Research
› Big Ideas: A Research-based Approach
Big Ideas Learning’s Common Core Curriculum program— Big Ideas Math — is a well-articulated, focused, middle-grades mathematics program designed to teach mathematics and develop students’ understanding of the associated concepts and practices. The five-volume program offers two pathways for students to move through middle school mathematics, and emphasizes a balanced approach to customized instruction, with support from interactive technology. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate clearly and explicitly the research upon which Big Ideas Math: A Common Core Curriculum is based.
› A Study of the Instructional Effectiveness of Big Ideas Math
“All young Americans must learn to think mathematically, and they must think mathematically to learn” (National Research Council, 2001, p. 1). Today students come from increasingly diverse backgrounds, in regard to culture and language as well as in their background knowledge, abilities, motivations, interests and modes of learning (Tomlinson, 2005). To effectively teach mathematics skills and concepts teachers of mathematics must be knowledgeable of and sensitive to the needs of all learners in the mathematics classroom. This report describes an instructional efficacy study that was conducted to determine the impact of Larson’s Big Ideas Math ©2012 on students’ knowledge and skills in math.
