Recently a primary teacher asked me for suggestions for hands-on activities for balance and equality. As I mentioned in a previous post we have a tendency to focus more on patterning and less on algebra, but here is a Grade 1 teacher understanding the importance of moving beyond. In … More Understanding Equality Using Pattern Blocks »
Observing people of all ages enthusiastically engaging in mathematical tasks is what fuels my passion for the work I do. I had such an experience recently at a K-8 elementary school on a PA Day. Last year I had been involved in a Ministry of Education Spatial Reasoning Inquiry and … More A Spatial Reasoning Task Using Pentominoes »
With the best of intentions we implement something e.g., a model or graphic organizer and think that this will be the solution to difficulties we are experiencing in the math classroom. In an earlier post I wrote that a challenge with writing is that something “three-dimensional” can often appear … More Be a Problem Solving Detective! »
“The purpose of assessment is not to rate, rank and sort students, but to provide meaningful feedback that leads to high performance for all students.” (Mariano & Heflebower) It is imperative that educators understand the power of the relationship between big ideas, learning goals and feedback. To impact student thinking … More Big Ideas, Learning Goals and Feedback »
