Concluding Remarks

Providing access to all in the mathematics classroom can be accomplished through problem solving. As students engage in worthwhile, rich, contextual math problems that have multiple entry points, and allow for various strategies to be used, all children can and will learn the intended math. Providing opportunities for children to talk through and about the math they are learning, facilitated by appropriate teacher questioning, are ingredients for a successful math classroom. Teachers are expected by law to teach all students in their classroom and give all students the opportunities to learn. This is becoming increasingly harder as today’s classrooms keep getting more diverse. Traditional methods of teaching, which emphasizes teachers showing and telling, or chalk and talk and then practice, have been proven to be ineffective in terms of allowing ALL students access to the curriculum and learning. It is time educators have a discussion on the important elements that make math more accessible to students, especially now with the introduction of the new curriculum. It is through these discussions that teachers will realize that students need to talk, teachers need to question without telling and most importantly, math needs to be taught through problem solving, where students are engaged in solving, personal, contextual and meaningful problems that involve the significant mathematical concepts, or the big ideas.