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Subitizing! This ability to instantly “see” how many is a critical component in young students developing number sense.

In this clip from Beyond Pizzas & Pies, students describe how they found the rods that are 1/6 of the unit interval. What important fraction concept does Marcela’s reasoning support?

My eight-year-old neighbor Zoe spent the day with me recently so we decided to do a little baking. The recipe we were using called for ½ cup of sugar and three cups of flour. After using the ½ cup measuring cup to add sugar to the batter, I suggested we use the same measuring cup…

We know it’s important to encourage our students to adopt a growth mindset towards their mathematical abilities. But when we draw a smiley face on a student’s paper or say “good job,” are we building a growth or a fixed mindset? These types of feedback are meant to encourage but they fail to give students…

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…

On a recent walk through my neighborhood I came across a father teaching his young son how to ride a bicycle. The father was holding on to the bike as the boy sat atop the seat, gripping the handlebars tightly. It appeared that the father was much more confident in the boy’s ability to learn…

An effective math coach possesses a multitude of skills, but the ability to ask purposeful, targeted questions is one of the most vital to the coaching process. As coaches, we want to allow teachers to reflect on their practice and on the impact they’re having on students, as well as to think about how they…

This article is excerpted from Math Matters: Understanding the Math You Teach, Grades K–8, Second Edition by Suzanne H. Chapin and Art Johnson One of the most famous patterns is the Fibonacci sequence, which is made up of Fibonacci numbers. Fibonacci was the nickname of Leonardo de Pisa, an Italian mathematician (1175–1245); he is best known…

Recently, I was in a school bathroom and saw a beautiful painting hanging on the wall of an African woman dressed in African garb. I was immediately filled with awe and joy because the painting radiated beauty and was a positive image in a surprising place. I am often one of few African American women…

Many educators share the misconception that because it uses symbols, mathematics is not associated with any language or culture and is ideal for facilitating the transition of recent immigrant students into English instruction. To the contrary, language plays an important role in learning mathematics. Teachers use language to explain mathematical concepts and carry out math procedures.…