Introduction

In explaining its Teaching Principle, one of six principles from Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics took care to emphasize that “teachers have different styles and strategies for helping students learn particular mathematical ideas, and there is no one ‘right way’ to teach” (NCTM, p. 18). Our aim in this publication is to provide resources that support your personal instructional style while, perhaps, introducing materials that encourage you to experiment with a wider range of teaching techniques.

In the section titled Assessment as Instruction, we offer resources that connect these seemingly opposing activities. In another section, Games That Teach, we add to your collection of math games. Each game selection deals with middle school content, such as fractions, linear equations, factors, and geometry.

We all want to teach mathematics that is relevant and interdisciplinary, but it can be difficult to find supporting resources. Connecting to the Wider World offers lesson ideas that integrate math across the school curriculum and beyond the classroom. Taking Advantage of Technology offers activities that use the Internet as a teaching tool, both to explore and to visualize math concepts.

If you are looking for problems that encourage your students to think outside the box, try Challenging with “Rich” Problems. Finally, Launching Through Literature recommends books that will involve your students in mathematics scenarios.

For professional resources, you will find interesting online books in Background Information if you like to dig into theory of teaching and learning. And in the section on The Teaching Principle, we discuss how the aim of this publication aligns with the NCTM Principles and Standards.

We hope these resources support your teaching strategies and add to your repertoire of effective instructional materials.

Reference

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

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by Terese Herrera

Terry Herrera taught math several years at middle and high school levels, then earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education. She is a resource specialist for the Middle School Portal. Please email any comments to: msp@msteacher.org

There's More! You'll know when new math or science publications are posted on the NSDL Middle School Portal by requesting free email notices at http://msteacher.org/registration.aspx. Don't forget to browse the Math Pathway every once in a while to find a wealth of resources for your teaching.

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Copyright December 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.