The Essentials of Teaching Math

Course Contents

• Evidence-Based Foundations:
  An overview of the global research—including findings from TIMSS—that informs this approach, and how these strategies have consistently narrowed the achievement gap in high-performing jurisdictions.
• The Learning Scientists:
  A practical look at how the theories of Jerome Bruner (CPA), Jean Piaget, Zoltan Dienes, and Richard Skemp translate into everyday classroom instruction to foster “relational” rather than “instrumental” understanding.
• High-Yield Instructional Strategies:
  Hands-on practice with teaching techniques designed to increase student engagement and conceptual “mastery,” ensuring students develop a flexible, “can-do” mathematical mindset.
• The Power of Visual Models:
  Deep-dive into the “Three Big Tools”: Ten frames, number bonds, and bar models to support students in visualizing abstract concepts.

Core Areas of Focus

• Problem-Solving:
  Moving from procedural steps to authentic mathematical thinking.
• Relational Understanding:
  Building “the why” behind “the how.”
• Intentional Differentiation:
  Rooted in Carol Ann Tomlinson’s framework, we explore how to differentiate by process and product. By utilizing “low-floor, high-ceiling” tasks, you will learn to adjust the complexity of mathematical challenges to meet students’ readiness levels without compromising the rigor of the core curriculum.
• Whole-Class Progression:
  Maintaining a cohesive classroom pace while ensuring no learner is left behind through inclusive, tier-one instructional design.