NCTM Principles: The “Character” of School Mathematics Cynthia Lanius Technology Integration Specialist Sinton ISD June 2003
a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption Example: The Uncertainty Principle
“The principles are statements reflecting basic precepts that are fundamental to a high-quality mathematics education.” -NCTM Principles and Standards
Content and Character Decisions made by teachers, school administrators, and other education professionals about the content and character of school mathematics have important consequences both for students and for society. -NCTM Principles and Standards
Content and Character The Standards describe the mathematical content and processes that students should learn. Content and Processes The Principles describe particular features of high-quality mathematics education. Character -NCTM Principles and Standards
main or essential nature especially as strongly marked and serving to distinguish
Equity Curriculum Teaching Learning Assessment Technology Character Distinguish High Quality Mathematics
Learning Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge. Understanding Remembering
Equity Excellence in mathematics education requires equity—high expectations and strong support for all students.
What Does “All Students” Mean? It does NOT mean that all students are the same. Students have different abilities, needs, and interests. Yet all students deserve an opportunity to understand the power and beauty of mathematics, and they need to be able to use mathematics in their personal lives, in the workplace, and in further study. -NCTM Principles and Standards
TX ACC. promotes the Equity Principle At-risk students could no longer be ignored No ethnic group could be ignored
-NCTM Principles and Standards Teaching Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well. -NCTM Principles and Standards
Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students' learning. -NCTM Principles and Standards
Technology vs. Teaching Would you choose the world’s greatest technology or the world’s greatest teacher for a child you love?
What we really want… World’s Greatest Technologies in the hands of the in the hands of the World’s Greatest Teachers
Technologies can build understanding In a right triangle, c2 = a2 + b2 Pythagorean Theorem c a b
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem If c2 = a2 + b2 right triangle If c2 > a2 + b2 obtuse triangle If c2 < a2 + b2 acute triangle Remembering
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem If c2 = a2 + b2 right triangle If c2 > a2 + b2 obtuse triangle c a b
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem If c2 = a2 + b2 right triangle If c2 > a2 + b2 obtuse triangle If c2 < a2 + b2 acute triangle c a b
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem If c2 = a2 + b2 right triangle If c2 > a2 + b2 obtuse triangle c a b
And if c gets even bigger… If c > a + b no triangle c a b
Great technology arcytech.org/java/population
A curriculum is more than a collection of activities: it must be coherent, focused on important mathematics, and well articulated across the grades. -NCTM Principles and Standards
Assessment should support the learning of important mathematics and furnish useful information to both teachers and students. -NCTM Principles and Standards
Assessment TAKS –Higher Expectations – a good thing. It will be tough on all of us to rise to the challenge. But we SHOULD and we CAN…
In closing… And that’s all about Character Equity Curriculum Teaching Learning Assessment Technology Learning Learning is our motive for all that we do. Everything we do is designed to support that. And that’s all about Character