The MOST research project has been a collaboration among researchers at Brigham Young University, Michigan Technological University, and Western Michigan University that focused on improving the teaching of secondary school mathematics by improving teachers' abilities to use student thinking during instruction to develop mathematical concepts. Leveraging MOSTs (2012–2017) focused on conceptualizing high-potential instances of student thinking (MOSTs) that, if capitalized on in-the-moment, would support student learning of important mathematics. Building on MOSTs (2017-2023) focused on conceptualizing the teaching practice of building on such high-potential instances. Learning to Build on MOSTs (2024-Present) focuses on understanding how middle and high school teachers learn the practice of building on MOSTs.

Teacher faces a male and a female student who are discussing representations of the equation y=x+2. The male student is completing a table of x and y values. The female student is standing next to a graph of the equation y=x+2.

For more information about
how you might use the
MOST constructs in your
work, please contact
Keith Leatham at
kleatham@mathed.byu.edu.

 

Brigham Young University
Western Michigan University
Michigan Technological University

  

This project is funded by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

  

2025 Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA) 47. State College, PA, October 26-29, 2025.

  • A Methodology for Decomposing a Complex Teaching Practice, 10/28/25, 9:30-10:15 am, Penn Stater Conference Center, Room 107
30th Annual Conference of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. Portland, OR, February 5-7, 2025.
  • A Teacher Learning Sequence for the Practice of Building on a MOST (Poster)