Journal Reflection- Constructing Meaning

Constructing Meaning: Standards for Mathematical Practice

D. Christopher Stephens, and Angela T. Barlow 

 

Stephens, Christopher D. & Barlow, Angela, T. (2015). Constructing meaning: standards for mathematical practice. Teaching Children Mathematics. (21,6).

 

The main idea of this article was to clarify the standards for mathematical practice. During a conference focused upon the common core math standards, it become evident that there was a lot of misunderstandings and confusion about the standards for mathematical practice amongst teachers. The article discusses the practice standards 2, 4, 7, and 8 and how they should be used. The article gave examples of problems and what teachers should look for in the student responses. 

This article is important for teachers of all grade levels to read. The standards for mathematical practice are overwhelming and confusing at first, and this article helps to alleviate some of that confusion. Teachers who are unsure of how to evaluate whether the standards are being reached will benefit from reading this article. This shows many examples of problems and what to look for within the problems.