8 Steps to Teaching Mathematical Practices

With the transition to Common Core across the country and the newly revised TEKS confronting Texas schools, educators are placing a greater emphasis on mathematical processes. Teachers are spending more time letting students discover concepts for themselves while teaching students how to put math skills into practice in everyday life.

It's no longer enough for students to simply learn algorithms. Now they must be able to explain how they arrived at their solution and then relate the math skills to real-world problem solving.

Students are now taught to analyze mathematical relationships and connect and communicate mathematical ideas. Students are expected to display, explain, or justify mathematical ideas and arguments using precise mathematical language in written as well as oral communication.

Excel Math weaves together mathematical knowledge and skills
The Texas Mathematical Process Standards weave together mathematical knowledge and skills so students grow to be successful problem solvers and use mathematics efficiently and effectively in daily life.

Excel Math Mathematical Practices

We've highlighted 8 steps to teaching mathematical practices by grade level. These include examples of how we've woven these Practices into the tasks and activities your students will complete throughout the year when using Excel Math. To get concepts into long-term memory, students must now begin to actively discover, interpret, analyze, process, practice, discuss and communicate about math.

Here's just one step to teaching mathematical processes from Grade 3:

Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others: In third grade, mathematically proficient students construct arguments using concrete references such as objects, pictures and drawings. They justify their conclusions as they participate in discussions that the teacher facilitates by asking questions such as "How did you get that?" and "Why is that true?" Third grade students use symbols, diagrams, graphs, number lines and mathematical language. They explain their thinking, construct arguments and respond to the thinking of others.

Download a separate grade level document addressing Mathematical Practices for Kindergarten through Grade 6 on the Excel Math website: http://www.excelmath.com/downloads/state_stds.html

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