A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Audience Approved by PEP for students in 7th and 8th grade math classes and 9th grade general or basic math classes.

Description Decision-Making Math (DMM) is a supplementary problem-solving program for grades 7-9 that teaches problem-solving and decision-making skills to develop students' mathematical power. DMM was developed by the Education and Technology Foundation to meet not only the needs of students so that they will be powerful problem solvers and effective decision makers, but also the needs of teachers who wish to create a problem-solving climate in the classroom. DMM directly focuses on the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Goals for Education. DMM addresses the need to create interactive classroom environments that encourage and develop more sophisticated mathematics skills of reasoning and communication. DMM brings to schools a proven and exemplary instructional program for both teachers and students that will provide:

• Teacher training that improves and enhances problem-solving knowledge and provides instructional techniques that infuse problem solving within mathematics;
  
• Curriculum in which students confidently learn and apply problem-solving skills and strategies on their own, in groups, and at home with parents;
  
• Program assessment to evaluate impact on student achievement and classroom implementation; and
  
• Integrated follow-up activities and technical assistance that ensure local and national institutionalization and help create systemic change.

The primary goal of DMM is to provide an integrated mathematics problem-solving program which allows students to go well beyond gains produced by existing programs. The emphasis of the program and the training is on process rather than solution. Cooperative learning and alternative assessment techniques are stressed throughout. A variety of methods is used to ensure understanding, such as: questioning and planning, interpreting and verifying, organizing and manipulating data, and analyzing and applying solutions.

The second major goal is to improve teaching skills and techniques to create classroom climates where students and teachers alike are required to communicate and reason with one another in a sophisticated manner. These higher levels of reasoning and thinking are developed through materials, investigations, teaching methodologies, and alternative assessment techniques utilized within DMM.

Evidence of Effectiveness DMM is an evaluated program that has demonstrated consistent and significant gains in student achievement as measured by Mathematics Concepts and Applications in the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS).

Requirements Adopting teachers use DMM approximately one-fifth of their class time to complement their regular math program. They attend a full day of inservice, acquire one complete curriculum set per teacher, and duplicate student materials. An additional one-day follow-up workshop is highly recommended to ensure successful implementation. Classroom adoption can be assessed using the DMM Criterion Reference Test. DMM may be adopted by a district, school, or individual teacher.

Costs Awareness materials are available at no cost. Initial adoption costs include the one-time purchase of the DMM Curriculum materials which consist of the DMM Binder, 16 Student Guide to Problem Solving Workbooks, and 128 Strategy Practice Cards for $99. Training costs are negotiated to include consultant fee and travel expenses.

Services Program services include a one-day raining workshop, an optional follow-up workshop, quarterly mailings, assistance with program implementation and evaluation, and ongoing technical assistance. A Spanish translation of the Student's Guide is available. Interested educators are welcome to visit demonstration sites across the country. Program staff are available for awareness meetings and trainings which can be conducted at the adopting site.

Contact

Kristine A. Shaff, Director, Education and Technology Foundation, 4655 25th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. (415) 824-5911, FAX (415) 282-4294.

Developmental Funding: (info. not available).
JDRP No. 87-10 (6/1/87)

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[Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP)]

[Effective Videodisc Instruction in Core Mathematics Concepts]