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Why take the road less traveled?
I love being in the woods. It is nearly always an adventure. Even if it's a path I have been on before, the possibility of a surprise around the next bend is exciting to me. I never know for sure what...
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Are mathematicians real people?
There's a push in the United States to get more people interested in math and science in order to have leaders in these areas for the 21st-century. So I find it confusing that when I talk to some...
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When will it end?
[In the United States] Teachers act as if student interest will be generated only by diversions outside of mathematics. (The Teaching Gap, p. 89)Schema Activation: Journal JotDescribe the process of...
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What's your plan to improve?
One of my favorite activities to do with teachers, both preservice and inservice is the Marshmallow Challenge. I view it as an excellent metaphor for planning and improving lessons. If you are...
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How does a home workshop work?
This past week, Esther Billings, John Golden, and I presentedMaking Workshop Work in Mathematics at the NCTM Regional Conference in Chicago. One of the problems with presenting at these conferences is...
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Why did you do that?
We just completed another semester at Grand Valley State University, and once again I found myself asking our teachers-in-training some version of "Why did you...?" after many of the observations. I...
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Did you get anything good?
For years, I have tried to write first semester exams using a holiday theme. Even as a middle school math teacher, I set problems in the North Pole or around different traditions celebrated this time...
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Is arming educators a good idea?
An interesting consequence of compulsory education in the US is that nearly everyone has experienced a significant amount of time "in the classroom." As a result, many people consider themselves...
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Is it a performance or playing?
We spent much of our break between semesters attending concerts by Michigan musicians (Joshua Davis, Max and Ruth, Seth and May, and Starlight Six). As often happens, I began to consider how what I...
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Y U no like math?
Last semester, I was fortunate to teach a class that brought together preservice and inservice math teachers in a combined undergraduate/graduate course. The graduate students mentored the undergrads...
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What will they need in the future?
Earlier this week, I shared this question on Twitter:What's the one thing you think your students will need from your class 10 years from now? #edchat#mathchat#lastinglearning— David Coffey (@delta_dc)...
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Why so tense?
from What I Really Do MemeIt's inevitable. Whenever I work with student teachers, there comes a time when we have to talk about the tension they are experiencing between their ideal classroom and the...
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Huh?
Have you ever been reading a book where things are getting tense and you wonder how the hero is going to get out of the crisis he finds himself in, only to be surprised by some solution that seems to...
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Can we follow the trail?
It snowed last night - a lot.from NOAAThis morning, as I began the process of digging us out, I began noticing how the snow kept a record of my progress.This got me thinking about assessment and...
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What does it mean to do mathematics? IIa
One of this blog's most popular posts describes how a group of preservice teachers envisioned doing mathematics. They combined elements of concept maps with metaphor to create an anchor chart that...
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What does it mean to do mathematics? IIb
Previously, we were introduced to the Doing Math Anchor Chart task (here). In this post, I share a recent exemplar that used the metaphor of riding a bike to communicate the preservice teacher's vision...
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What does it mean to do mathematics? IIc
Previously, we were introduced to the Doing Math Anchor Chart task (here). Then I shared a recent exemplar that used the metaphor of riding a bike to communicate the preservice teacher's vision of what...
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Should I use elimination or substitution?
Be forewarn, this is probably not the post you are looking for.A teacher I was coaching sent our this tweet after a recent observation. The class was looking at solving systems of linear equations...
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Do they know what it looks like?
I find it easier to see the hidden figure when I knowwhat I am looking for. (from)When I ask teachers to fill out an action plan identifying their current challenge in teaching, I sometimes get...
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Am I getting warmer?
In The Teaching Gap, Stigler and Hiebert examine the details of typical lesson designs found in German, Japanese, and U.S. math classes from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study...
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