About the Author: Rusty Bresser

Rusty Bresser, M.A.
Rusty first became interested in teaching as a result of studying children and families in French Polynesia. When he’s not in San Diego, you might find him on an island in the Pacific.
  • 3 Questions that Make Feedback the Focus of Assessment

    3 Questions that Make Feedback the Focus of Assessment

    Published On: June 3, 2021•By •3.4 min read•Views: 1420•Comments Off on 3 Questions that Make Feedback the Focus of Assessment•

    When we assess our students’ math work, it seems like it’s part of our nature to want to come to the rescue and focus our attention on how we can help them fix their mistakes,...

  • 3 Ways to Differentiate Math Instruction

    Published On: May 4, 2021•By •6.3 min read•Views: 2205•Comments Off on 3 Ways to Differentiate Math Instruction•

    I used to think that I was meeting students’ needs by putting them in different groups during math class. The “high” students would be in one group. They got to do the problem-solving tasks because...

  • How Much is a Thousand? A Million? A Billion? Investigating Large Numbers Through Inquiry

    Published On: April 20, 2021•By •6.7 min read•Views: 5184•Comments Off on How Much is a Thousand? A Million? A Billion? Investigating Large Numbers Through Inquiry•

    I was at a math workshop one summer and the facilitator showed us a number line and asked us where one million would go. At first, I was stumped. My initial instinct was to place...

  • Teaching What It Means to Measure

    Published On: April 13, 2021•By •6.3 min read•Views: 2071•Comments Off on Teaching What It Means to Measure•

    What does it mean to measure something? What decisions do we have to make when we measure something in the real world? The following questions and decisions are ones that we want children to ask...

  • Math Guessing Games…Kids Love Them!

    Published On: March 24, 2021•By •8.2 min read•Views: 9572•Comments Off on Math Guessing Games…Kids Love Them!•

    There’s something intriguing about guessing games. The mystery of not knowing the answer and having to use clues to figure it out has always been something that motivates children. All I have to do is...

  • Number Strings: A Different Kind of Number Talk

    Number Strings: A Different Kind of Number Talk

    Published On: March 3, 2021•By •4.6 min read•Views: 6574•Comments Off on Number Strings: A Different Kind of Number Talk•

    When I first started using Number Talks in the classroom, I would randomly choose problems for students to solve. I would ask them to think of different strategies for solving the problem, discuss with a...

  • Using Dice Games to Develop Math Reasoning and Computational Fluency

    Published On: February 9, 2021•By •9.6 min read•Views: 4074•Comments Off on Using Dice Games to Develop Math Reasoning and Computational Fluency•

    Dice have been around for a long time. In fact, dice are the oldest gaming implements known to humankind. There are various claims for who actually invented dice. For example, Sophocles said that dice were...

  • Ten Times Better

    Published On: January 27, 2021•By •4.4 min read•Views: 2138•Comments Off on Ten Times Better•

    Using Poetry to Explore Math My current favorite book to teach math is Ten Times Better by Richard Michelson (Marshall Cavendish, 2000). This book of poems stars an interesting cast of animals who use poetry...

  • Helping Students Become Better Listeners During Math Class

    Published On: January 12, 2021•By •4.9 min read•Views: 4232•Comments Off on Helping Students Become Better Listeners During Math Class•

    A Conversation with Kathy Seckington, Poway Teacher Why is listening an important habit in math class? I recently posed this question to my friend and colleague Kathy Seckington. Kathy is currently teaching fifth grade in...

  • A Picture Can Elicit a Thousand Words: Using the IM Talking Math Slide Deck, for Grades TK-Grade 5

    Published On: January 5, 2021•By •4.6 min read•Views: 2603•Comments Off on A Picture Can Elicit a Thousand Words: Using the IM Talking Math Slide Deck, for Grades TK-Grade 5•

    One of my current favorite online math resources is the Talking Math Slide Deck from Illustrative Math IM Talking Math. For teachers who are teaching virtually or face-to-face, this resource makes for a perfect math...