This department publishes brief news articles, announcements, and guest editorials on current mathematics education issues that stimulate the interest of TCM readers and cause them to think about an issue or consider a specific viewpoint. This month's guest editorial provides the platform for individuals to reflect on the positive impact that open-ended tasks can play in the teaching and learning of early mathematics. Classroom examples of open-ended expectations establish the immediate tie to fostering both 21st century skills and the Common Core State initiatives.
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The Impact of Open-Ended Tasks
Dorothy Varygiannes
Improving Student Reasoning in Geometry
Bobson Wong and Larisa Bukalov
Parallel geometry tasks with four levels of complexity involve students in writing and understanding proof.
Sound Off!: The Myth of Differentiation in Mathematics: Providing Maximum Growth
Jason Lee O'Roark
After teaching high school mathematics in Maryland for three years, I began teaching sixth-grade mathematics in one of the best school districts in Pennsylvania (according to state test scores) and have been teaching there for the past six years. My high school teaching background led me to differentiate differently from my colleagues. I share my observations of the result of the differences in methodology and my conclusions from those observations, and I offer a plan to implement changes in the way that mathematics is taught.
