Math, Science and Technology

Lesson 2

The Effective Mathematics Classroom

Objectives:
At the end of this module, the student will:
1. Identify ways of becoming effective mathematics teacher.
2. Describe classroom observation in mathematics classroom setting.
3. Enumerate some best practice for mathematics instruction

Introduction:
Question, “What does the research say about teaching and learning mathematics? Here
are some statement about teaching and learning mathematics:
 Structure teaching of mathematical concepts and skills around problems to be solved
(Checkly,1997; Wood & Sellars, 1996; Wood & Sellars, 1997)
 Encourage students to work cooperatively with others (Johnson & Johnson, 1975;
Davidson, 1990)
 Use group problem-solving to stimulate students to apply their mathematical thinking
skills (Artzt Armour-Thomas, 1992)
 Students interaction in ways that both support and challenge one another’s strategic
thinking (Artzt, Armour-Thomas, & Curcio, 2008)
 Activities structured in ways allowing students to explore, explain, extend, and evaluate
their progress (National Research Council, 1999).
 There are three critical components to effective mathematics instruction (Shellard &
Moyer, 2002):
1. Teaching for conceptual understanding
2. Developing children’s procedural literacy
3. Promoting strategic competence through meaningful problem-solving
investigations
 Students in the middle grades are experiencing important crossroads in their
mathematical education. They are “forming conclusions about their mathematical
abilities, interest, and motivation that will influence how they approach mathematics in
later years” (Protheroe, 2007, p.52).
 Instruction at the middle grades should build on students’ emerging capabilities for
increasingly abstract reasoning, including:
Thinking hypothetically
Comprehending cause and effect
Reasoning in both concrete and abstract terms (Protheroe, 2007)

A. Classroom Observations
Classroom observations are most effective when following a clinical supervision
approach (Cogan, 1973;Holland, 1998). During a classroom observation cycle, the classroom
observer and the teacher meet for a preconference, during which the terms of the classroom
observation are established. A focusing question is selected, and the classroom observer
negotiates entry into the teacher’s classroom. Focusing questions provide a focus for classroom
observation and data collection, and could emerge from “big
idea” questions such as:
› What instructional strategy are you looking to expand?
› What are the expected outcomes of the classroom observation?
During the observation, data is collected by the classroom observer while the teacher
teaches the lesson. The observer collects data regarding only the focusing question that was
agreed upon during the preconference. The tool for data collection must match the purpose of
the observation.
After the observation, the classroom observer and teacher meet for a postconference.
During that time, the teacher looks at the data that is collected, and the observer asks the
teacher what he/she notices from the data. Based on the teacher’s responses, a conversation
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focusing on the questions addressed during the preconference. It is entirely possible (and,
indeed, likely) that the focusing question is not answered, but the post conference conversation
results in an additional list of questions that can guide continuing classroom observations and
post-observation discussions.

B. Classroom observations: What should the teacher be doing?

In an effective mathematics classroom, an observer should find that the teacher is
(Protheroe, 2007):
 Demonstrating acceptance of students’ divergent ideas. The teacher challenges
students to think deeply about the problems they are solving, reaching beyond the
solutions and algorithms required to solve the problem. This ensures that students are
explaining both how they found their solution and why they chose a particular method
of solution.
 Influencing learning by posing challenging and interesting questions. The teacher
poses
questions that not only stimulate students’ innate curiosity, but also encourages them
to
I nvestigate further.
 Projecting a positive attitude about mathematics and about students’ ability to “do”
mathematics. The teacher constantly builds students’ sense of efficacy and instills in her
students a belief that not only is the goal of “doing mathematics” attainable, but also
they are personally capable of reaching that goal. Mathematics is not presented as
something magical or mysterious.
C. Classroom observations: What should the students be doing?
In an effective mathematics classroom, an observer should find that students are
(Protheroe, 2007):
 Actively engaged in doing mathematics. Students should be metaphorically rolling up
their sleeves and “doing mathematics” themselves, not watching others do the
mathematics for them or in front of them.
 Solving challenging problems. Students should be investigating meaningful real-world
problems whenever possible. Mathematics is not a stagnant field of textbook problems;
rather, it is a dynamic way of constructing meaning about the world around us,
generating new knowledge and understanding about the real world every day.
 Making interdisciplinary connections. Mathematics is not a field that exists in isolation.
Students learn best when they connect mathematics to other disciplines, including art,
architecture, science, health, and literature. Using literature as a springboard for
mathematical investigation is a useful tool that teachers can use to introduce problem
solving situations that could have “messy” results. Such connections help students
develop an understanding of the academic vocabulary required to “do mathematics”
and connect the language of mathematical ideas with numerical representations.
 Sharing mathematical ideas. It is essential that students have the opportunity to discuss
mathematics with one another, refining and critiquing each other’s ideas and
understandings. Communication can occur through paired work, small group work, or
class presentations.
 Using multiple representations to communicate mathematical ideas. Students should
have multiple opportunities to use a variety of representations to communicate their
mathematical ideas, including drawing a picture, writing in a journal, or engaging in
meaningful whole-class discussions.
 Using manipulatives and other tools. Students, at the middle grades in particular, are
just
beginning to develop their sense of abstract reasoning. Concrete models, such as
manipulatives, can provide students with a way to bridge from the concrete
understandings of mathematics that they bring from elementary school to the abstract
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Lesson 2

understandings that will be required of them as they study algebra in high school.
Teachers teach their students how to use manipulatives, and support the use of
manipulatives to solve meaningful problems that are aligned with the lesson’s
objectives.
D. Classroom observations: What kinds of questions to ask?
Teachers should ask questions that promote higher-level thinking. That does not mean
that a teacher should not be asking questions at the lower end of Bloom’s Taxonomy of
cognitive rigor. In fact, it is important that a teacher begins a lesson with questions at the Recall
and Understand levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. However, in order to solve meaningful problems,
students must be challenged with higher level questions that follow the lower-level questions.
Students will find difficulty applying their mathematical ideas or analyzing a mathematical
situation if they are not asked higher-level questions in classroom activities and discussions.

E. What are some best practices for mathematics instruction?

In general, a best practice is a way of doing something that is shown to generate the
desired results. In terms of mathematics instruction, we typically think of a best practice as a
teaching strategy or lesson structure that promotes a deep student understanding of
mathematics.
The Education Alliance (2006) looked at a variety of research studies, and identified a list
of instructional strategies that could be considered to be best practices in mathematics
education:
 Focus lessons on specific concept/skills that are standards-based
 Differentiate instruction through flexible grouping, individualizing lessons, compacting,
using tiered assignments, and varying question levels
 Ensure that instructional activities are learner-centered and emphasize inquiry/problem-
solving
 Use experience and prior knowledge as a basis for building new knowledge
 Use cooperative learning strategies and make real-life connections
 Use scaffolding to make connections to concepts, procedures, and understanding
 Ask probing questions which require students to justify their responses
 Emphasize the development of basic computational skills (p. 17)

The National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA, 2009) examined higher
performing schools in five states (California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas) and
determined that in terms of instructional strategies, higher performing middle and high schools
use mathematical instructional strategies that include classroom activities which:
 Have a high level of student engagement
 Demand higher-order thinking
 Follow an inquiry-based model of instruction – including a combination of cooperative
learning, direct instruction, labs or hands-on investigations, and manipulatives
 Connect to students’ prior knowledge to make meaningful real-world applications
 Integrate literacy activities into the courses – including content-based reading strategies
and academic vocabulary development
Additionally, NCEA researchers found that it was important for teachers to create
classrooms that foster an environment where students “feel safe trying to answer questions,
make presentations, and do experiments, even if they make a mistake” (p. 24).

F. Comparing Effective Mathematics Instruction with Less Effective

Mathematics Instruction
In general, there are two prevalent approaches to mathematics instruction. In skills-
based instruction, which is a more traditional approach to teaching mathematics, teachers
focus exclusively on developing computational skills and quick recall of facts. In concepts-based
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Lesson 2

instruction, teachers encourage students to solve a problem in a way that is meaningful to

them and to explain how they solved the problem, resulting in an increased awareness that
there is more than one way to solve most problems.
Most researchers (e.g., Grouws, 2004) agree that both approaches are important – that
teachers should strive for procedural fluency that is grounded in conceptual understanding. In
fact, the notion of numerical fluency, or the ability to work flexibly with numbers and
operations on those numbers (Texas Education Agency, 2006), lies at the heart of an effective
algebra readiness program.
Teachers make an abundance of instructional decisions that can either discourage or
promote an effective learning environment for mathematics. Consider the following examples
of instructional decisions made by some teachers:

Less Effective Instructional Decisions More Effective Instructional Decisions

 Mr. Ashley shows his students step by step  Ms. Hernandez asks Tim to explain how he
how to solve problems and expects them arrived at the answer to his problem.
to do the problems exactly they way he
does.  Mr. Roberts stimulates students’ curiosity
and encourages them to investigate further
 Ms. Lopez ensures that her students do not by
get lost by requiring them to stop when asking them questions that begin with,
they “What
finish an assignment and wait for others to would happen if..?”
finish.
 Ms. Perkins shows her students how
 To keep them interested in math, Mr. “cool”
Flanagan works problems for his students math is and assures them that they all can
and learn algebra.
“magically” comes up with answers.
 The students in Mr. McCollum’s class are
 Two students are working problems on the talking to each other about math problems.
board while the rest of the class watches.
 Students are working on creating a graph
 Students have been given 30 ordered pairs that shows the path of an approaching
of numbers and are graphing them. hurricane.

 Students find the mean, median and mode  Students are conducting an experiment,
of a set of numbers. collecting the data and making predictions.

 The students in Mr. Jones class are sitting  Students are sharing ideas while working
in in
rows and are all quietly working on their pairs or small groups.
assignment.
 Students have done their work on chart
 At the end of class Ms. Stark collects paper and are holding the chart paper while
everyone’s worksheet and grades them. explaining to the class how they reached
their conclusions.
 Students are in groups. One student in the
group works out the problem while the  Students are acting out a problem in front
others of the class. Others in the class participate in
closely observe. a
discussion of the problem.
 Mr. Johnson will only allow calculators in
his  Students are using calculators to
classroom during the second half of the year. determine
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Lesson 2

He believes that students need to learn all patterns when multiplying integers.
their facts before they use calculators.
 Mr. Osborne tells his students that their
 Ms. Brown is showing her students how text book is only one resource that he uses in
they can use a formula to easily find the his classroom. Tonight their homework is out
value of any term in a sequence. of that resource.

 During the first week of school Ms.  Students are using color tiles to build the
Fitzwater holds up the text book and says, “I terms in a sequence.
hope you are all ready to work very hard this
 Some students are working in groups,
year. This is a very thick book and we will be
covering every single thing in it.” some in pairs and some individually. Not all
students
 Mr. Swanson believes that all students are working on exactly the same thing.
should get the same instruction at the same
time. To accomplish this he only uses whole  Students read about the history of the
group instruction. Pythagorean Theorem. After reading, they
solve problems using the theorem. Students
 In Mr. McBride’s class he spends 99% of then write about what they did compared to
class time on skills and computation because the original uses of the Pythagorean
his students have difficulty understanding Theorem.
word problems.

Things to do:
Using a sheet of paper, read the Article, “The Effective Mathematics Classroom” and write a 300 words
of reflection about the article.

Rubrics: