Real Life Math: 2 Simple Strategies for Joyful Math Talk

Today we have the pleasure of hearing from expert in real life math, Alice Aspinall of @EveryoneCanLearnMath. If you follow Alice on social media you will see her beautiful pictures of real life math and practical tips on how to use opportunities in our everyday life to incorporate math! I knew having a guest blog […]
Increase Engagement with Problem of the Day for Math

What is Problem of the Day? In my classroom Problem of the Day for math is an instructional routine that helps students achieve deeper learning through inquiry and exploration of mathematical ideas. Okay, so real talk– it’s a routine we use everyday so kids can THINK deeply about math. The routine is simple, but the […]
How Problem Solving Changed my Math Teaching

What can you honestly say has changed your teaching? I don’t say that lightly. Honestly, I will claim just 2 things have changed my teaching career– character education and problem solving. Problem Solving Definition Let’s form a common definition. My training and research comes from a book called Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction. This training […]
Math Lesson Plans in a Pandemic are TOUGH… but so are you!

Math lesson plans causing you to loose sleep during this pandemic? You’re not alone. Let’s answer common questions as we create our math lesson plans.
3 Winter Math Activities to + Joy!

Are you looking for winter math activities to boost your student engagement? I’m sharing my 3 favorite winter math activities right here.
Positive Math Mindset: 2 Epic Lessons

Are you looking for lessons to help form positive math mindset? Here are my favorite two lessons to help students for positive math mindsets!
Math Mindset: 3 Tips to Build Positive Math Mindset

Are you looking forw ways to build your students positive math mindset? I share my top 3 ways to motivate my students in the math classroom.
Math Norms for Building a Growth Mindset

What are math norms? Math norms are an agreement that everyone in the math classroom community agrees to follow. Norms in math are short, easy to remember statements that clearly express the expectations for the math classroom. These clear expectations help students know what to expect and help them hold themselves accountable. In addition, it […]
Got Math Attitude?

Surveying Students’ Attitudes Got Math Attitude?We ALL have some attitude about math. Maybe it is enthusiastic attitude or uninterested attitude? Our students come to us with a wide range of what I like to call “Math Stories”. Some come loving math and knowing exactly how to seek challenge but ask for help when overwhelmed. Then, […]
Parent Communication- Newsletters

Do you send out a newsletter? Monthly? Weekly? Bi-weekly? I’ll be honest, I always struggle to be consistent with a newsletter. It gets to a point in the year when I think to myself, is anyone really reading this? The answer is always yes. So, I’m going to share with you my best tips to […]
I’m Obsessed with Circles

I’m obsessed with circles. It’s true. When I started having my students sit in a circle my teaching changed and learning increased. What? Just a circle on the rug? I’m literally talking about just changing from having students sit in rows to sitting in a circle. That being said, I’ve always had rectangular carpets in […]
Math Attitude Survey

Got a math ‘tude? Let’s face it we ALL do. Read how I start the school year by helping my students face their math story and begin to rewrite it.