In every industry and field of study, there is always a set of best practices or rules that are the results of years of research, expert analysis, and international test comparisons that ensure the best and most accurate outcomes. In mathematics, practicing mathematicians, math educators, and researchers have aligned with the following eight core best practices. How many of these do you know?

Source: https://www.resa.net/

To truly learn and do mathematics, students should be following all eight of these best practices. How many are being taught in your students’ learning environment?

Now, notice what these eight things are not. They are not:

1. Memorizing and applying rules and formulas to work problems through procedurally and mechanically without understanding the purpose or why you are doing it.
2. Once you find your answer, not knowing how to check your answer for reasonableness.
3. Thinking that getting to the answer quickly is the same as being good at math.
4. Believing there is only one way to approach a problem.
5. Not being able to give a mathematically grounded reason for your thinking process or answer.

Too many students struggle with math, but I would argue that the math they are doing is just one dimension of math. Real math learning has multiple entry points and invites learners to make sense of problems. Once math makes sense, it is much easier to arrive at the right answer.

So why should you know the eight math practices? Because knowledge is power! Once you know the eight math practices, you know what learning math looks like and can compare that to what your children are doing and how you can best support their math learning journey.