This videotape includes five 5-minute modules that show K-12 classroom instruction that illustrates: (1) communication, (2) instructional materials other than textbooks, (3) developing students’ algebraic thinking, (4) helping young children understand sophisticated mathematical concepts, and (5) cooperative learning. The accompanying guide includes salient quotes, summaries, and discussion questions for each module.

The purpose of this resource is to "show teachers in real-life classrooms using strategies encouraged by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The modules present the viewpoints of many different teachers to provoke discussion on topics of immediate interest to all teachers" (p. 2). The implied audience is pre- and in-service K-12 mathematics teachers, and it is also appropriate for use with district supervisors and administrators to illustrate ideas in the NCTM Standards documents.

Teaching Moments is an accessible and engaging introduction to some of the key ideas in the NCTM Standards. In one module, all of the classroom footage is taken from one teacher working with one set of students; the other four modules include footage from multiple teachers and grade levels. In all modules the classroom footage is of high quality – even student-student discourse has been captured, which is often problematic when making videotapes of classroom interactions. However, reviewers noted that in the fourth module the classroom discourse appears to have been rehearsed or perhaps even scripted.

This resource is appropriate for pre- and in-service teacher education, as well as for workshops that include district mathematics supervisors and administrators. It affords viewers an opportunity to see some of the ideas from the NCTM Standards implemented in practice. The discussion questions that are included for each module are useful for helping viewers focus on the central ideas when watching the videotape, and may help teachers reflect on their own practice. Because most of the modules contain footage from several different grade levels, this resource may be particularly helpful in cross-grade-level district-wide professional development.

Some viewers might be uncomfortable with the absence of in-depth focus on any one of the classrooms highlighted in the videotape. One reviewer noted, for example, that in one 5-minute module the camera races between 14 different classrooms—ranging from a kindergarten class where students are exploring concepts related to whole number operations, to a twelfth-grade class where students are exploring the conceptual underpinnings of calculus—resulting in a rather fragmented presentation. However, the classroom footage in this videotape is excerpted from the series entitled "Teaching Math: A Video Library, K-12," which is also available from Annenberg/CPB.