Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Mathematics Instruction

Book Synopsis: "A groundbreaking effort by one of the most respected contributors in our field. Dr. Small has transformed the research of NCTM's Curricular Focal Points into more tangible Big Ideas that cut across grade levels and utilize both her open-question and parallel-task strategies through an abundance of good examples and helpful teaching tips. A must for any educator who is serious about reaching more students more often and achieving more positive results."-- Tim McNamara, national K-12 math consultant, professional developer, and recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Secondary Math Teaching

"Marian Small is at it again! For decades she has been able to assess what teachers need and provide them with mathematically sound, well-crafted instructional strategies that promote important mathematical foundations for all students. Her contributions, while legendary in Canada, are important for all teachers and their students."-- Francis (Skip) Fennell, Professor of Education, McDaniel College and Past President, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

"Planning math lessons for all students' unique levels of understanding is a complex task, but this easy-to-use resource shows teachers how to meet varying developmental levels with a single lesson. The many user-friendly teaching examples of questions and tasks will enable teachers to empower learners on all levels, and the tasks are presented with real-world scenarios that students will relate to as intriguing challenges."-- Carolyn Chapman, Creative Learning Connections, Inc., and Rita King, King Learning Associates, consultants and co-authors of books on differentiated instruction and assessment

We know that differentiated instruction helps all students to learn. Yet DI challenges teachers, and nowhere more than in mathematics. Now math education expert Marian Small cuts through the difficulties with two powerful and universal strategies that teachers can use across all math content: Open Questions and Parallel Tasks. Showing teachers how to get started and become expert with these strategies, Small also demonstrates more inclusive learning conversations that promote broader student participation. Specific strategies and examples for each grade band are organized around the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) content strands: Number and Operations, Geometry, Measurement, Algebra, and Data Analysis and Probability.

To help K-8 teachers differentiate math instruction with less difficulty and greater success, this resource:

• Underscores the rationale for differentiating math instruction.
• Describes two universal, easy-to-implement strategies designed to overcome the problems that teachers encounter.
• Offers almost 300 questions and tasks that teachers and coaches can adopt immediately, adapt, or use as models to create their own.
• Includes Teaching Tips sidebars and an organizing template at the end of each chapter to help readers build new tasks and open questions.
• Shows how to create a more inclusive classroom learning community with mathematical talk that engages participants from all levels.