In 2000, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published Principles

and Standards for School Mathematics. The objectives of this work were to set
forth a comprehensive and coherent set of learning goals for all mathematics K-
12, serve as a resource for teachers and other educational leaders to
continually improve mathematics education, guide the development of
curricular frameworks, and stimulate ideas and ongoing conversations about
how to best help students gain a deeper understanding of mathematics. Having
entered the teaching profession at the turn of the century, I have personally
used Principles and Standards as a tool when writing new curriculum for my
own school. When creating our courses of study and curriculum maps, this
work provided a framework that guided not only what we were teaching, but
also the most appropriate time for these topics to be taught.

While this work itemizes standards to inform what and when topics should be
taught, it provides six guiding principles that reflect “basic precepts that are
fundamental to a high-quality mathematics education.” (NCTM) These
principles fall under the topics of equity, curriculum, teaching, learning,
assessment, and technology (NCTM). By adhering to these principles, we can
alleviate math anxiety and be assured that we are providing fair indications of
student mastery levels.

Excellence in mathematics education requires equity—high expectations and

strong support for all students (NCTM). In Rick Wormeli’s book, Fair Isn’t
Always Equal (Wormeli, 2006), the idea is put forward that equity does not
mean treating every student exactly the same. In fact, instruction should be
differentiated based on individual students’ needs. Each child comes into our
classroom with a unique set of skills, and we should tailor our lessons to
exploit this uniqueness. Class discussions where alternative methods of
solution are discussed give students a sense of ownership in their education.
Those students that are struggling with a concept should receive appropriate
accommodations, while those that are more advanced should have access to
enrichment exercises. My own school has a period built into the day dedicated
to “intervention and enrichment.” This can be requested by either the student
or the teacher, and is an excellent way to remediate or enhance material
without taking time away from the actual instruction period.

A curriculum is more than a collection of activities; it must be coherent,

focused on important mathematics, and well-articulated across the grades
(NCTM). A coherent curriculum exhibits the idea that mathematics builds upon
itself, thus providing a deeper understanding and a greater ability to apply the
proper skills and techniques for solving particular problems. An effective
curriculum focuses on important mathematics that will prepare students to
solve a variety of problems (both in class problems and real-world situations). A
well-articulated curriculum will foreshadow learning that is to come, and how
the present learning will be used in future endeavors. The curriculum maps
and pacing guides in my school were written with these things in mind – before
the days of “Common Core.”

Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know

and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well
(NCTM). The relationships I form with my students are one of the biggest
alleviators of math anxiety in my own classroom. The greatest piece of advice I
received as a rookie teacher was, “Showing a student you genuinely care about
them will forgive a lot of mistakes.” This requires that I am continuing to
improve my teaching through learning current best practices. I must also show
the students my passion for the subject. One advantage that I have over some
of my colleagues is that my degree is in mathematics (with a minor in
education). Through sharing my own struggles with mathematics, I can be an
example of perseverance. What I have to be mindful of, though, is resisting the
urge to “talk over” my students – I must still keep in mind that not all students
are at the same level, and some will take more time with a topic than others.

Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new

knowledge from experience and previous knowledge (NCTM). Although
mathematics builds upon itself, that does not mean that we cannot move on if
everyone in the class does not have total mastery of everything that came
before. My own experience as a learner has taught me that earlier topics
become solid through use during a more advanced topic. For example,
students may struggle with solving an equation for a particular variable, but
will become more proficient when the goal is to solve a two-step single-variable
equation. This is only possible if new learning is related to previous knowledge.

Assessment should support the learning of important mathematics and furnish

useful information to both teachers and students (NCTM). This is where the
distinction between formative and summative assessment is made. Too often
the focus of assessment is on determining grades instead of informing subject
mastery. This is where a greater focus on formative assessment is key. Guided
practice and shorter assignments with which the teacher can provide
immediate feedback are key to ensuring that both the teacher and the student
know exactly what level of mastery has been attained, and what struggles the
student still has with the material. This will also relieve the pressure that each
and every assignment will have a major impact on the final grade. In my
classroom, daily assignments are “risk-free” in that points are given for
completion, not accuracy. The accuracy is discussed in class, changes are
made, and the students are again assessed. Using a tool other than a paper-
and-pencil test – portfolios, projects, and presentations, for example – can also
help with test anxiety, while still providing a vehicle to measure student
achievement.

Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the

mathematics that is taught and enhances students’ learning (NCTM). Although
technology has made certain topics in mathematics obsolete (using linear
interpolation to estimate fractions of angles in a trigonometry table, for
instance), it has in some instances provided a tool for deeper understanding.
For example, AP Calculus requires the use of a graphing calculator both in
class and on the exam. Since we are no longer dependent on graphing an
equation “by hand,” we can immediately look at the graph of a function and
make conjectures about the properties of the function – local extrema, intervals
of increase or decrease, or concavity. In my Precalculus class, I assign
homework through an online program, where the students get immediate
feedback and an opportunity to see additional examples or see the topic from
another point of view.
 References

NCTM. (n.d.) Executive Summary: Principles and Standards for School

Mathematics [pamphlet]. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics.

Wormeli, Rick. (2006). Fair Isn’t Always Equal. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Publishers.