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First grade is the beginning of exposing students to mathematics. Counting, comparing, and grouping, as well as learning the comparison symbols <, =,>,  are key foundations in building a mathematical mindset. Try this game with your students, and give them a chance to practice comparing counters with a partner as they take turns shaking and…

When one envisions the preschool or the kindergarten classroom, activities that spring to mind include learning to participate within a whole group; sharing, listening, and turn-taking; learning new stories, songs and rhymes; practicing motor skills; drawing and artwork; getting familiar with letters, shapes, colors, numbers, and counting; expanding vocabulary, language, and social skills; getting used…

In Part 2 of our 3 part #MathCoachChat live Twitter series, we discussed how we use purposeful questions to engage, empower, and enlighten.   We had a lively discussion with wonderful input from educators. Moderators Genni Steele, Mary Mitchell, and Sue Chapman shared wisdom from our last chat on purposeful questioning and categorizing obstacles to…

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, September 27th at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT.

From a Kindergarten and First-Grade Classroom After asking the students to come join me in a circle on the rug, I wrote the number 10 at the top of a piece of chart paper. Next I distributed interlocking cubes by carefully pouring them out near the students so that each child had access to them.…

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.

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…

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…