The Missing Link

Recent studies show that once American students reach middle school, they begin to fall behind the students of many other countries in mathematical understanding and achievement.

This video workshop familiarizes you with four concepts that have been identified by TIMSS (the Third International Mathematics and Science Study) as crucial to your students' future success.

You’ll come to better understand the content of these math topics through demonstration of instructional techniques that show you how to involve your students in their own learning.

In the “Discovery” session of each topic-pair, Master Teacher Jan Robinson (from the First in the World Consortium) leads the on-camera learner-teachers as they investigate a series of problem-based activities. The learner-teachers customize and expand upon these lessons in their own classrooms, and return with samples of their students’ work. In the “In Practice” sessions, they report on their experiences, evaluate the student work, and develop new instructional and assessment techniques.

Episode Descriptions

1. Proportionality and Similar Figures: Discovery
The teachers discover what makes similar figures similar and how a scale factor affects side lengths, angles, perimeters, and areas when figures are enlarged or reduced.

2. Proportionality and Similar Figures: In Practice
In this follow-up to Workshop 1, the teachers discuss how their students approached the proportionality lessons. They evaluate their students’ work as a way to strengthen their instructional practice, and create a new lesson based on their assessments.

3. Patterns and Functions: Discovery
The teachers use real-life problems to display experimental data in graphs and tables, and analyze the resulting patterns to make predictions and develop algebraic equations.

4. Patterns and Functions: In Practice
In this follow-up to Workshop 3, the teachers discuss how they taught the patterns lessons in their classrooms, learn to evaluate student work, and design new lessons.

5. Polygons and Angles: Discovery
The teachers tackle hands-on activities to investigate angle measurements and their relationships in triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, and other polygons.

6. Polygons and Angles: In Practice
In this follow-up to Workshop 5, the teachers discuss how they taught the polygon lessons in their classrooms, learn to evaluate student work, and design new lessons.

7. Sampling and Probability: Discovery
The teachers collect data and determine the probability of an event, use probability to make predictions, and learn how to conduct random sampling.

8. Sampling and Probability: In Practice
In this follow-up to Workshop 7, the teachers discuss how they taught the sampling lessons in their classrooms, learn to evaluate whether or not student work meets standards.

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