From the Editors: Making Mathematics MeaningfulAuthor(s): Louis Lim and Judith CovingtonSource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 100, No. 4, Making Mathematics Meaningful(NOVEMBER 2006), p. 227Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27972198 .

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Making Mathematics

Meaningful

We have all heard the questions: Why do

we have to learn this? When are we ever

going to use this? And some of us struggle with the answers. In the classroom, we must look

ahead to the way students will learn and use math

ematics in the future. At the same time, we must

realistically consider how mathematics fits into

students' Uves in a meaningful way. When students

begin to value mathematics they are more likely to

be motivated to learn, and their learning will lead

to a deeper appreciation of the subject. NCTM has recognized the importance of connec

tions by making it one of its ten Standards of school

mathematics for students from prekindergarten through grade 12 (NCTM 2000). When we ask stu dents to describe what they think mathematics is, do

we want them to talk about acquiring isolated skills

and procedures through memorization, or do we want

to hear that mathematics is connected to their inter ests and their goals, to the real world, or to other sub

ject disciplines or within mathematics? Procedural

and conceptual understandings go hand in hand.

When we selected the topic for this focus issue, we wanted to help teachers incorporate a variety of approaches to making mathematics relevant

to students. Some of the articles in this issue will

help address these questions. While David Buhl, Michael Morissette, and Jeffry Wolff explain how to determine whether a mattress will fit up a stair

well, Rebecca McGraw, David Romero, and Robert

Krueger get their students out collecting data in the

stadium bleachers and Lori Keleher tells how she uses a career file to show students how important and relevant the mathematics they learn in class will

be in their future. Other articles will give examples of lessons that help students develop confidence and

critical thinking skills by using real-life data and

examples. For example, Henry Kranendonk used

population data sets and pyramid graphs to motivate

low-achieving mathematics students in a summer

mathematics program, and Tom Santulli explores

using Efron's dice to model World Series outcomes.

When students appreciate mathematics, they will value mathematics. We hope that you enjoy this issue and find ideas you can put to use in your own classrooms. We owe it to our students to make

mathematics meaningful. There is probably no

greater reward than to see our students' enjoyment of mathematics increase because they have con

nected with the discipline. As always, if you have

your own ideas to share, please submit a manu

script to be considered for future inclusion in the

Mathematics Teacher.

REFERENCE National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

(NCTM). Principles and Standards for School Math

ematics. Reston, VA: NCTM, 2000. ?>

Focus issue editors Louis Lim and Judith Covinqton

Vol. 100, No. 4 ? November 2006 | MATHEMATICS TEACHER 227

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