{"id":49,"date":"2026-06-03T19:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:32:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:32:41","slug":"designing-for-enactment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\" style=\"min-height:244px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"861\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-47 size-large\" alt=\"A top-down view of a graph paper notebook featuring hand-drawn geometric shapes colored in blue and green. A black pen, a blue colored pencil, and a clear plastic ruler are resting on the pages.\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-861x1024.jpg\" style=\"object-position:58% 72%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"58% 72%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-861x1024.jpg 861w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-768x913.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-1292x1536.jpg 1292w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-1722x2048.jpg 1722w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools.jpg 2000w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim-80 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mathematics materials matter. But materials do not teach. Teachers do.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Even the best mathematics materials can&#8217;t determine what happens in a classroom. That depends on teaching: on how teachers interpret tasks, listen and respond to students, and move the mathematics forward in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>At <a href=\"https:\/\/teachingworks.org\">TeachingWorks<\/a>, the Designing for Enactment project works out what mathematics materials can do well, what they can&#8217;t, and what comes down to teachers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">High-quality materials are now central to mathematics teaching. They organize content, sequence lessons, and guide teachers. But no set of materials can determine what teaching looks like. It depends on how a teacher takes them up and how students respond, and that varies from classroom to classroom and moment to moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">So this work isn\u2019t about adding more to materials. It\u2019s about getting clear on what materials are genuinely good at supporting, what they can\u2019t determine, and what still rests on teachers\u2019 knowledge and judgment. It\u2019s for the people who design, choose, and use math materials: curriculum developers first, alongside the leaders, coaches, and teachers who put materials to work every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"861\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-861x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A top-down view of a graph paper notebook featuring hand-drawn geometric shapes colored in blue and green. A black pen, a blue colored pencil, and a clear plastic ruler are resting on the pages.\" class=\"wp-image-47\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.8408276897571046;width:128px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-861x1024.jpg 861w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-768x913.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-1292x1536.jpg 1292w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools-1722x2048.jpg 1722w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools.jpg 2000w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-x-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What you&#8217;ll find here<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">The Designing for Enactment project looks at how mathematics materials are taken up and used in real classrooms, and what that means for their design. Our aim is to help the people who create and use them make clearer, more deliberate choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:46px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-102\" alt=\"Teacher and student sit at a table and discuss mathematics problem.\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_242654521-300x200.jpeg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_242654521-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_242654521-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_242654521-768x512.jpeg 768w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-60 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why Designing for Enactment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The problem space: why enactment matters and what that means for mathematics materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/why-designing-for-enactment\/\"><strong>Learn more<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:28px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"706\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-126 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269-1024x706.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269-1536x1059.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2018-07-25-UofM-EML_269.jpg 1773w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim-60 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learning and Insights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Examples, artifacts, and short pieces from classrooms, materials, and research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:38px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/news-and-information\/\"><strong>Learn more<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"713\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-99 size-large\" alt=\"A kindergarten teacher talks to students that sit on the floor\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_163314612-1024x713.jpeg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_163314612-1024x713.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_163314612-300x209.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/AdobeStock_163314612-768x535.jpeg 768w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim-60 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-c1c5e2d082bd60cde82a0eba06fa6290 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><\/strong><strong>About the Project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-4474f6cdcf42d7feeab6c3108cf0e70d wp-block-paragraph\">Who we are and how we work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/about\/\"><strong>Learn more<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-104 size-large\" alt=\"A student writes on the board math calculations\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-1024x728.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/2022-07-29-EML-UofM_104-2048x1456.jpg 2048w\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-black-background-color has-background-dim-70 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Framework<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A draft framework for how mathematics materials can better support enactment. Coming soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/framework\/\"><strong>Learn more<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even the best mathematics materials can&#8217;t determine what happens in a classroom. That depends on teaching: on how teachers interpret<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":47,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-49","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2026\/06\/math-notebook-and-tools.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":63,"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171,"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions\/171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.marsal.umich.edu\/designingforenactment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}