OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Course of Study
This course supports a performance assessment. It covers 7 competencies.
Introduction
Welcome to Mathematics Learning and Teaching!
Overview
Mathematics Learning and Teaching will help you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to
become a prospective and practicing educator. Students will be able to use a variety of
instructional strategies to effectively facilitate the learning of mathematics. This course focuses on
selecting appropriate resources, using multiple strategies, and instructional planning, with methods
based on research and problem solving. A deep understanding of the knowledge, skills, and
disposition of mathematics pedagogy is necessary to become an effective secondary mathematics
educator. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Getting Started
You will generally read from the electronic textbook provided to you by WGU (Elementary and
middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally, 10th edition, by Van de Walle, Karp, and
Bay- Williams.) Sometimes you'll be provided a carefully selected Internet resource that will help
you learn what you need to know. NOTE: The textbook references MyEducationLab, but this
resource is not provided to you because it is not needed to gain the competency to complete the
assessment in this course.
School of Education Professional Dispositions and Ethics
Please review theSOE Professional Dispositionsand Ethics.
Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Competencies
This course provides guidance to help you demonstrate the following 7 competencies:
Competency 662.1.1: Learning Activities to Teach for Understanding
The graduate integrates principles and models of teaching for understanding into learning
activities.
Competency 662.1.2: Teaching Through Problem Solving
The graduate integrates problem solving into learning activities to build conceptual
understanding.
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Course of Study
Competency 662.1.3: Teaching Strategies
The graduate evaluates teaching tools and strategies for the purpose of planning learning
activities.
Competency 662.1.4: Aligning Learning Activities to National Standards
The graduate evaluates learning activities for alignment with the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards.
Competency 662.1.5: Standards and Best Practices in Teaching and Learning
The graduate incorporates standards and best practices for the teaching and learning of
mathematics for all students into instructional practice.
Competency 662.1.6: Evaluating Student Work
The graduate uses multiple assessment strategies to evaluate student understanding and
guide instruction.
Competency 662.1.7: Differentiated Instruction
The graduate accommodates the needs and abilities of diverse students in the planning of
learning activities.
Seek help when you need it
Your instructor is an important resource for you to take advantage of as you progress through your
study. Your instructor will be able to help guide your learning, answer questions, and provide
valuable information. Be sure to consult your instructor frequently. Find study suggestions,
resources, and instructor contact information in the Cohort.
Topics and Pacing
The topics and pacing section suggests a weekly structure to pace your completion of learning
activities. It is provided as a suggestion and does not represent a mandatory schedule. Follow the
pacing carefully to complete the course in the suggested time frame.
Week 1: Begin National Standards and New Approaches (chapters 1 and 2)
Week 2: Finish National Standards and New Approaches; Task 1 (chapters 3 and 4)
Week 3: Evaluating Student Work (Chapter 5)
Week 4: Task 2
Week 5: Differentiated Instruction (Chapter 6 and review chapters 3, 4, and 5)
Week 6: Task 3
Supplemental Activities
At times you may need more information or practice than what has been provided in the course. In
addition to consulting with your instructor, you can access optional and supplemental activities by
using the word "supplemental" in the Course Search box. These activities can be enriching, but
they are not essential for becoming competent.
National Standards and New Approaches
It is important to be able to teach for understanding as well as teach through problem solving. It is
also important to know what the national standards are for mathematics learning and teaching. It is
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Course of Study
very important to understand that the goal of deep conceptual understanding is best met through
teaching strategies that have students learn via problem solving, which is quite different than
learning to solve problems.
Teaching for Understanding, Week 1
Consider these questions while reading the following chapters in Elementary and Middle School
Mathematics:
Chapter 1: "Teaching Mathematics in the 21st Century" (new tab)
o What factors influence the effective teaching of mathematics?
o What qualities promote learning and growth as a professional teacher of mathematics?
Chapter 2: "Exploring What it Means to Know and Do Mathematics" (new tab)
o How do learning theories connect to effective teaching practices?
The document Executive Summary: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (new tab) is
an important resource for Task 1.
National Standards and Best Practices, Week 1
The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) are K-12 standards that have been
adopted by the majority of states. The CCSSM are built on the best math standards from across
the country as well as international models and current research. Even if the state in which you will
be teaching has not adopted them, it is important that you have a firm understanding of the
CCSSM, including the grade-level standards, standards for mathematical practice, and the key
shifts in how these standards differ from previous standards. Read the following:
Mathematics Standards(new tab)
Key Shifts in Mathematics(new tab)
While the CCSSM set important grade-specific and mathematical practice goals, they do not
define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support the
standards. It is still the role of the district and teacher to determine how best to select and
implement curriculum that will serve their students. Principles to Actions (new tab) is a National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) document developed to fill this gap. It provides
teachers and others with a set of best practices for implementing the CCSSM. It focuses on eight
research-based effective teaching practices that promote students' learning and mathematical
thinking.
Problem-Based Teaching and Learning, Week 2
Consider these questions and review the following in Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:
Chapter 3: "Teaching Through Problem Solving" (new tab)
What are the characteristics of tasks that promote problem solving?
What practices will engage students in classroom discourse?
Why is relevant context important?
Chapter 4: "Planning in the Problem-Based Classroom" (new tab)
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
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What features comprise the three-phase lesson plan format for problem-based lessons?
Read the following fromFlip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day:
Chapter 4: "How to Implement the Flipped Classroom" (new tab)
Review thechecklist (new tab)for Task 1.
Task 1, Week 2
This task requires watching a teaching through problem solving activity and evaluating it for
alignment with NCTM standards. Complete and submit Task 1 in your course. If you do not pass,
contact your instructor.
Evaluating Student Work
It is important to understand multiple assessment strategies to evaluate student understanding and
guide instruction.
Evaluation and Assessment, Week 3
Create a list of summative and formative assessment strategies while reading the following in
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:
Chapter 5: "Creating Assessments for Learning" (new tab)
Watch the following video on how to create a task specific rubric:
"What is a rubric"(new tab) (13:09)
A rubric should contain a separate row for each assessed aspect. If we want to assess
participation or engagement, then we should add a separate row with performance indicators for
participation or engagement. It is important to separate various aspects in a rubric because we
may have scenarios where students get the correct answer but not work well in a group setting or
students are actively engaged but do not use a method correctly. The columns of a rubric should
contain performance levels (such as "Not Yet," "Developing," and "Achieved") . You can also
assign numerical values to each performance level, such as "Not Evident - 0," "Approaching
Competence - 1," " Competent - 2." The numerical values make it easier to add up the points and
determine a percentage score for the assessment. The numerical or percentage score is needed
to write a complete 3 part learning objective.Note: A rubric and a checklist are very similar types of
assessments. A checklist is an overly simplified rubric where we have a list of aspects that should
be present in the assessment to achieve competency. However, it does not allow students or
teachers to see various levels of achievement for each aspect.
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Course of Study
The learning objective in a lesson should always align with your summative assessment strategy.
This is accomplished by creating a 3 part learning objective. A 3 part learning objective has (1) a
condition (how students will demonstrate a behavior), (2) a behavior (what students will
demonstrate), and (3) a measurable criterion that aligns with the assessment (how well students
will demonstrate the behavior).
Here are some examples:
Given a 5 question quiz (condition), students will factor quadratics (behavior) with 80% accuracy
(measurable criterion).
Given a real-world problem, student will model and solve the problem using exponentials and earn
6 out 7 points on the rubric.
Given 3 short answer questions, students will explain and justify the results of their data analysis
with 100% competency.
Pay close attention to the number of questions or points on the assessment. They should align
with the percentage in the measurable criterion. For example, it would be difficult to achieve 75%
competency on a quiz with 5 questions. For a 5 question quiz, we would expect a students to earn
0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100%. So our measurable criterion should contain one of those
percentages.
A complete assessment plan should contain the full assessment, the total number of points, and
the breakdown of those points. By design, a rubric provides a detailed breakdown of points. A
grading scheme is another way to show the breakdown of points. Here are some examples of
grading schemes:
Example 1:
The quiz consists of 6 questions with a total of 12 points. Each question is worth 2 points, one
point for work shown, one point for the correct answer.
Example 2:
The in-class presentation is worth 7 points, distributed as follows:
Participation - 1 point
Clarity and neatness - 1 point
Use of volume formula - 2 points
Correct Solution - 1 point
Justification/Explanation of Solution - 2 points
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
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For simplicity, avoid assigning large point values for each question or aspect. For example, if I
made each question on a quiz worth 10 points, then I would have a difficult time distributing those
10 points within one question because I have to consider what work is needed to earn 1 point, 2
points, 3 points, 4 points, all the way up to 10 points.
Evaluating Student Work, Week 3
To learn about how you might support cross-curricular achievement and greater student
achievement by integrating writing as a formative assessment tool in your math classroom, read
the following articles:
Writing in Math Classes (new tab)
Helping Students Thrive by Using Self-Assessment (new tab)
Once students understand how to self-assess, they will be more equipped to learn in all aspects of
their life.
Review the checklist (new tab)for task 2.
The Problem Based Lesson, Week 5
It is time to put together what you have learned about problem-based learning (or teaching through
problem-solving), assessments, learning objectives, and differentiated instruction and write your
own original lesson.
Watch the following videos of examples of problem-based learning or teaching through problem-
solving. Remember that your lesson should be original. You can be inspired by a problem or an
idea but the details and set up of the problem must be your own.
"Dan Meyer Mathematics Lesson" (new tab) (1:10:43)
"Problem Based Lesson Example 1" (new tab) (13:38)
"Problem Based Lesson Example 2" (new tab) (14:48)
"Problem Based Lesson Example 3" (new tab) (18:53)
"Problem Based Lesson Example 4" (new tab) (19:01)
Here are some tips for various parts of the Lesson Plan Template. The template is provided in the
task.
The standard must be cited and referenced correctly. Use the APA Guide (new tab)
Use the Quick Language Demands Guide (new tab)
A clear statement of the problem must be presented in the Problem/Scenario section of the
Lesson Plan Template. Whenever possible, present the problem exactly as you would
present it to the students (with
All materials mentioned in the lesson must be included (worksheets, exit tickets, rubric,
presentations, images, etc)
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OPT2 - Mathematics Learning and Teaching
Course of Study
The lesson plan should be detailed enough that a substitute can reproduce the lesson
exactly as you envisioned it.
Ask yourself
Is there a struggle? Are students faced with something new they must discover or
figure out on their own?
Are there multiple approaches or multiple solutions to this problem?
Is there a relevant context (a real-world scenario or a specific way that the problem is
presented that helps students grasp it)?
Task 2, Week 4
This task requires exploring and creating different types of assessments. Complete and submit
Task 2 in your course. If you do not pass, contact your instructor.
Differentiated Instruction
It is important to understand the needs and abilities of diverse students in the planning of learning
activities.
Equitable Differentiation, Week 5
Consider modifications and accommodations while reading the following in Elementary and Middle
School Mathematics:
Chapter 6: "Teaching Mathematics Equitably to All Students" (new tab)
Review the checklist (new tab)for Task 3.
Task 3, Week 6
This task requires creating an extremely detailed problem-based lesson plan with extra emphasis
on differentiated instruction accommodations. Complete and submit Task 3 in your course. If you
do not pass, contact your instructor.
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