In middle school, we should challenge students to think and reason about mathematics. Communicating through oral and written explanations of thought processes and strategies enables students to express their thinking. Effective teacher communication enables students to formulate and refine their ideas. Student-to-student communication enables students to share their strategies and to build understanding from shared experiences. Student-to-teacher communication helps teachers assess the level of student understanding. This is especially critical at the middle school level, as students begin to work with more complex and abstract mathematical concepts.

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