In "Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All," NCTM (2014) defines productive struggle as students delving "more deeply into understanding the mathematical structure of problems and relationships among mathematical ideas, instead of simply seeking correct solutions" (p. 48). Hiebert and Grouws (2007, p. 387)…

Describes a performance-assessment task that gives the teacher instructional feedback related to the important outcome of students becoming favorably disposed toward mathematics itself. The activity involves a cooperative-learning experience which the teacher facilitates with task, evaluation, and standards cards. The evaluation card reflects…

Presents the President's address from the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Asserts that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students and mathematics growth at many different levels, and suggests ways in which to achieve this. Considers the changing societal…

Describes a project involving student journal writing designed to examine middle graders' mathematical thinking and disposition. Teachers gained insight into students' conceptual and procedural knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics. Students' responses suggested that they found journals to be a way of sharing their thoughts about mathematics,…

Discusses mathematical thinking and problems posed by seventh- grade students as part of a unit on the study of algebraic ideas. The unit involves showing how variables cause changes and also incorporates the solving of systems of equations by constructing line-graph drawings and combination charts. (AIM)