Mathematics in the City

About Mathematics in the City

Founded in 1995, Mathematics in the City is a national center for K–8 mathematics education, established through a collaboration between the City College of New York and the Freudenthal Institute in the Netherlands. 

We provide summer institutes, school-year workshops, and professional development for educators, grounded in the belief that all students can think mathematically when given the right opportunities. Central to our work is the implementation of the Standards for Mathematical Practice from the Common Core State Standards. Our approach emphasizes context, representation, and discourse as essential components of learning. We begin with realistic, problematic situations that invite participants, teachers, and students to mathematize their world. Classrooms become workshops, where learners engage in inquiry, construct arguments, and communicate their thinking with peers. Educators learn to analyze student work through a developmental lens, what we call a landscape of learning, built on effective math strategies, big ideas, and mathematical models.

We also support teachers in designing and facilitating number strings, a powerful instructional routine that builds computational fluency and encourages mathematical reasoning.

Early Numeracy, Addition and Subtraction for Grades K-2

July 7-10

This session explores the development of numeracy in the early grades. The work will focus on the role of models and contexts for the development of number sense, including the use of both investigations and mini-lessons (number strings). We will use models such as the math rack, the t-chart and the number line as tools in developing important concepts such as place value, as well as the operations of addition and subtraction. The institutes will draw connections to the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum and will support teachers in seeing how these ideas unfold in IM. Cost $1200

Multiplication and Division for Grades 3-5

July 14-17

This session will explore the development of multiplication and division, through both investigations and guided number strings. We will explore the use of models such as arrays, number lines, and ratio tables. This institute will be useful both for classroom teachers, special education co-teachers, and those interested in intervention for multiplication and division. The institutes will draw connections to the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum, supporting teachers in implementing IM tasks while also focusing on students’ mathematical development. Cost $1200

Rational Number: Fractions, Decimals and Percents for Grades 4-7

July 21-22

In this session we will explore the development of rational numbers, through investigations and guided number strings. We will start with early factions work 􀂳 exploring the emerging issues of fair sharing contexts. Then we will move on to a sequence of rich investigations drawn from the IM curriculum, that support students to reason about rational number as well as utilize the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Throughout the institute we will focus on sense-making models and contexts to support students. Cost $600