Principle 6: Attend to Precision

Attend to precision

The principle states:

Mathematically proficient students try to communicate precisely to others. They try to use clear definitions in discussion with others and in their own reasoning. They state the meaning of the symbols they choose, including using the equal sign consistently and appropriately. They are careful about specifying units of measure, and labeling axes to clarify the correspondence with quantities in a problem. They calculate accurately and efficiently, express numerical answers with a degree of precision appropriate for the problem context. In the elementary grades, students give carefully formulated explanations to each other. By the time they reach high school they have learned to examine claims and make explicit use of definitions. 

When reading through this principle, it brought me to think about three things, determination, discipline and self control. These are difficult but necessary tenets of not only math, but all education. If children are going to be successful learners we need to help them develop the work ethic necessary to be precise, to be willing to slow down, revise their work, think about their reasoning and to communicate it clearly. Determination, discipline and self control are characteristics or traits that need to be developed.  These are traits that are often connected to academic rigor. 

One of the age old questions is how..... How can I get my students to be more precise, to slow down and really concentrate on what they are doing? How can I get my students to delve more deeply with their thinking? Think of those questions in connection with the two definitions of academic rigor....the combination of inquiry and curiosity, student engagement, confidence, meaningfulness, critical thinking, problem solving and hard work. The blend of determination and efficacy towards learning. True mathematical engagement should lead to understanding; that is the goal of all mathematics. Finding ways to engage your students through investigation and inquiry is a good start. 

Students who are invested in a search for understanding are often rewarded with not only increased knowledge, but with a deeper development of that "inner tool set" (self-control, discipline, determination) the tools that will help them to become life-long learners.


The two definitions of rigor come from the article Kim shared with us in May and are as follows: 


The first defines rigor as "the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging." 

The second defines rigorous as "demanding strict attention to rules and procedures; allowing no deviation from a standard"

The article states that is the combination of the two that truly create academic rigor.