Write for Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
The MTMS Editorial Panel continues to encourage classroom teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and others to submit manuscripts that recognize and address the particular needs and interests of students and teachers at the middle school level (grades 5-9). In addition to active calls for manuscripts, as listed below, the Editorial Panel is interested in publishing articles on any topic in middle school mathematics education.
topic will delve into what instructional decisions lead to
a deep learning of mathematics by understanding how students interact with
teachers, peers, and the world around them. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2018.
This call encourages
readers to submit manuscripts about the preparation and continued professional
development of grades 5–9 teachers.
This call encourages readers to submit
manuscripts about the role of problem solving in the middle grades.
Open your classroom door and share your experiences with MTMS readers. What are some great math tasks or problems your students have worked on? What is a lesson or unit you have refined until it reliably engages students and leads to understanding? What experiences have transformed your teaching? Have your voice and expertise included in MTMS.
As an object of study, geometry is well suited to push students’ thinking in many directions. Although concepts of measurement are important in the middle grades, many geometric ideas go beyond measurement. The Editorial Panel of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School encourages readers to submit manuscripts that specifically address aspects of geometry teaching and learning.
Cultivating and sustaining a culture of equity in the teaching and learning of mathematics can be challenging. "Our vision of access and equity requires being responsive to students' backgrounds, experiences and knowledge when designing, implementing, and assessing the effectiveness of a mathematics program" (Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All, p. 60). The Editorial Board of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (MTMS) encourages readers to submit manuscripts addressing how practices that effectively address access, equity, and empowerment are reflected in the mathematics classroom.
Readers are invited to submit manuscripts addressing the use of technology in the mathematics classroom. We especially invite responses from middle school classroom teachers who detail their experiences. Given the rapid change in the power and nature of available technology, not to mention the ways that students may embrace technologies differently from teachers, the MTMS Editorial Panel seeks manuscripts that address this ongoing challenge.
This call for manuscripts is for articles that provide evidence to support the Mathematics Teaching Practices found in NCTM’s Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. Helping teachers develop the strategies to bring these practices to life is central to the mission and vision of MTMS.
Effective discourse happens when students articulate their own ideas and seriously consider their peers’ mathematical perspectives as a way to construct mathematical understandings. Manuscripts submitted in response to this call should discuss mathematical communication that occurs in a classroom.
Departments consist of short, focused articles along a particular theme or in a specific format. Writing for a department is a great way for teachers to see their names in print!
This department relates lessons learned from research to classroom practice for teachers. The articles written for this section should entice and invite classroom teachers to learn about aspects of research that are closely related to their classroom practice. Topics that may be of interest can include—but are by no means limited to—teaching fractions, learning through problem solving, and using representations of linear relationships.
The article should—
The manuscript should be no more than 2000 words, and figures and/or photographs should be included at the end. Send manuscripts by accessing
mtms.msubmit.net. On the tab titled “Keywords, Categories, Special Sections,” select Informing Practice from the Departments/Calls section.
Short articles (1500 – 1800 words) provide an opportunity to share a single, well-developed idea. Although Quick Reads may cover a wide range of topics and interests, the Editorial Panel is particularly interested in receiving manuscripts that fit in one of the following categories:
Submissions should be made through
The purpose of the Palette of Problems department is to provide teachers and students with a set of interesting and challenging problems that invite creative problem solving strategies. This department appears in each issue of MTMS, with an attempt to address the focus topic in the Focus Issue. Anyone can contribute problems to Palette of Problems and submissions should be sent to MTMS at
These editorials (1200 – 1800 words) raise a significant issue or advocate a point of view about some aspect of the teaching or learning of mathematics. Anyone may submit material for a blind review. Submissions should be made through
Readers find classroom-tested explorations that are ready for teachers to use with their middle school mathematics students. Submissions should include - reproducible activity sheets appropriate for middle grade students, a description of the exploration, including goals or objectives. Submissions should be made through
On the back page of the journal, a one-page activity is available for teachers to use in the classroom. Each activity is a single idea applied in the real world, to answer the question “When am I ever going to use this?” Math for Real manuscripts are 250-300 words and include introductory text and 4-6 questions. Solutions should also be submitted and are not included in the word count. Submissions should be made through http://mtms.msubmit.net.
This is an opportunity for readers to share opinions, thoughts, or a reaction to anything that they find of interest in the journal. Please send your thoughts to
Each month, a cartoon and accompanying mathematics questions are provided on an Activity Sheet that teachers can use with students. To suggest cartoons or field-test activity sheets, contact the journal editor at
The Solve It department provides rich questions that invoke thoughtful and innovative student responses. Try the questions with your students and submit interesting student solutions to Solve It: Student Thinking. This companion department to Solve It provides an insight into the mathematical thinking of middle school students. Ideas for Solve It problems and student solutions should be sent to the journal editor at
This department contains a review of computer software, books, and products. If you would like to review materials, or have ideas for products that could be reviewed, please contact MTMS at
All calls are open unless otherwise noted.
What to Write
The pages of MathematicsTeaching in the Middle School are filled with examples of teacher-written articles that highlight useful aspects of their practice. If you are a classroom teacher with some ideas to share but are a little uncertain about how to proceed, the following suggestions may be helpful.
Writing is a process, not an event. It will take time to develop your ideas into a coherent article. Keep a notebook and jot down your ideas, successes, and concerns. The reflection on these notes can become the basis for a manuscript. Keep samples of students’ work to include in your article; readers value such examples as useful tools that help the manuscript come alive. Read past articles in the journal to help you get a sense of what makes a good manuscript.
Contributing to a department is a great way for classroom teachers to initially participate in MTMS. Department missions and editors are listed under the Calls for Manuscripts tab. Current MTMS departments are
How to Submit
Submit manuscripts via
http://mtms.msubmit.net using the following criteria:
Please proofread and spell check your manuscript before submission. Review it for grammar, completeness, mathematical correctness, and accuracy of references. Be sure to spell out all proper names, and fully identify all organizations and groups that are mentioned by initials or acronyms.
Figures and tables should be embedded in the manuscript near their mention in the text. Should your manuscript be accepted for publication, publication staff will request that images be sent separately, but for the review process, they should be conveniently embedded in the text for easy reading by our referees.
Materials that have been published elsewhere or are being considered for publication by other journals, including other NCTM-affiliated group publications, should not be submitted.
What Happens Next
When the reviewers and the Editorial Panel review your manuscript, they will be using the following criteria:
Each manuscript is assigned three reviewers, each of whom are knowledgeable in the manuscript's subject area. The reviewers are given 4 weeks to review a manuscript and recommend that it be accepted, rejected, or revised. It is then sent to the Editorial Panel with the reviewer's recommendation. The Editorial Panel is allowed an additional 4 weeks for final dispensation. Please note that everyone involved in this process is a volunteer so the timeline is a rule of thumb and could be longer or shorter.
The forms below provide information to authors and help ensure that NCTM complies with all copyright laws.
Student Work Release
Photographer Copyright Release
Common Writing Pitfalls and Easy Fixes
Write for the Journals: Good Ideas Can Become Articles
Be a Journal Referee