Organizing a Curriculum around Mathematical Habits of Mind

Building coherence in the development of mathematical ideas across the grades is key to improving students' mathematical learning in the United States. Knowing the mathematical experiences, understanding, skills, and habits of mind that students bring to a grade level and what the expectations are for the following grades can help teachers bridge the transitions for students on each end. In this article, the authors discuss the implications of the habits-of-mind approach for high school curricula, using the Center for Mathematics Education (CME) Project as a source of examples. They examine general mathematical habits that are used across high school as well as specific geometric and algebraic habits. The authors found that using mathematical habits of mind as an organizer can bring genuine and often surprising coherence to a curriculum. (Contains 3 figures.)