Communicating: Communication of mathematical ideas is an essential process in learning mathematics. Throughout the learning activities, students have opportunities to express mathematical ideas and understandings orally, visually, and in writing. Often, students are asked to work in pairs or in small groups, thereby providing learning situations in which students talk about the mathematics that they are doing, share mathematical ideas, and ask clarifying questions of their classmates. These oral experiences help students to organize their thinking before they are asked to communicate their ideas in written form