As teachers we want to use rich tasks to support our students in acquiring conceptual understanding that leads to stronger procedural fluency. Sometimes when we are caught up in our routines, we may not pause to consider if a task is significant enough to impact
“How do I know that students have learned more than just an algorithm?” “What are some tasks I can give students that push them to think critically?” “What tasks can I use to create more opportunities for student discourse?” These are questions we as math teachers sometimes ask
Spring has sprung! Teachers and students alike are looking forward to the last few months of school. On the horizon for students, there is testing, final projects, and a host of review activities. For teachers, there is still more lesson planning to do. By the
This blog is the sixth and final part of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see the first post, second post, third post, fourth post, and fifth post. What if we plan backwards from students’ ability to transfer their learning to
This blog is part five of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see the first post, second post, third post, and fourth post. How can one of the most powerful questions help us in this moment in time: What if? What if rather than marching
Welp. We’re still here, in this not-so-fun space of teaching during a pandemic. Can a simple shift in mindset offer much-needed energy and impact on student learning? So glad you asked. Turns out, yes! The challenge we face as teachers is to reorient our classrooms so that transfer is the
“A good beginning makes a good ending” goes the old English proverb. And likewise: “Work well begun is work half done.” The most effective teachers don’t take student engagement for granted. Yet in our work in classrooms, we see that not enough attention is paid to good beginnings; this lack
We find the same issues cropping up in conversations with thousands of teachers across the U.S. You face a high-stakes conundrum when it comes to planning instruction: either create curriculum from scratch, cobbling together their own resources with ones from online repositories that have little to no quality control OR follow a mandated, scripted
The importance of struggle comes into play when someone is learning to tie their shoes, drive a car, or perfect a jump shot. Working through the struggle allows the learner to be successful. A question to reflect upon: Do you value this same struggle for
I was sitting in a chair at a salon when a young lady, who looked to be about 13 or 14, walked in inquiring about getting her hair braided prior to the beginning of the school year. In an effort to make conversation, I asked