Building Mathematical Understanding for Grades 3-5 ((3 Credits))

Catalog description

As teachers seek to strengthen their knowledge of mathematics and improve practice, they are surrounded by a system that does not always know or recognize proven practices. This course is intended to help those who teach mathematics in Grades 3-5 understand the mathematical content, how mathematical ideas develop, and how to implement successful teaching practices that make it more likely for students to grasp and be comfortable with mathematics. The course includes research findings on which the teaching of solid mathematics is based. It highlights teacher practices that researchers found to be associated with greater learning of mathematics and that teachers found to be relevant and vital for teaching mathematics in all grades K-12 with a focus on grades 3-5. The course aligns the Ten Principles of Thinking Mathematics, the NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics, the Standards of Mathematical Practice and the National Research Council’s Strands of Mathematical Proficiency, all vital frameworks for teaching mathematics. The research behind these principles is explained with models and explanations from within multiplicative structures and discusses the implications for teaching multiplication and division which is the essence of the work of Grades 3-5.