I once fixed a broken cruise control on my SUV. I used an internet search engine to look up the specific problem I encountered, I found the exact part number to order from the dealership, and a couple of online videos gave me step-by-step instructions on restoring everything to working order. Of course, I still know nothing about how cruise control… Read more →
Meet Taco, my trained snail. I give him signals, and he walks up and down a tree in my backyard. If you’ve worked with integer tiles, you can see some quick connections. The yellow commands look like positive integer tiles, and the red commands look like negative integer tiles. After students experiment with Taco the snail, they are ready to… Read more →
A few years ago, I was talking with a teacher on my team, asking him how he coached students who struggle with word problems. His toolbox of problem solving pedagogy boiled down to one sentence: “I tell them to read the problem again.” While it is vital to make sure students understand the problem, we can help them develop strategies… Read more →
Two of last week’s sessions at T3 in San Antonio highlighted some great strategies to differentiate for Special Education students using TI Nspires and TI’s Navigator teacher software. Andy Aguirre, from Northside ISD’s new Harlan HS, share very practical strategies for differentiating a TI Nspire activity to meet the needs of different learners. She began with a .tns file from TI’s… Read more →
Recently, as I worked with some struggling math students, we spent a fair amount of time addressing gaps in prior learning. They were open to our classroom activities, so so it was interesting to challenge their thinking and observe their growth. For example, it was clear most of their previous discussions of relations and functions had focused on tables to the exclusion of… Read more →
Graham Fletcher (@gfletchy) creates a great series of short videos showing the development of early math skills throughout the elementary grades. These Progression Videos not only show the importance of each part of the instructional sequence, but they also help you reflect on math pedagogy and how the brain makes connections and develops fluency. I felt it would be useful… Read more →
In most job interviews, I believe the interviewers have the one question. They will ask lots of things, look at resumes and transcripts, but there is one question that he or she really cares about, that makes the difference in his or her final decision. The question may be different for each person on an interview panel, but I believe it’s there. When I… Read more →
I’ve posted about the demonstration of the volumes of matching cones and cylinders in the past. Today, part of my workday was spent looking for “digital resources” related to this relationship. I found some great stuff, and I found some of the horrible pieces I came across in the past. So here’s the deal. We expect middle school students to… Read more →
A recent conversation at work centered around the power of teachers. We all know how much influence educators have on developing minds. We all carry vivid memories of our most loved and most despised teachers. Here’s an amusing example of this influence. Think about your online passwords. Think about the security questions you use to recover them. The questions are… Read more →
Here is a Differentiated Instruction strategy my PLC is sharing with the campus as part of our staff development day this week. Each PLC on campus is putting together some sort of static display describing how DI has impacted their classroom this year. We will than have time to visit the displays and learn from our peers. The 8th-Grade Math PLC… Read more →