Effective teaching requires enjoyable classroom tasks aimed at promoting students' learning of mathematics meaningfully, and previous research has demonstrated that the use of origami activities in mathematics classrooms can help achieve that goal. In this article, the authors describe their "LOVE MATH" one-straight-cut letter origami…

Using question 28 from the May Problems to Ponder in volume 114, the author and her seventh- and eighth-grade students launched into a discussion of creativity, linearity, piecewise, and recursive definitions of functions. This pattern to ponder provided rich mathematical opportunities for all students in her middle school classroom.

Action research is an evidence-based practice that is highly applicable to middle school teaching and learning. Middle school teachers can empower themselves and their students by participating in immersive, meaningful activities that are designed to improve educational outcomes. Action research is purposeful and beneficial for teachers, students,…

Mental health challenges are on the rise among today's youth. Recent reports have noted an acute and significant need for school-based mental health education and supportive interventions for children and adolescents. Among these approaches, a growing focus has centered on improving students' mental health literacy (MHL) as a foundational…

Argumentation is an important mathematical practice, highlighted by research and policy documents that describe ways to structure reform-oriented classrooms (Nardi and Knuth 2017; NCTM 2000; NGA Center and CCSSI 2010). Participating in argumentation can enhance students' mathematics learning as they make sense of mathematical ideas, provide…

In using wordless picture books, teachers enhance the reading experience while fostering, nurturing, and broadening students' reading and writing skills. Wordless picture books are accessible to "all" students. They encourage and require readers to slow down as they inhabit and comprehend the story told through art, symbolism, and…

This article models how to plan and facilitate implementing the same task in two sixth-grade classrooms with two different learning goals using the Five Practices structure.

This article explores teaching practices described in NCTM's [National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'] "Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All." Investigating and mitigating implicit bias in questions are discussed in this article, which is another installment in the series.

Modeling is a core practice in science and is a meaningful way to learn the subject. This article introduces a modeling-based approach that highlights the idea that modeling is an iterative process and integrates the fundamental parts of scientists' work and key suggestions for teaching through modeling. The lesson "The Structure and Function…

Nearly every secondary-age student must complete homework for their classes, and for many students with disabilities, completing homework at home is a struggle. Students with disabilities often require substantial support to execute homework assignments, and this responsibility frequently falls to their families. This dynamic can create a…

Engaging in argumentation can lead to an increase in the development of critical-thinking skills, not to mention academic achievement, emotional maturity, and academic and communication skills. If argumentation is such an effective format for developing rigorous academic ideas, how might it be used in discussion-oriented classrooms to engage…

Our middle school mathematics department used lesson study to investigate how to introduce fractions division to our sixth-grade students. We highlight our learnings during the Study and Plan phases, describe our observations during the lesson, and provide tips for educators interested in using lesson study to study their own content.

In April 2018, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) released "Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations," a long-needed and well-articulated position for transforming the core purposes, structures, instructional practices, essential mathematics concepts, and organization of high…

The author offers practical strategies to introduce and maintain a mindfulness practice with middle-grade students and discusses ethical implications of employing mindfulness in the classroom.

The Buck Institute for Education defines Project-Based Learning as, "a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge." (What is PBL, 2020). The idea behind this teaching technique is to…