Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices

Teaching is a high-demand, often stressful profession, and mathematics instruction adds its own unique challenges. The Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) provide a clear roadmap for delivering instruction that truly helps students succeed. These practices keep the focus on what matters most—engaging students in meaningful learning while making the most of every classroom moment.

Outside of parents, no one has a greater impact on a child’s life than a teacher. Yet burnout is real, and meeting today’s challenges requires working smarter, not harder.

This post contains affiliate links, which simply means that when you use my link and purchase a product, I receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you, and I only link to books and products that I personally use and recommend.

Content and Process Standards

In 2000, NCTM published its Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, K–12. This landmark document laid out six guiding principles for mathematics instruction, along with content and process standards that define the skills and understandings students should develop from kindergarten through 12th grade. State standards, including the TEKS in Texas and the Common Core State Standards, are built on NCTM’s framework.

The graphic below shows how the process standards describe the ways students engage with the content standards. They aren’t taught separately; instead, they are woven throughout instruction, helping students actively explore, reason about, and understand the mathematics they are learning.

Consider what this means for instruction. While students are learning place value, for example, they should be making connections, solving problems, communicating about their thinking, and using representations. I don’t know about you, but that hardly sounds like a worksheet!

Effective Teaching Practices

To help teachers put the Principles and Standards into action, NCTM published Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All in 2014. This book provides a framework for turning the vision of high-quality mathematics instruction into reality.

“An excellent mathematics program requires effective teaching that engages students in meaningful learning through individual and collaborative experiences that promote their ability to make sense of mathematical ideas and reason mathematically.”

At the center of the framework are eight mathematical teaching practices, designed to help teachers focus on what works best for all learners—in other words, teaching smarter, not harder. The graphic below shows these eight practices. As you read through them, you’ll notice connections to the process standards. That’s intentional: elevating mathematics instruction starts with purposefully weaving the process standards into everyday classroom practice.

Shifting Teaching Practices

I know the last thing you probably want right now is a new project—but I also know you want to teach more effectively and make the most of your time in the classroom. Here’s an idea: start by reflecting on your current practices in light of NCTM’s Effective Teaching Practices. To help, I’ve put together a self-assessment rubric (link at the end of this post).

Then, pick one practice to focus on. Maybe it’s facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse. Make that your professional development goal. If you work with a math coach, share it with them. Once you feel confident in that practice, move on to the next one.

It’s doable—and here’s the payoff: as your instruction improves, your students improve too. Strong first-line teaching means less remediation, more readiness for new lessons, and a real chance to break the cycle of constant catch-up.

Download your free copy of the Effective Mathematics Teaching practices here.

Resources

• The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2015). Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All.
• The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2015). Taking Action: Implementing Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices in Grades K-5.
• Almarode, J., Fisher, D., Thunder, K., Hattie, J., & Frey, N. (2019). Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades K-2. Corwin mathematics.