First Day of IMP 3, Clip 5 (13:50) play Quicktime Player high • low get plugin Windows Media high • low get plugin August 27, 2003. Rather than spending the entire class period explaining class procedures, supplies needed, and introducing each other, I chose to begin the first unit, Pennant Fever. Within the context of the first problem, I start to explain pieces of the classroom culture. In this clipm, students explain their thinking at the board after working with a small group.

What enables students to develop their ability to converse mathematically in the classroom? What are the necessary steps to establish a classroom culture that supports such conversations?

I teach at math at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA. On this website, you’ll find documentation of my IMP 3 (Interactive Mathematics Program) class during fall and spring of the 2003-2004 school year. To view documentation from August 2003, follow the links above to Looking Closely at the First Day and Setting Norms in the Context of Mathematical Work. To view documentation from March 2004, follow the links at the left to Teaching Practice and Reflections.

Encouraging students to explain their thinking at the board is a critical piece of my teaching practice. On this website, you’ll find video clips of my teaching as well as some of my reflections on what it takes to establish a supportive classroom culture that enables students to participate fully in classroom discussions. In the video clip to the right, you can watch my students approach the board to explain their thoughts on the very first day of IMP 3.

The links above will lead you to more information about how I establish classroom norms that help students dig into math content. The pages include video footage from the first day of IMP 3 as well as selected clips from the first two weeks of school. To see a list of all the materials on this site, please visit the archive.

To view the videos on this site, you will need to download and install the following: 
QuickTime Player 6 or higher or Windows Media Player 9 or higher.  Older versions of these players will not support the video media files on this site.  You may also need Acrobat Reader (for PDF documents) and the Flash Player (for assorted other media files).