For years, mathematicians, educators, and other experts have tried
to describe the heart of what it means to do mathematics and think
mathematically, often using terms like mathematical habits of mind,
Developing
Mathematical Habits
of Mind
LOOKING AT THE BACKGROUND, CONTEXT, AND
CONTENT OF THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR
MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE
31
A Mathematical Practices Message
From Smarter Than We Think by Cathy L. Seeley (Scholastic, 2014). www.mathsolutions.com
248 CATHY L. SEELEY Smarter Than We Think
mathematical processes, or mathematical practices. Students who learn
only mathematical facts, defi nitions, rules, and procedures may do fi ne
on large-scale tests that address these relatively easy-to-score elements of
mathematics. But many of these same students later fi nd that they cannot
use what they know when they encounter any problem or situation they
haven’t specifi cally learned how to solve. On the one hand, we lament the
poor preparation of students who can’t apply what they’ve learned, but
on the other hand, too often we continue to cling to the old notion that
mathematics consists primarily of a checklist of knowledge and skills.
There is no one correct or complete list of mathematical habits of
mind. Many descriptions overlap or address similar aspects of the nature
of mathematics. (See the “More to Consider” section of this message
for several descriptions and lists of mathematical habits of mind as conceptualized
by various experts.) Almost all descriptions of mathematical
habits of mind, mathematical thinking, practices, or processes center on
a person’s ability to solve mathematical problems, especially those that
go beyond simple word problems related to a recently learned procedure.
Closely connected to solving problems is the ability to explain
one’s thinking and engage in productive discourse with others about
the problem or observations about the mathematics in the problem.
Thus, almost all discussions of mathematical habits of mind involve
dimensions of thinking and reasoning. Some descriptions of mathematical
habits of mind build from general intellectual habits of
mind, such as perseverance, persistence, listening and communication
skills, or metacognitive skills like refl ection and analysis. Others
may be uniquely associated with mathematics, such as considering
multiple ways of representing mathematical ideas, zooming in and
zooming out on particular aspects of a problem and on the problem
as a whole, the ability to connect ideas within and outside of mathematics,
making conjectures and generalizations, understanding the
structure of mathematics, considering mathematical relationships,
justifying and explaining mathematical solutions, and so on. These
habits of mind span grade levels and ages; students can develop and
demonstrate them in appropriate ways from their earliest experiences
with mathematics. Given the right kinds of opportunities, a student’s
level of expertise in using mathematical habits of mind will increase
year after year, ideally with students graduating from high school
having developed a powerful set of mental abilities