Posts Tagged ‘guided math’
The Power of Guided Math
When we joined forces with Laney Sammons in 2014, we knew Guided Math was going to be a special and exciting addition to ERG services. Alice and I were ready for the challenge of going the next level with supporting math teachers and excited to have an expert math instructor willing to mentor our team…
Read MoreMoving From the Drawbacks
“When a teacher begins a math lesson with direct instruction they completely disregard and ignore their students’ background knowledge and strengths. Resources that promote this approach contradict a focus on equity and access.” So tweeted Drew Polly, an associate professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Wow! That is quite an indictment of direct…
Read MoreTeaching Math is Not for the Faint Hearted
From the desk of Laney… Teaching math is not for the faint hearted! It is a complex task that requires deep mathematical content knowledge, a toolbox of instructional strategies, and the ability to create a culture of learning that encourages sometimes math averse students to venture into the discipline with an open mind. While I…
Read MoreMath Picture Walks
During guided reading sessions, we work to stimulate the curiosity of our students by going through a “picture walk.” Even before we open a book, we show the children the cover, read the title, and ask them what they think the text might be about based on what they see. We work to pique their…
Read MorePromoting Questions through Math Stretches
Have you ever watched runners stretching before a big race? They are preparing their bodies, warming up their muscles, so they will perform at optimum levels. Just like those runners, our students need to warm-up to get their brains focused and ready for quality thinking and learning. Math Warm-ups, or Math Stretches, are an important…
Read MoreLaying the Foundation for Critical Thinking in Math
“Environments rich in mathematical opportunities for children are essential if we want our children to develop a thorough understanding of mathematics.” -Laney Sammons Evidence has shown that our nation has been struggling with mathematical literacy. We have many children who just don’t “get it” and it is time to make a change in the instructional…
Read MoreCommunication is at the Heart of Mathematical Literacy
Mathematical literacy has become a serious problem in the United States. Computation, drill and practice have often been the means to a less than stellar mathematical end. Mathematician Keith Devlin says, “The problem many people have with school arithmetic is that they never get to the meaning stage; it remains forever an abstract game of…
Read MoreEstablishing an Environment for Mathematics
Look around most elementary classrooms, and you’ll see evidence that language arts learning is taking place. The question then becomes do you see evidence that mathematics is just as important. Probably not. Most classroom environments are literacy rich and mathematics poor. A mathematics rich classroom is a place where students are surrounded by math…a place…
Read MoreMath Talk = Deeper Understanding
Creating a classroom environment where students are immersed in real life math tasks and quality math talk is essential for creating deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. The first Standard for Mathematical Practice is to Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Daily math talk puts this standard into practice and creates a safe setting…
Read MoreFlexible Math Groups – Flex Math Muscles
Successful math students are the ones who have developed a deep understanding of concepts, are fluent at computation, and are able to use what they know to solve real problems. Flexible math groups allow students the chance to flex the math muscles that build these skills in meaningful ways. Teachers can effectively differentiate instruction using…
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