At the IDMT, we use a research-based framework to help teachers teach mathematics for understanding. Our framework is comprised of five critical features; taking students' ideas seriously, pressing students conceptually, encouraging multiple strategies and representations, addressing misconceptions, and understanding the relational structure of mathematics.

The DMT Project was started by Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, of Boise State University, in 2004. The project orginally partnered with three schools in the Boise, Caldwell, and Emmett communities of southwestern Idaho. That project was concluded in 2007. The new three-year cycle began again as the Initiative for Developing Mathematical Thinking in the Fall of 2007, with three schools in Caldwell, ID. The project runs for three years at a time with each year having a different content focus. Year 1 focuses on issues of number and algebra. Year 2 focuses on measurement and geometry. Year 3's focus is data analysis and probability. We are funded by a generous Math and Science Partnership grant from the Idaho State Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, contact us.