All educators know there’s far more to teaching than accomplishing the stark outline of a syllabus. In fact, the most important accomplishment is illuminated by an email I received from Logan’s mom after tutoring him in math: “…Logan ended up with a 91 in math!!!! …You changed the course of Logan’s self confidence, drive and […]
math
Posted inMathematics
Math is Beautiful
As my tutoring sessions with Jaylen happily show, how educators view the subject they teach can have a wonderful effect on how their students feel and think about that subject, even one as superficially unwelcoming as math! I’ve volunteered at an elementary/middle school as a tutor for the last eight years, although last school-year was […]
Posted inMathematics
From Truman to Trump: Lessons in statistical humility in math applications
I created a class called “Math Applications.” It is designed as a course for students that have completed their math requirements but are not interested in taking pre-calculus or above. Before I teach any principles of descriptive statistics, I show students this famous picture of Truman holding up a newspaper titled “Dewey Defeats Truman.” I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How Magic School has revolutionized my teaching by adding relevancy and authenticity to my math classroom
As a classroom teacher of 35 years, I find myself challenged to create relevance with the subject matter in my math classroom in our ever-changing world. The topics of today’s youth and the scenarios they are going to encounter in the “real world” are foreign and seem somewhat out of reach to me. As Kristen […]
Posted inPedagogy
Use the World Cup to Score Higher Engagement with Middle Schoolers
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Studies have shown over and over again that students learn best when they find the content relevant and engaging. Lately, I’ve found my middle school students to be super engaged with the World Cup. Rather than repeating, “Guys, please […]
Posted inPedagogy
Combine the World Cup and Learning in Your Elementary Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Students have been buzzing in my fourth-grade class since the World Cup began on November 20. It was evident this was an event they were interested in, but knowing very little about soccer, I was unsure how I could share […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Race? Why Mathematics? Listening and Learning with Black Mathematics Teachers
Authors: Toya Jones Frank, Jenice View, Marvin Powell, and Jay Bradley. “I’m a math teacher,” but [administrators and other teachers] don’t look at me as a math teacher because of who I am… [S]o that speaks volumes about what the rest of the country must think as well. (Asa, middle school mathematics teacher) This quote […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Standardized Testing’s Negative Affect on Math Education
Standardized Testing has been around for decades. In its original form, it was used to check a student’s progress from year to year. At some point around the 1970s test results were used to find specific areas of a subject where a majority of children were doing poorly. Teachers were encouraged to use activities that […]