5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

The course is designed to support teachers in developing the planning habits and instructional decision-making skills necessary to lead rigorous, student-centered mathematics discussions that maintain high levels of cognitive demand.

Participants will examine the five core practices—anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting student responses—and explore how these practices give teachers purposeful control over the direction of classroom discussions. Emphasis will be placed on aligning mathematical goals with high-level tasks, preserving cognitive demand during implementation, and using strategic questioning and accountability structures to deepen student thinking.

Throughout the course, teachers will engage in structured analysis and lesson design work that prepares them to implement the Five Practices with fidelity. Rather than requiring immediate classroom enactment, participants will develop detailed, implementation-ready action plans that include measurable success criteria and adjustment strategies to address common instructional challenges. By the end of the course, educators will possess a sustainable framework for planning, facilitating, and refining productive mathematics discussions within their own instructional contexts and professional learning communities.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will…

• Analyze and articulate the theoretical and research foundations of the Five Practices framework and explain how each practice supports purposeful teacher control during student-centered mathematics discussions.
• Evaluate the relationship between mathematical learning goals, task selection, and the maintenance of cognitive demand during classroom instruction.
• Design high-level mathematics lesson plans that intentionally incorporate anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting student responses.
• Develop structured anticipation and monitoring tools that identify likely student strategies, misconceptions, and teacher questioning moves.
• Construct discussion orchestration plans that include purposeful selection and sequencing of student work to advance specific mathematical goals.
• Formulate measurable success criteria that identify evidence of maintained cognitive demand, productive student discourse, and equitable participation.
• Create adjustment strategies to address common implementation challenges, including declining cognitive demand, limited student participation, and procedural drift.
• Develop a sustainable, implementation-ready action plan for integrating the Five Practices into ongoing instructional planning and collaborative professional structures.

Course Details

Date: Register anytime between August 21, 2026 – August 20, 2027
Course #: LR 288:608
Instructor:  Steven McHugh (steven@growprofessionally.com)
Number of License Renewal Credits:  2
Registration Deadline: Last day to register is Friday, August 20th 2027 by 5:00 p.m.