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Written by Marsi Quarin-Wright, Instructional Coach Online Teacher Course by Jo Boaler: youcubed.com I was recently introduced to the work of Jo Boaler and the website youcubed.org . What caught my interest is where she says math learning begins. Her starting point is fundamental to the vison of FSD and the role relationships play in learning. To me, this is not a typical starting point in understanding math. What furthered my curiosity was watching this approach to math instruction in a classroom.   I listened to the teacher’s positive talk and how engaged students were in the lessons.   The most impressive is listening to how students in her class love math, describe 3-D shapes with excitement and apply proper math vocabulary. I knew I had to investigate more. I went on to the website and found that there was an online course I could take. I signed up! I was nervous and fearful; what was I doing taking a math course? What if I had to add or multiply something?   To my ...

By Julie Julian, Instructional Coach Guided Math & Running Record, CRC Session with Dr.Nicki Newton Math tools help students scaffold their thinking. All learners should be able to access them at any given moment, regardless of grade level. “Good problem solvers usually construct a representation of the problems to help them comprehend it “(van Gardener & Montague, 2003), but representing mathematical information visually does not come naturally to most students. Visual representation should be explicitly taught and then practiced using a variety of tools. Both hands-on manipulatives and virtual tools : ·         Help convey concepts ·         Help visualize mathematical ideas ·         Model number relationships Classroom Manipulatives Manipulatives Tip Sheets http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/manipulative_use.html The tip sheets for each of the listed manipulatives incl...

By Darla Milford, Instructional Coach Running Record, CRC Session with Dr.Nicki Newton Real World Connection: Problem solving in math should not be taught separately from the mathematical skills, processes, and understanding.  In fact, according to Dr. Nicki Newton, everything ‘math’, should be attached to the real world with a story attached to it.   In order to intellectually engage our students in math, it is essential we approach problem solving from a real world context with personalization being key.   On Dr. Newton’s Guided Math Blog, she quotes Bailey saying students “don’t care how many apples Bob gave to Suzy. They’re much more interested in things like music, video games, movies, trading cards, money, and friends” (Bailey, 2002, p. 61) so make it personal!!! Here are some sites with engaging problems ready to use with your own students: * Greg Tang Math * South Dakota Counts * Math Playground Story Math Cue Words/Keywords We often fall into the trap o...

Written by Shelly Read, Curriculum & Instruction Facilitator "Guided Math and Running Records" session with Dr. Nicki Newton through CRC A few years ago, as part of our curriculum redesign journey, I had the opportunity to meet with math professors from the University of Lethbridge to discuss student learning. The conversation centred around their valid concern that students were struggling in university math courses, mainly due to a lack of number fluency. As Bjorklund et al found back in 1990, “student brains are exhausted with these ‘small things’ and so can't work on the more complex problems”. This conversation has stuck with me and is one lens I use when designing math with a focus on conceptual learning. Although we know not ALL students go to university,  we also recognize the importance of understanding numbers in our everyday lives and the world of work. So, what are these ‘small things’ that provide evidence that students know and understand the ‘basics’ of...