The overarching goal of the curriculum is to help all students learn mathematics. This means that students develop flexibility and confidence when approaching a variety of complex problems, proficiency in using mathematical skills and tools, and fluency with facts, computation, and other areas of mathematics such as geometry, data, and algebraic thinking.
Four major goals form the foundation for Investigations in Number, Data, and Space®:
Investigations is designed:
To substantially expand the pool of mathematically literate students
The Investigations curriculum was carefully designed and field-tested to provide access for all students to challenging mathematics. Investigations was successfully field tested (1990 - 1998) in diverse classroom settings, including classrooms with special education students, diverse language and ethnic groups, and in urban, suburban, and rural schools. Implementation in a range of settings illustrates that Investigations prepares and motivates students from all groups to learn and be successful in mathematics, specifically students traditionally underrepresented in mathematics.
To offer all students meaningful mathematical problems
The mathematical problems in Investigations offer multiple ways into the mathematics accommodating the range of students found in any classroom. Mathematics content includes the development computational fluency with whole number operations and understanding the structure of the base ten number system, fractions, geometry and measurement, and change over time as well as effective ways of representing, describing and using data. Students are encouraged to reason mathematically, develop problem-solving strategies, and represent their thinking using models, diagrams, and graphs.
To emphasize depth in mathematical thinking
The sequence of activities was carefully evaluated so that it helps students delve deeply into mathematical ideas. In each Investigations unit, students work through a series of in depth investigations, encountering and using important mathematical ideas. Students engage in mathematical reasoning to solve larger mathematical problems. The investigations allow significant time for students to think about problems and to model, draw, write, and talk about their work with peers as they find ways to solve problems. Students represent their thinking, explain their reasoning, and use mathematical tools and appropriate technology as a natural part of their work. In addition to the investigations, the curriculum also includes Classroom Routines (K-2), Ten-Minute Math (3-5), and games and learning activities that provide practice and support to extend students' mathematical thinking and reasoning.
To communicate math content and pedagogy to teachers
The Investigations curriculum is also designed to be used as a guide to the teacher who wants to learn more about the teaching and learning of mathematics. An important feature of Investigations is the amount of material included in each unit for teachers to use to learn more about the mathematical content and the way students learn that content. The introductory section of each unit guide provides critical information about the mathematics in the unit. The section titled About the Mathematics in This Unit describes the central mathematical ideas in the unit and explains how students will encounter them through the unit's activities. Teacher Notes provide practical information about the mathematics and about how children learn. Sample dialogues demonstrate how students typically express their mathematical ideas, what issues and confusions arise in their thinking, and how some teachers have guided class discussions. Other sections of the introduction of each unit include How To Use this Book, Technology in the Curriculum, and About Assessment.