Connecting
Experiences that allow students to make connections – to see, for example, how concepts and
skills from one strand of mathematics are related to those from another – will help them to
grasp general mathematical principles. As they continue to make such connections, students
begin to see that mathematics is more than a series of isolated skills and concepts and that they
can use their learning in one area of mathematics to understand another. Seeing the relationships
among procedures and concepts also helps develop mathematical understanding. The
more connections students make, the deeper their understanding. In addition, making connections
between the mathematics they learn at school and its applications in their everyday lives
not only helps students understand mathematics but also allows them to see how useful and
relevant it is in the world beyond the classroom.