Communication is essential for understanding. Communication provides the foundation for learning in school and in life. Communication includes knowing when and being able to ask for help both in the classroom and in life. Communication, in math as in other aspects of life, is the bridge to finding and exchanging ideas, to identifying problems, and to seeking and finding solutions to these problems. Communication is essential to working collaboratively at home, at work, and in the community.
Communication is the link that makes other math skills effective.
As technology becomes more pervasive, it is necessary for one to be able to distill the elements of a real situation into a mathematical expression, the universal language. The focus on mathematical communication should be increased. Teach-ing mathematical communication is integral to the success of math reform efforts. Students always working by themselves with no requirements that they communicate their problem solutions to anyone else is not helpful for their prog-ress. Teachers need to use a variety of approaches, models, and manipulatives and have the students involved in talking about their work with each other on a frequent and regular basis.