Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

Reviews / Votes

"5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions provides teachers with concrete guidance for engaging students in discussions that make the mathematics in classroom lessons transparent to all. These instructional practices are extremely timely in light of the focus on Standards for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, and they will support teachers and students in engaging in these standards. This book will serve as a valuable foundation in our upcoming professional development." -- Catherine Martin, Mathematics and Science Director 20110415 "Ensuring that students have the opportunity to reason mathematically is one of the most difficult challenges that teachers face. A key component is creating a classroom in which discourse is encouraged and leads to better understanding. Productive discourse is not an accident, nor can it be accomplished by a teacher working on the fly, hoping for a serendipitous student exchange that contains meaningful mathematical ideas. While acknowledging that this type of teaching is demanding, Smith and Stein present five practices that any teacher can use to implement coherent mathematical conversations. By using the five practices, teachers will learn to teach effectively in this way." -- Frederick Dillon, Mathematics Teacher 20110415 "As a veteran teacher, I found that the book diagnosed several problems that I had unknowingly created for my students' classroom discussions. I now have a prescription for curing these problems." -- Lori Lovato 20120503 "This book is a must-have for educators who are working toward having 'acountable talk.' I found it to be a welcome and thought-provoking addition to my professional library." -- Maria Lamattina Teaching Children Mathematics Magazine, August 2012 20120917