At Plymouth Meeting Friends School, we take a dynamic and engaging approach to teaching math literacy. Our main goal is for all students pre-k through sixth grade to develop a capacity to explore, discuss, test, and apply mathematical concepts in an age-appropriate way. Through exploration, our students learn to take intellectual risks and develop an awareness of the math that is in the world around them. Through our curriculum, students learn to make connections between different mathematical ideas and to see and understand how those ideas are applied beyond the classroom. In doing so, our students learn that math can be practical, useful, and fun. We encourage children to be comfortable with math language and to feel empowered as mathematicians.
We take our direction in large part from the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), 2004). PMFS teachers continue to refine their practice through professional readings, courses, mutual observations, and regular math-centered meetings. Through this ongoing study and discussion, we have expanded the scope of mathematical instruction at PMFS to include a school-wide text called Growing with Mathematics (McGraw Hill 2004). This math series is used in first through fifth grades as a springboard for children to gain familiarity with and eventual mastery of various concepts and skills in each grade.