March 2017, Vol. 23, Issue 7
Facilitating Mathematical Practices through Visual Representations
Aki Murata and Chana Stewart
This set of lesson examples demonstrates effective uses of magnets, number lines, and ten-frames to implement practice standards as first graders use place value to solve addition problems.
Effective use of mathematical representation is key to supporting student learning (NCTM 2000, 2014; NRC 2001). In Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM 2014), use and connect mathematical representations is one of the effective Mathematics Teaching Practices (p. 10). By using different representations, students examine concepts through multiple lenses (Tripathi 2008). Visual representations are particularly helpful to engage students in mathematical discussion (Arcavi 2003; Fuson and Murata 2007; Stylianou and Silver 2004), as they provide visual references and meaningful space for student participation.
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