As a math instructor and coach, I have found the implementation of the Common Core State Standards to be very beneficial to teaching and learning. Yes, they are challenging; but because of the rigor, we, as teachers, are forced to dig deeper, teach more conceptually,
Build in structures and routines to help students learn to self-assess their learning against the success criteria In my previous blog post, “Using Formative Assessment to Create Active Learners,” I listed five key practices that teachers can use to help students learn to make use of
Excerpt from Teaching Numeracy If a student(s) is stuck, do not tell her what is wrong, as hard as that may be. Arthur Hyde says that interventions are best done with questions that help a student or group rethink and repair on their own. When students
While visiting a classroom where the teacher had introduced a new topic in mathematics, I asked her how the children’s understanding of the topic was progressing. She said that she did not know because the children had not written the unit test. Her response perplexed
How will your development in numeracy impact your future? Numeracy is a life skill. Being numerate means more than arithmetic. It looks less at calculations and more on how one applies an understanding of numbers in real life. Numeracy is an appreciation of common sense with
The old adage for dividing fractions, “Ours is not to reason why, just invert and multiply!” is one many readers are certainly familiar with. And because students often forget which fraction to invert, other less known adages have arisen lately. I learned this one last