Implementing the Mathematical Practice Standards: Enhancing Teachers’ Ability to Support the Common Core State Standards

Two National Science Foundation supported high school curricula developed at EDC have already been specifically organized around the mathematical habits of mind now mandated by the Common Core State Standards, and have been using curricular devices—written dialogues among a recurring cast of students with different “mathematical personalities” and visual images of mathematical thought experiments—strategically designed to help high school students develop these mathematical ways of thinking. The CME Project, a 4-year comprehensive curriculum, pioneered the approach, and Transition to Algebra, an intervention for at-risk algebra students, has been exploring extensions of this approach. Both provide strong preliminary evidence of its promise, and provide models that can be adopted and scaled beyond these two specific curricula. This project extends the existing set of dialogues and visual images for students and creates tools to show teachers these mathematical practices in action and to help teachers implement them. The tools for teacher professional development will include videos and written materials, and may include interactive apps and webinars, as well.