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Questions in Planning Lessons

When planning a lesson, set of lessons, or unit of study consider the following sets of questions and you will be well on your way to addressing the diverse needs of your students.

A. Knowledge Construction: To what extent does this lesson/lessons/unit offer students the opportunity to make sense of the mathematics for themselves?

1. To what extent does it build on prior math knowledge?
2. To what extent do the activities/tasks allow for multiple solution strategies?
3. To what extent do I expect explanations & justifications?
4. To what extent do I expect students to question/challenge each other?
5. To what extent do I share the intellectual authority with the students?
6. To what extent would these activities have the potential to be in conflict with a student's cultural or ethnic background?

B. Prejudice reduction: To what extent does the lesson/lessons/unit offer students opportunities to break stereotypes; develop more democratic attitudes, values & behaviors?

1. To what extent do students engage in pair/group work?
2. To what extent do my group configurations include a mix of ethnicities?
3. To what extent do I encourage respect for everyone's ideas?
4. To what extent do I make sure everyone has the opportunity to contribute?
5. To what extent would these activities have the potential to be in conflict with a student's cultural or ethnic background?

C. Equity pedagogy: To what extent are my instructional practices designed to improve the achievement of all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, exceptionality, or class?

1. To what extent do the tasks/activities make high cognitive demands on the students?
2. To what extent do the tasks/activities include a mixture of relevant, real world, and abstract contexts?
3. To what extent do the tasks/activities encourage the use of multiple representations?
4. To what extent do I expect oral & written discourse?
5. To what extent would these activities have the potential to be in conflict with a student's cultural or ethnic background?

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Grover/Seeley NCTM 1996

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