The manner in which students encounter mathematical ideas can contribute significantly to the quality of their learning and the depth of their understanding. Contemporary Mathematics in Context units are designed around multi-day lessons centered on big ideas. Lessons are organized around cycles of instructional activities intended primarily for small-group work in the classroom and for individual work outside of the classroom. Many classroom activities are designed to be completed by students working together collaboratively in heterogeneous groupings - in pairs or in groups of three or four. Launch Lessons begin with a full-class discussion of a problem situation and of related questions to think about .
Teacher is director and moderator.
Sample launch Explore Classroom activity then shifts to investigating focused problems and questions related to the launching situation by gathering data, looking for patterns, constructing models and meanings, and making and verifying conjectures. As students collaborate in small groups, the teacher circulates from group to group providing guidance and support, clarifying or asking questions, giving hints, providing encouragement, and drawing group members into the discussion to help groups work more cooperatively. The unit materials and related questions posed by students drive the learning. Teacher is facilitator. This discussion leads to a class summary of important ideas or to further exploration of a topic if competing perspectives remain.