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Math

Math is fundamental and necessary for life outside of school. Math is not only important

because it teaches you how to do the math required of every day living. Students also benefit

from increased mathematical thought, learning how to view problems differently and how to

creatively come to conclusions. This dual dynamic is represented in the Mathematical Standards

which are split into content standards and standards for mathematical practice (SMPs). The

former focuses on the specific skills students need to develop, such as an understanding of

shapes, multiplying multi-digit numbers, or converting between decimals and fractions. The

latter focuses on the processes students use when tackling a new problem, such as using models,

forming a viable argument and critiquing the reasoning of others, using the appropriate tools, and

making use of structure, to name a few. Both are very important to develop in students. This

case study​ looked at how students employed SMPs when solving problems. It focuses on a

group of five students that were trying to determine the date a warranty would expire. I made

note of what students used SMPs and which ones were utilized to solve the real-world problem

presented to them. As John Van De Walle (2004) argues, “Mathematics today requires not only

computational skills but also the ability to think and reason mathematically in order to solve the

new problems and learn the new ideas that students will face in the future.” By observing how

students are already applying the SMPs, teachers can determine what skills need to be further

developed in order to help their students learn and master the SMPs.

Math classes often focus on the computational side of mathematics and sometimes skip

over the SMPs. However, the SMPs can be essential tools for learning the computational

standards. As the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) argue, “Problem-solving

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is not only a goal of learning mathematics but also a major means of doing so” (p.52). By trying

to solve problems, students have to use the content skills they are learning and practicing

knowing when and how to apply them. In this case study, students were working with a problem

that had a few different ways to solve it, but all required decimal operations. They practiced

their content skill of decimal operations through problem solving.

Incorporating SMPs into the classroom also increases the chance for students to work

together. Students learn from working together and hearing other ideas and strategies. As

Vygotsky (1978) describes, learning happens in the zone of proximal learning, where students

can accomplish difficult tasks through working with stronger peers. By providing chances for

students to collaborate, they are exposed to new ideas, practice their academic talk, and practice

explaining and evaluating different strategies, which is also an SMP. By incorporating

collaboration into the classroom, it can also change how the classroom functions as a whole. As

Fosnot (2005) argues,

[The classroom] becomes a mini-society - a community of learners engaged in

mathematical activity, discourse, and reflection. Learners must be given the opportunity

to act as mathematicians by allowing, supporting, and challenging their ‘mathematizing’

of particular situations. The community provides an environment in which individual

mathematical ideas can be expressed and tested against others’ ideas…. This enables

learners to become clearer and more confident about what they know and understand. (p.

10)

One of the SMPs is the ability to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

(DEED, 2012, p. 16). By providing chances for students to work together and collaborate on a
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complex problems, students both practice an SMP and learn new ways of thinking and

approaching problems from their peers. In the case study, the group of five students broke into

smaller groups who each tackled the problem slightly differently. They also stopped and

compared their strategies with each other, especially when they realized the strategy they were

trying to apply either didn’t work or was inefficient in that particular situation.

From my case study, I realized that SMPs need to be incorporated more into the teaching

of mathematics. They are powerful tools that can be utilized to help students learn content

material. They also help prepare students to solve the new problems they will encounter in their

lives outside of school.

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References

Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) (2012, June). ​Alaska Mathematics
Standards​ [PDF]. Juneau: Department of Education & Early Development.

Fosnot, C. T. (2005). Constructivism revisited: Implications and reflections. ​The Constructivist,

16(1).​

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). ​Principles and standards for school
mathematics.​ Reston, VA: Author.

Van de Walle, J.A. (2004). ​Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching develop-
mentally (5th ed.).​ New York: Pearson Education.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). ​Mind in society​. (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E.

Souberman, Eds.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.