Since March 15, all learning has been moved out of our familiar environments. This is a substantial change; in terms of mathematics instruction and assessment, it is more urgent than ever to require teachers to focus on big ideas of mathematics teaching and learning. Teachers would also want to work collaboratively to look into the coming new school year to identify which essential outcomes would need to be addressed to prepare students for the next level of these courses. This definitely reminds me of Cathy Fosnot’s landscape of learning, a framework developed to support teachers in understanding the journeys of learning mathematics focused on important strategies, big ideas and models. The temporary cancellation of classes and social distancing have pushed us to reflect on what really matters in our lives, and it definitely holds true to mathematics teaching and learning.
So, what are the big ideas that you would like to focus on for your students?
Stacey Wu
