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Differentiating sounds like a lot of work (you can’t be everywhere at once), but a few strategies may help you effectively implement differentiation without becoming overwhelmed.

Here are the characteristics that define an academically rewarding conversation.

Several months ago I received an email message from my friend Sandra. She wrote, “If you want something new to distract you, try playing the new game 2048. I’m finding it addicting.” I took Sandra’s advice and downloaded the free app. And, like Sandra, I found it addicting. But it also led me to think more about what I think is important when we teach math.

Educators know what a good mathematics classroom looks like (see the Math Solutions Instructional Practices Inventory) and we want to provide this type of learning environment for every one of our students. Unfortunately, implementation of research-based instructional practices across all mathematics classrooms has proven challenging. This is due, in part, to a phenomenon known as…

Why is it that engaging preschool and kindergarten students in talking about their mathematical ideas is considered such an important key to fostering the development of early math skills? What is gained by devoting valuable time and effort into classroom discussions about math, and how can teachers set the stage for lively and meaningful math…

In Part 1 of our 3 part #MathCoachChat live Twitter series, we discussed how purposeful questions can maximize a coaching partnership, and how we can think about obstacles to a coaching relationship so we can focus our questioning.   We had a lively discussion with wonderful input from coaches and teachers alike. Here are a…

Are you a coach looking for professional learning opportunities? Want to learn more about math coaching and expand your professional learning network? Join @Math_Solutions for our first #MathCoachChat on Wednesday, August 30th at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT. Mary Mitchell, Senior Instructional Designer, and Sue Chapman, Professional Learning Specialist will lead a discussion on Questioning with a…

A natural phenomenon like the upcoming solar eclipse offers the perfect opportunity to engage students in productive, relevant STEM discussion that allows them to make connections to real world applications of their classroom math explorations. On August 21st, the world will experience a solar eclipse, also known as “the Super Bowl of the sky.” The…

The task of counting may seem simple, but as Ann Carlyle and Brenda Mercado point out in Teaching Preschool and Kindergarten Math, (Math Solutions, 2012), there is an important distinction between the rote or automatic counting that young children start with, and the eventual formulation of a deeper cognitive connection to the meaning of the…

What would you do if you noticed some of your students doing this? In the book Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and How to Teach It to Everyone), author Elizabeth Green tells the story of noted mathematics educator and researcher Deborah Loewenberg Ball posing this dilemma to a group of teachers. Dr. Ball’s…