The Great Mini-Golf Project requires students to use a ruler to identify measurements to the quarter-inch, with careful precision and accuracy, which supported the Standards for Mathematical Practice 5 and 6: using appropriate tools to solve mathematical problems with precision (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010). This project also supported Standard…

Educational escape rooms (ER) are an instructional activity designed to incorporate many elements of recreational ERs, which have become popular in recent years. There are many reasons to consider incorporating educational ERs into K-12 math instruction or after-school programs/camps. First, they are highly motivating for students because they…

The mathematical modeling process is also a powerful way to teach students the meaning of data. In mathematical modeling, students are collecting data to answer a question. Data collection is the means to an end and not the end in itself. The author was looking for an engaging way to introduce his third-grade mathematics class to the skill of…

For over a decade, Which One Doesn't Belong? (WODB; Danielson, 2016) has been a beloved classroom routine that invites students to engage in mathematical decision-making and justification. In the WODB routine, four related figures are shown to students, and they are asked to decide which of them doesn't belong with the other three. The beauty of…

Metacognition supports students in successfully working through struggle by equipping them with the tools to maintain an awareness of what they are doing and to change directions when needed to overcome obstacles. Thus, it is of little surprise that effective problem solvers spend a significant amount of time analyzing tasks relative to the amount…

Studies have found that some teacher professional development programs that are based on Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) can increase student mathematics achievement. The mechanism through which those effects are realized has been theorized, but more empirical study is needed. In service of this need, we designed a novel measure of…

In typical school mathematics, students experience problem solving in different ways. Sometimes students learn about problem solving by being introduced to different strategies, such as making a table or drawing a picture. Other times, problem solving is presented as a context for applying previously learned mathematics skills and concepts.…

This article draws on the simple context of a two animal farm to create an engaging and mathematically meaningful problem solving task for students. It aims to encourage students to think systematically and to present their findings methodically. The task is structured sequentially, making it suitable for primary school students from Year 1 to…

Open tasks are mathematical problems "that promote mathematical reasoning and problem solving and allow multiple entry points and varied solution strategies" (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2014, p. 17). Open tasks can have more than one right answer, solution, or outcome. Facilitation of open tasks offers learning…

The purpose of this article is to introduce a lesson fondly referred to as the 'Lego Shop' lesson. It stands out as not only the most engaging lesson we've conducted but is also highly adaptable to accommodate a diverse range of learners. Successfully implemented across all year levels, from Foundation to Year 6, this lesson has proven to be…

"Productive Struggle" refers to a strategy that gives students an opportunity to increase their background mathematical knowledge. Productive Struggle helps students connect key concepts, determine how and where an error occurs, and supports students in figuring out how to use their own thinking and reasoning skills to correct an error.…

An essential task for mathematics teachers is posing problems. Selecting mathematics problems that develop mathematical proficiency and engage students in desirable mathematical practices is a critical decision-making process. We present the Framework for Posing Elementary Mathematics Problems (F-PosE) developed to focus prospective teacher…

"Nature-based learning" is learning through exposure to nature and nature-based activities (Jordan and Chawla 2019). Nature and mathematics can be connected through teaching and learning with natural materials (objects from nature) or teaching and learning in outside spaces. In this article, the authors elaborate on the rationale for…

Duncan Symons and Derek Holton discuss the different types of mathematical reasoning and what each of these might look like in the classroom. By suggesting language that can be used to describe the different methods of reasoning, they hope to provide teachers with the tools they need to better recognise and assess student reasoning.

This article presents the journey taken by staff at St. Patrick's Primary School in Kilmore to implement a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics, using an instructional model to support student learning through structured inquiry pedagogies.