Our ultimate purpose is to positively impact student learning and math achievement. Many people think that mathematical knowledge and skills exclusively belong to "math people." However, research shows that students who believe that hard work is more important than innate talent learn more mathematics.*
We want students to develop the attributes of resilience, perseverance, and curiosity in order to become strong problem solvers, confident in their own abilities.
WHAT IS IT?
In order to be successful in applying mathematics, students must both understand and be able to do the mathematics. This requires math instruction that addresses three interconnected aspects of mathematical proficiency.
Conceptual understanding: Students need to understand the why behind the how in mathematics. Concepts build on experience with concrete contexts. Students should access these concepts from a number of perspectives in order to see math as more than a set of disconnected procedures.
Procedural fluency: We view procedural fluency as solving problems expected by the standards with speed, accuracy, and flexibility.
Application: Application means applying mathematical or statistical concepts and skills to a new mathematical or real-world context.
Finally, students should not just learn about mathematics, they should do mathematics. This can be defined as engaging in mathematical practices.
Uttal, D.H. (1997). Beliefs about genetic influences on mathematics achievement a cross-cultural comparison. Genetica, 99(2-3), 165-172. doi.org/10.1023/ A: 1018318822120