5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

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

Anticipating what students will do - 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 maximise their potential to increase students' learning
Connecting the strategies and ideas in a way that helps students understand the mathematics learned

This book presents and discusses a framework for orchestrating mathematically productive discussions that are rooted in student thinking. The 5 Practices framework identifies a set of instructional practises that will help teachers achieve high-demand learning objectives by using student work as the launching point for discussions in which important mathematical ideas are brought to the surface, contradictions are exposed and understandings are developed or consolidated. By giving teachers a road map of things that they can do in advance and during whole-class discussions, these practises have the potential for helping teachers to more effectively orchestrate discussions that are responsive to both students and the discipline.

Includes a Professional Development Guide.