Bridging second-grade children's thinking and mathematical recording

The focus of this article is how what students do and say to solve a problem may be recorded to mirror the student's actions or thoughts rather than portraying a common algorithm that is not connected to the student's thinking. It illustrates the multiple strategies used by a second-grade class that has solved a problem with three addends and how the teacher tries to faithfully map their thinking into the system of mathematical notation. Emphasis is placed on the step-by-step linking of action, thought, and symbol that must occur. The AFT Thinking Mathematics program that the teacher is using is briefly described as well as how the teacher developed number sense and a culture in which student thinking is respected. The article stresses that teachers need professional development experiences that help them understand how children best learn mathematics to be able to effectively address the needs of a class of heterogeneous learners and open doors to greater achievement.