Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussion

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SAGE Publications, May 21, 2018 - Education - 152 pages

The same five practices teachers know and love for planning and managing powerful conversations in mathematics classrooms, updated with current research and new insights on anticipating, lesson planning, and lessons learned from teachers, coaches, and school leaders. This framework for orchestrating mathematically productive discussions is rooted in student thinking to launch meaningful discussions in which important mathematical ideas are brought to the surface, contradictions are exposed, and understandings are developed or consolidated.

Learn the 5 practices for facilitating effective inquiry-oriented classrooms:

  • Anticipating what students will do and what strategies they will use in solving a problem
  • Monitoring their work as they approach the problem in class
  • Selecting students whose strategies are worth discussing in class
  • Sequencing those students' presentations to maximize their potential to increase students' learning
  • Connecting the strategies and ideas in a way that helps students understand the mathematics learned

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About the author (2018)

Margaret (Peg) Smith is a Professor Emerita at University of Pittsburgh. Over the past two decades she has been developing research-based materials for use in the professional development of mathematics teachers. She has authored or coauthored over 90 books, edited books or monographs, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles including the best seller Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Discussions (co-authored with Mary Kay Stein). She was a member of the writing team for Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All and she is a co-author of two new books (Taking Action: Implementation Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices Grades 6-8 & 9-12) that provide further explication of the teaching practices first describe in Principles to Actions. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (2001-2003; 2003 – 2005), of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2006-2009), and of Teachers Development Group (2009 – 2017).

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