Routines

1
The three pillars of Investigations are the
routines, the classroom discourse, and the games.
If you are not doing these three things, you are
not doing Investigations.
Dr. Susan Jo Russell
Principal Author of Investigations
Investigations in Number, Data, and Space
Games
Routines
Discourse
2
Classroom Routines

• Maintenance and refinement of skills
• Purposeful guidance
• Scaffolding strategies(This is not an anything
  goes program.)
• Bringing in mathematical ideas directly or
  indirectly
• Formative Assessment
• Individual accountability
• Math journals
• 15 minutes EVERY day

Routines
3
Classroom Discourse

• Concept Development
• Questioning is critical
• Teacher needs to know the long-range mathematical
  agenda
• Teacher guides all discourse based on the
  mathematical emphases of the lesson.
• Glue of the lesson
• Students explaining and justifying their
  solutions
• Closure is the most important part of the
  lesson.
• Bulk of the lesson
• Students compare methods and results, analyze
  their work, and share conclusions

Discourse
4
Games

• Practice - Practice should be meaningful and
  engaging. NCTM 2000
• Embedded in somesessions
• Choice Time (Math Workshop)
• Homework
• Teachers Role Observe and question students.
  (formative assessment)

Games
5
While professional development may result in
improved mathematics instruction in individual
classrooms, long lasting, school-wide change
calls for substantive, ongoing, school-wide
support. For this to happen, the leadership of
the building principal is essential.
Marilyn Burns, 1999
6

• Discussion
• What are you observing in your classrooms as it
  relates to this area?
• What things would you like to see happening to a
  greater extent in this area?
• What are you doing and what next steps might you
  take to help your teachers improve their practice
  in this area?

Games
Discourse
Routines