Mathematics is a subject that is not easy to teach and also difficult to understand. The teacher applied strategies or techniques that help the students to understand the lesson easily but in the end fail to do. The reason why the teacher wrote this article is to share what she has read about teaching Mathematics effectively through research –based strategies.
         There is no single best strategy or method in teaching Mathematics since the choice of teaching strategy depends on a number of factors. As teachers we are expected to have a repertoire of teaching strategies and methods that cater to the specific purposes and needs of our class. Research has shown that teaching strategies that are interactive, integrated, experiential, varied and that tries to connect the lesson to the students’ daily lives are effective.

          What instructional strategies best enhance student achievement? After many years of teaching, seasoned teachers can identify some of these strategies based on their experiences.

          To help answer this question, Marzano, Gaddy and Dean (2000, in Feden and Vogel, 2003) conducted a meta – analysis of what works in the classroom. A meta- analysis requires summarizing a large number of research studies and combining their results.

          The results of their study yielded in nine categories of good instructional practices.

1. Identifying similarities and differences- it is about identifying patterns and relationship.
2. Summarizing and note taking – uses tables, graphic organizers, concept mapping
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition – extrinsic ways of motivating learners, which if done well, will develop intrinsic motivation.
4. Homework and practice – develop procedural knowledge and best practice if followed by specific feedback.
5. Nonlinguistic representation – the use of visual representations and manipulative models
6. Cooperative learning – effective promoters of students achievement
7. Setting goals and providing feedback- provides direction to student learning and tells them how far they have gone in reaching their goals.
8. Generating and testing hypothesis – the discovery of Inquiry approaches in teaching Mathematics, the Concept Attainment Strategy, Concept Formation Strategy – encourage learners to generate and test hypothesis.
9. Activating prior knowledge- learners learn best when they build on previous knowledge and when they are able to make meaningful connections between what they already know and what the new learning.

  As teachers of the new generation; we must adapt ourselves to the changing world and use these strategies to reach our goal, “quality education for all”.

By: CHARITO G. BALUYOT | Teacher III | Limay National High School | Limay, Bataan