A New Way to Learn Math

Our goal is to improve the learning of mathematics by engaging students in comparing, contrasting, and discussing multiple strategies for solving problems. Our studies have found that students benefit when their teachers use the CDMS (Compare and Discuss Multiple Strategies) routine. 

A New Way to Teach Math

The CDMS routine can be used both with student-generated strategies as well as with solved example problems. For the latter, we have developed curriculum materials for algebra courses that teachers can use to implement the CDMS routine into their classrooms.

What Teachers Are Saying

Testimonials

CDMS encourages students to try different approaches in problem solving in order to gain deeper understanding. As I used CDMS more and more, students got better at discussion and were more willing to jump in — it takes courage to make a contribution! This approach encourages students to work towards refining their explanations so that solutions are better understood. It also pushes students to critically examine each other’s explanations and to give more attention to clarity in their explanations. As students share their insights/ideas in processing a problem, they gain more perspective, more options, and a sense of contributing to at least some stage of the solution.

— PC, high school math teacher in Massachusetts

CDMS built the skill of discussion in my classroom. Students need to be able to discuss with one another and they are more willing to collaborate because they are used to talking to one another. As I used CDMS, students became more flexible in their thinking. Students became more willing to disagree and could express disagreement better. They also could ask for clarification better because they had more practice saying “I understand it up until x, but at y I don’t understand.” They were also more comfortable with the idea that there were multiple ways to get to a correct answer.

— RC, 8th grade math teacher in Massachusetts