What Should I Look for in a Math Classroom? A math classroom should provide the practical experience and skills that are necessary in the real world of jobs and adult responsibilities. This means going beyond memorization into a world of reasoning and problem solving. Sounds good, but how will I recognize a good math classroom when I see it? Look at these lists of actions by students and teachers. If you see these characteristics in the classroom, you are looking at a school that's practicing reform and preparing students for the world beyond school. Look Closely at a Math Class in Today's Schools. Mathematics is the language of the twenty-first century--those who want to be heard will have to speak it. Reading, writing, picturing, and talking about mathematics are basic skills that help us to understand and explain our world. Mathematical thinking is an all-purpose tool. It can be applied throughout a lifetime to recognize and clarify problems, to locate and make sense of information, to explore several solutions in search of information, to explore several solutions in search of a best solution, and to argue with confidence for acceptance of that best solution. Mathematics is nourishment for twenty-first-century minds. It's nonfattening and cholesterol-free. It can be available in your local classrooms if you know what to ask for. Help your schools to serve up the best mathematics available, and make certain that the students in your community take some home today. Print out a copy of the What Should I Look for in a Math Classroom? brochure to use as a handout at back-to-school nights or community meetings or order printed copies. What Should I Look for in a Math Classroom? was developed by the Math Connection as part of Creating a Climate for Change...Math Leads the Way: Math Connection members: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education American Association of School Administrators Mathematical Association of America National Association of Elementary School Principals National Association of Secondary School Principals National Association of State Boards of Education National Council of Teachers of Mathematics National School Boards Association