INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

The Mathematics Program in the Parkway School District utilizes instructional strategies that are designed to best meet the needs of each student.  Instruction should reflect research-based best practices and be assessed using both formative and summative assessment tools.  Teachers choose instructional strategies that best meet the unique needs of their students in a timely manner.  Examples of instructional strategies are listed below, and many are identified in Best Practice: Today’s Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools, by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (2005).

• Small group discussion
• Whole class discussion
• Whole class instruction
• Cooperative learning
• Differentiated instruction
• Vocabulary instruction
• Interactive lecture
• Journaling
• Technology explorations
• Use of calculators and computers
• Assessing learning as an integral part of instruction
• Use of manipulative materials (“hands on” learning)
• Inquiry-based learning
• Questioning and making conjectures
• Self assessment
• Student research and presentations
• Studying mathematical history
• Academic reading and writing
• Guided practice
• Independent practice
• Problem solving strategies
• Reading strategies
• Teacher demonstration