by Sue O'Connell
As K-5 educators, many of us were taught math in a way that focused on memorization and procedures—learning how to get the right answer without necessarily understanding why it works. Today’s students, however, are expected to develop deeper skills: conceptual understanding, flexible computation methods, mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and the ability to communicate and model their thinking in various ways—concrete, pictorial, and abstract. This shift from the traditional "tell and memorize" approach to a more student-centered model of learning requires teachers to let go of the idea that they are the sole source of knowledge and instead encourage students to do the thinking.
The transition can be uncomfortable, both for teachers and the schools or districts striving to support this change. As educators, we are accustomed to showing students how to solve problems by giving them the steps to follow. But today, we must nurture students' ability to reason, explain, and make connections between ideas. This transformation requires teachers to choose appropriate tasks, design meaningful lessons, and ask the right questions—skills that demand reflection and careful planning.
Aligning our teaching with today’s standards, such as those focused on deep understanding and communication, means reflecting on our own practices and considering what needs to change. It’s not enough to simply follow a textbook or curriculum guide, as these resources often don’t support the deeper, reflective processes needed to shift teaching practices. That’s where programs like Math in Practice come in.
Math in Practice by Heinemann Publishing was created to help teachers, schools, and districts navigate this essential shift. The program offers a reflective framework that encourages teachers to examine their own teaching methods and adapt them to foster conceptual understanding and student-driven problem solving. It provides an overview book for teachers to reflect on their practices, grade-level books filled with effective lesson examples tied to the math standards, and a companion book for administrators and math coaches, offering tools to support teachers in making this change.
Rather than handing teachers a new textbook or curriculum, Math in Practice guides them through the process of reflecting on and understanding the "why" and "how" of new instructional strategies. By helping educators build the skills to teach math conceptually, Math in Practice supports the creation of classrooms where students are empowered to think critically, problem solve, and communicate their ideas. This is the type of transformation that will ensure our students develop the depth of understanding they need for future success in mathematics. If your teachers are looking for a structured way to embrace these changes, this program might be exactly what they need.
Susan O’Connell has decades of experience supporting teachers in making sense of mathematics and effectively shifting how they teach. As a former elementary teacher, reading specialist, and math coach, Sue knows what it’s like in the classroom and her background is evident throughout her work as she unpacks best practices in a clear, practical, and upbeat way.
Sue is the lead author of the new Math by the Book series, a K-5 resource connecting math and children's literature.
She is also the lead author of Math in Practice, a grade-by-grade K-5 professional learning resource. She is also coauthor of the bestselling Putting the Practices Into Action, Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Addition and Subtraction, and Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Multiplication and Division. She served as editor of Heinemann’s popular Math Process Standards series and also wrote the bestselling Now I Get It.
Sue is a nationally known speaker and education consultant who directs Quality Teacher Development, an organization committed to providing outstanding math professional development for schools and districts across the country.
