Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching: Grades 6-8

Develop a deep understanding of mathematics. This user-friendly resource presents grades 6-8 teachers with a logical progression of pedagogical actions, classroom norms, and collaborative teacher team efforts to increase their knowledge and improve mathematics instruction. Make connections between elementary fraction-based content and fraction operations taught in the middle grades. Explore strategies and techniques to effectively learn and teach significant mathematics concepts and provide all students with the precise, accurate information they need to achieve academic success.

Benefits:

• Explore how to develop, select, and modify mathematics tasks in order to balance cognitive demand and engage students.
• Discover the three important norms to uphold in all mathematics classrooms.
• Learn to apply the tasks, questioning, and evidence (TQE) process to grow as both learners and teachers of mathematics.
• Gain clarity about the most productive progression of mathematical teaching and learning for grades 6-8.
• Access short videos that show what classrooms that are developing mathematical understanding should look like.

Contents:
Introduction
1. Fraction Operations and Integer Concepts and Operations
2. Ratios and Proportional Relationships
3. Equations, Expressions, and Inequalities
4. Functions
5. Measurement and Geometry
6. Statistics and Probability
Epilogue: Next Steps
References and Resources
Index

Juli K. Dixon, PhD, is a professor of mathematics education at the University of Central Florida. An active researcher, she has also taught mathematics at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels.

Edward C. Nolan is preK-12 director of mathematics for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. He has 19 years of classroom experience in both middle and high schools and was department chair for 15 years.

George J. Roy, PhD, is an assistant professor of mathematics education at the University of South Carolina. He teaches mathematics methods courses in the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education.

Janet Andreasen, PhD, is an associate lecturer of mathematics education at the University of Central Florida. She is also coordinator of secondary education and works with K-12 mathematics teachers.