. 

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers (2010). Common core state standards for mathematics. Author. http://www.corestandards.org/Math. 

Understanding Language. (2013a). Key principles for ELL instruction.  http://ell.stanford.edu/. 

Understanding Language. (2013b). Guidelines for mathematics instructional materials development. http://ell.stanford.edu/.