Blog

This week my friend and colleague Melissa Han invited me to Zoom with her second and third graders. When I logged on, her 24 students were just getting settled in, waiting for Melissa to finish...

“English learners develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and language proficiency when they are engaged in meaningful interaction in the classroom and participate in the kinds of activities in which STEM experts and...

Tips and Activities for Starting the Year By Rusty Bresser and Andrea Barraugh “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”   —Leonardo Da Vinci We spent last week searching for what is working in a variety of virtual...

Activities to Start the Year "One of the most important things I do at the start of the year is make my classroom an environment that makes each student feel comfortable trying new things and...

I was talking with a friend of mine recently who is a primary teacher and I asked her what her favorite lessons are for teaching about time. Her face scrunched up; this was not one...

**Ideas for virtual instruction are included at the end of this post.** When I look for children’s books to use during math class, I first look for books that are good pieces of literature. Good...

Since the pandemic began, there have been many challenges facing teachers, students, administrators, and families who are all trying to figure out how to manage in virtual environments. The pandemic has revealed limitations and exposed...

With Intro and Conclusion by Andrea Barraugh As we move toward reopening schools, we all have many decisions to make about what is essential content and instruction in our math classes.  Number talks are an...

There are many reasons why assessment is important to teaching and learning. Assessment gives us a window into our students’ mathematical thinking. It guides our instruction, helping us make decisions in the moment. We use...