Best Practices for Mathematics Teachers

• Teachers understand what students know and need to learn. They challenge and support all students to learn well.
• Teachers know and understand mathematics, how students learn and pedagogical strategies.
• Teachers provide a challenging and supportive classroom learning environment.
• Teachers are continually seeking improvement.

Source: Conditions for effective mathematics teaching The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (http://www.nctm.org/standards/)

As you consider the best teaching strategies to help your students reach standards, ask yourself:

• How do I need to teach differently so that ALL students meet the standards?
• How can instruction be adapted to meet the needs of students with disabilities, students who speak English as a second language, and students experiencing difficulty learning by listening?
• Am I modeling the practice of academic coach, guide, and observer?
• What resources and materials are available to help align my classroom practice with standards? How can I organize these resources to be most effective?
• How can I collect data from my students to know what they know compared to the standards?