Research Framework

5 Dimensions of DMTI Instructional Framework

Taking Students' Ideas Seriously

Engage students in meaningful math tasks and allow them to share initial ideas. Encourage students to make connections to what they already know.

Encouraging Multiple Strategies & Models

Recognize the many ways to approach and solve problems and represent them through enactive, iconic, and symbolic models.

Pressing Students Conceptually

Build connections to transition from informal to more formal terms and conventions, progressively formalizing students' problem-solving methods.

Focusing on the Structure of Mathematics

Focus on structured language (e.g., units, decompose, compose, iterate, and partition) to help students understand how foundational ideas extend across grade levels and topics, establishing connections among fundamental concepts.

Addressing Misconceptions

Use mistakes and misconceptions as tools to build math understanding. Lead students to deeper levels of understanding by being aware of how and why misconceptions.