When your school is 65% black and your advanced classes are 95% white there is a problem with equal access to the curriculum. 🤨 EVERY student deserves a chance to do challenging, interesting mathematics. #ITeachMath #MTBoS

The students have left the building. Tomorrow I will finish packing, and turn in my badge and keys. My teaching career is finally coming to an end. 🙂 #mtbos

Maybe we should rethink educational conferences. A place for active collaboration, networking, problem solving, discussion groups. Reduce the cost, fewer "speakers", less passive listening, & keynotes. We can get those things online for free. 🤓 What do you think? #mtbos #edchat

Test corrections turn into a collaborative poster project. 🤓 Students work in teams of 3 to correct and reflect on 3 items of their choosing. Afterwards, they view other teams posters and leave comments on sticky notes 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

Pssst... Guess what? 🤫 Your grading is very unscientific and subjective. It probably doesn't mean what you think it means. When possible, choose to grade to encourage and empower. Grace and grades should go hand in hand. 🤓🎉🥰🥳 #ITeachMath #MTBoS

Who remembers Spirograph? 🥰 #ITeachMath #mtbos

I had a boy in my Algebra class who was very reluctant to take any sort of test . He claimed he had never passed a math test, but when working with him in class it became quite evident he knew enough to pass easily. I spent a few weeks cajoling him to "show me what you know" on the next test, and, to my surprise, he did quite well on that one test (and a few more after that, but then he reverted back to his poor scores). When it came to the high stakes tests, he said he would only do enough to ensure he wouldn't have to retest, and that is exactly what happened. On his Benchmark he stopped at about 60% of the test and clicked through the rest. I didn't get that sort of item analysis on his state test, but he told me he did the same, and his results looked about the same as his Benchmark. This is the reality that isn't reported on these tests. This type of behavior and worse is quite common (I had one girl who almost never tried on any sort of formal assessment and clicked though every item and slept). This is not discussed in faculty meetings. When I have brought it up in meetings, I have gotten no response from admin. These behaviors are rampant and were never addressed AT ALL in schools where I have worked, but it has been going on for years (and got MUCH worse after COVID-19). This is one more reason to distrust testing data and the "solutions" that are being peddled to address poor test scores. This testing industry has ruined our schools. IT IS TIME TO CRY FOUL #edchat

In Japan, teachers introduce a new mathematical concept by presenting an unfamiliar problem to students to grapple with on their own. Most of the students answer the new problem incorrectly, but the teacher guides the discussion to generate conversation about students’ mathematical thinking. Eventually, the teacher guides students in their thinking to uncover a solution, which is ultimately proposed by students, rather than the teacher #iteachmath medium.com/teachfx/discourse…

In other words, "the job load is impossible, but we expect you to do it all, and here are 5 more things we want you to do since you didn't get it all done last year" 🤓

Flip "I do. We do. You do" around! 🙃 Let kids (1) play, explore, question, engage, (2) then offer #Socratic questioning to advance the work as you share out student thinking, 🤓 and (3) Intro formal methods and tie it into the student work 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

I quit giving retakes. If a student scores higher on a test, the grade on the test replaces the previous test grade (all tests are cumulative). Ss are less stressed about their grades and they are rewarded for improving which is a win-win 🤓🥳 #ITeachMath #mtbos

Want to lighten your load? Grade less, have conversations with kids instead of quizzes, test less, give kids opportunities to create, demonstrate and collaborate 🤓🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

So much math, so many ideas, yet we spend many years teaching kids mostly arithmetic and algorithms. What percentage of this math is encountered by the average kid? .. or adult? ..or MATH TEACHER? #iteachmath

We simply must STOP forcing school on kids. If they are hating it, that is a problem. We have ignored students hating school for generations. This generation is saying NO MORE! Will we listen? #iteachmath #mtbos

I am now certified to teach 6-12 math in 3 states. 🤓

What will drive a teacher out of the profession? Overloaded classes. The research on "class size" is flawed or just a ruse. When I had 150+ students to serve in the same term, each student received less individualized feedback. The lack of space in the classroom made many activities impossible. The sheer exhaustion of dealing with that many kids made innovation out of the question. Competing all the required grading and "paperwork" on that many students was NEVER fully complete. Survival is all that is happening when you put that many people together every single day. For the sake of kids and teachers, do not overload classes. #edchat

One bad habit I broke was trying to go over every missed item for test "corrections" 🤓... Students choosing a handful of items to talk about and work again in teams is a MUCH better use of time. 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

Have you discovered this Almanac of interesting numbers? @MathigonOrg #iteachmath #mtbos 🤓🥳 mathigon.org/almanac#-1

I learned to type on a manual typewriter, and I kept putting that extra space long after it was obsolete 😊

When toddlers learn to walk, they wobble and stumble and struggle to balance. 🚶🚸 🐤When kids learn mathematics, they fumble and use imprecise vocabulary. In time their precision improves and understanding deepens. Give kids space and grace to grow! 🤓🥳 #ITeachMath #mtbos

I think every math teacher started teaching with a secret fear 😳"do I know this well enough to teach it?" ...the answer? Yes 🤓 Now take it a step further. You know enough to give kids opportunities to wrestle with ideas. You are able. Don't let that stop you #iteachmath #mtbos

Why do you think so many kids & adults are addicted to video games? Could it be that this is the only arena where they can struggle through problem solving? Kids don't sit down to study manuals or listen to lectures about video games, they jump in & begin & enjoy the challenge.

Google does many things well, but, in 2024, you would think Google Docs, Slides, Forms, etc. would have decent built in equation editors (don't get me started on the one in docs 😏 & Equatio is no longer free 😐). They've had 18 yrs to work on that 😕. Math teachers have enough to deal with. 🤨😠 #edtech

If kids forget it over the summer, they never knew it. We have been doing this "pretend they know" game for generations, but at some point we need to face the facts. We can't fill kids up with knowledge and expect it to still be there a few months later, particularly when the knowledge we are offering is not interesting, not purposeful nor useful. The number one reason I am sold on #inquiry: it makes learning more memorable for kids because they are the drivers of the learning. Kids need a reason to remember or they definitely won't. #iteachmath

If you are not making mistakes, you are not doing enough math If students are not making mistakes, they are not learning enough math. Mistakes are an integral part of the process. Deep analysis of mistakes is where real (lasting) gains are made. When everything goes smoothly, you forget. You actually need a few stumbles along the way to give your brain time to build those deeper connections. Ever wake up with that "ah ha" moment? Ever be sitting at dinner and suddenly you figured it out?! Ever be working on s problem and you notice something and suddenly that problem you had been struggling with earlier comes to mind and you have found a better way! Kids NEED these experiences. Teachers need those experiences, too. Do not scaffold and control your lessons so much that students never have opportunities to truly wrestle with interesting ideas We need those mistakes to grow. Embrace the mistakes, celebrate them, use every mistake as an opportunity to pause, think, learn, and grow. Utilizing mistakes as opportunities is the art of good teaching. #iteachmath

Being a trailblazer is scary. 😳 When you first do that "outside the box" activity with your kids, there may be a few butterflies in your stomach. 🦋 But, once the students are engaged in the work, you realize it is SO worth it 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

Isn't every assessment formative? (except, maybe, the very last one?). One reason I quit doing "makeups" and "retakes" and turned every assessment into an opportunity to improve. Not happy about that quiz? No problem, the next test can replace it. Test performance not up to par? ... No Biggie, the term exam can replace that. The only grade that is final is the one they force me to submit at the end of a term, but until that moment I will bend over backwards to give you a 2nd, 3rd, 4th... chance. (The secret is... I quit caring about the grade in the gradebook a long time ago, I care about the learning ... Anything I can to reward learning .. WHENEVER it happens, I will do that. That grade is an arbitrary number, based on many things that have NOTHING to do with learning. I never let that number stop the learning in my classes). #iteachmath #mtbos #maths #math

Tiny pet peeve. Who had the bright idea of using an x to multiply 2x2 instead of a star 2*2 or dot 2⋅2 ? Confusion with the variable x in Algebra is not necessary if we just start out with that dot or star notation when students are 1st introduced to multiplication. 🤓

Interventions? Don't pull them out of the class. Put them in challenging, student centered classes. Give them opportunity to wrestle with interesting mathematics & work with classmates. Give them agency. Give them a voice. Those are effective interventions 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

The debate surrounding #inquiry vs. DI seems to leave out one fundamental reality. Few teachers (in the US) have encountered authentic inquiry methods in a math class while in school or during their teaching profession. Without any training or experience with inquiry methods, the status quo is maintained and many students (generation after generation) still believe that the only way to learn math is by watching math teachers do math. Before repeating the phrase "both are needed" while still using DI as your primary (or only) method of instruction, I encourage you to seek out opportunities to experience authentic inquiry methods for learning mathematical content. We owe the next generations an opportunity to think for themselves. #iteachmath

I need an amazing non-curricular #thinkingclassroom task for my 8th graders. 🤓 What is your favorite? #iteachmath #mtbos

When people learn carpentry, they don't take one class on hammering, another class on cutting, & then another class on finishing. 🧐 Why do we dissect math into multiple subjects and NEVER offer a class where we put it all together to build something interesting? 🤔#iteachmath

Perhaps the "learning loss" that happens to every child every year should be a clue that our test-centered edu models are pointless. How many adults would pass the Algebra 1 end of course exam today? Perhaps every politician should be required to take that before funding it.

There is a myth that learning challenging math must be unpleasant. If we allow true collaboration & the opportunity to wrestle with ideas without the fear of "grades" ruining the experience (or limiting the inquiry), the learning can be extremely gratifying 🤓 #iteachmath

And, the testing companies definitely know if kids are spending 1 second or less on items (i.e. clicking through) but that data is not given to schools or teachers. I even had that info (time spent per item, per kid, per class, etc ...) on my own teacher made tests! It would be helpful to know that because we are placing kids in classes, designing remedial courses, getting graded as teachers, schools and districts on these standardized tests and when kids are NOT EVEN attempting the problems, that data should be segregated OUT! All these reports about student test scores (that are coming out now in many states) are MISLEADING at best. We need to conference with kids (who are refusing to test) and parents about this behavior and NOT force kids into remedial classes and tutoring because that will just make it worse! Or, better ...just get rid of these tests.. they are NOT good for kids 🫤.

Conrad Wolfram and others have been arguing this for years, and it is the absolute truth. A person can be exceptional at "school math". Being fluent with the mechanics of math (that is, having the ability to work through tedious problems quickly), but STILL not have a firm grasp on some of the most basic concepts behind those skills. Without the deeper understanding, they are stuck with surface level knowledge ...and, a very unfortunate consequence is that there are a significant number of mathematics teachers who can "do the math," but struggle badly working problems that veer off the path of rote strategies (they have committed to memory). We need to focus on the foundations of understanding at every stage of learning to avoid perpetuating this shallow understanding (and fear!) of mathematics that hinders everything we are trying to accomplish. #iteachmath

Students create syllabus posters during the first days of school. Students work in teams and choose one part of the syllabus to emphasize 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

"Researchers also found that young students made the greatest progress in math when they invented their own strategies to approach math problems and learned over time which ones were most effective" #iteachmath #mtbos #maths #Mathematics edweek.org/teaching-learning…

I am pondering the concepts of "zeros, roots, solutions and intercepts" and proper use of these words. 🤓 How should we use those words in our instructions? 🤔 I think I have mis-used at least one of those terms 🤫 #iteachmath #mtbos I would appreciate your thoughts on this!

Less is more. Instead of giving 20 problems, try 5 or fewer. Find ways to dig deep into concepts, expand to include other ideas, discuss common misconceptions, let students collaborate and share different approaches. #iteachmath #thinkingclassroom

Thoughts? ...from Dr..Amy Fast. What would you keep? What would you change? #mtbos

Check out this quote: "Slowness has a role to play in sense-making in mathematics…" - "Rough Draft Math…" by @MandyMathEd Amanda Jansen 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos a.co/dUbfgI6

Solving equations with algebra tiles and sidewalk chalk! 🤓🥳 #mtbos #iteachmath

In defense of "Building Thinking Classrooms" ... Many students are idle in school and do benefit from the "break" in monotony that is afforded via BTC. Standing, speaking, writing, collaborating and wrestling with ideas are all good practices (and should be encouraged), I think the issues with BTC (and any "stand alone" pedagogy) is working with tasks that are not mathematically relevant, interesting...or tasks that do not move kids into a place where they can engage in meaningful ways with rigorous, quality content. And, working with BTC exclusively seems a bit extreme (not everything needs to happen on a whiteboard). But, there is no doubt that BTC has helped many teachers authentically examine their own practices that may have kept students silent and seated and disengaged in math class. We all have a lot to learn. None of us know all the math or all the methods, but we should all be willing to reflect. Yes, we do need to know our content deeply and continue to grow in our understanding of mathematics, but understanding kids, pedagogy and different ways to bring students into the conversation is important and BTC (and others) offer insight that is needed in math education. #iteachmath

Domain is so much easier to conceptualize when we can "see" it in a graph 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos #edtech #inquiry

🤣😆

This Tongue Twister Linear Regression activity is such a fun way to gather data for analysis. 🤓 I used this activity with my Algebra 1 students and it was a blast! 🥳 #ITeachMath #mtbos mathequalslove.net/tongue-tw… nitter.app/techknowmath/status/15…

Definitely. Here are some key contrasts w/American style lessons: 1. Usually one problem 2. Work is slower 3. Discussion is optimized 4. Student thinking is central 5. Mistakes are useful 6. Student growth is the goal

Here are reasons I have seen mentioned in tweets (in no particular order). 1. Exhaustion 2. Class sizes 3. Low pay 4. Lack of respect 5. Scripted curriculum 6. Standardized Tests 7. Lack of autonomy 8. Violence in schools 9. Anxiety (sleep deprivation) 10. Lack of supplies 11. Off contract work load 12. Emotional trauma 13. Impossible expectations 14. Lack of support 15. Discipline issues 16. Fear or Depression 17. Lack of "family time" 18. Few bathroom breaks 19. Lunch duty 20. Little or no planning time

Because there is no payoff in most cases. An example: Kid skips class. I report it. I have to fill out forms, contact parent, assign my own consequence. No consequences assigned by admin. Kid skips class again the next day. Repeat.

When teaching completing the square, I encourage students to type into Desmos as they work. Solutions in the graph remain the same throughout the process and provide immediate feedback #iteachmath

We did our first #thinkingclassroom task. 🤓 Lots of conversations, learning to share the marker, willingness to take risks 🥳. We had some very excited kids working on math today 🎉🥰 #iteachmath #mtbos

I had a conversation recently with my nephew's wife about her own experiences in math class. She confessed she learned "nothing" in her classes in spite of her perfect grades. She recalled practicing skills for her tests and turning in her assessments, but not really having any sense of what she was doing (Just replicating what she was shown by her teachers). My mother was the valedictorian of her class and routinely reminds me that she is "no good" at math (except she is actually a human calculator when it comes to arithmetic, she still calculates her balance her check register without a calculator!) My whole family has a pretty bad attitude about math, yet they are all quite intelligent and accomplished. The stranglehold that higher ed has on us with these outdated, ineffective practices is really quite remarkable. You would think someone outside this system would have forced a change long ago. I guess it just proves we are creatures of habit, and old habits die hard. #iteachmath

Kids often show up to class as passive learners. 🫢 Teach kids to step out of their comfort zones, offer ideas, take risks, iterate/improve their work, dream, do, challenge themselves & others.🥳 These behaviors should be taught right along with the content. 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

Every student has "prior knowledge" ....unless they are in a coma or unresponsive, you can, and should, access that prior knowledge in your lessons. The deficit mindset that corrupts most of our system views children as "lesser beings" who can only thrive when they are fed the proper knowledge from a trained professional. That mindset has most of our kids languishing in math class and most of our adults hating math. Stop treating kids like they are useless and helpless. Allow students to participate and have a voice in their schooling. We need to stop pretending that we are their only hope, because we are not, and the rest of society has begun to figure out that much of what goes on in school is not great for kids. #iteachmath

Students chose a quadratic function to write in different forms & analyze the relationship between the graphs & different forms of the equations. Deep analysis helps students knit concepts together. #iteachmath

Terrific day of teamwork! Kids did the 100 numbers game and stacking cup challenge. Lots of laughs and good conversations about qualities of a good team member 🤓 Tomorrow is Graphing with Motion and growth mindset! 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

Each week students add artifacts to their portfolios that show evidence of their growth in the 4Cs - Communication 🗣️, Collaboration 🚸, Critical Thinking 🤔 and Creativity 👨‍🎨. #iteachmath #mtbos

How much interesting mathematics are we withholding from students because we are afraid it will "confuse" them? Why are we so quick to assume that?!? #iteachmath #mtbos #edtech

If you missed tonight's @Graspablemath webinar, you can watch it anytime on @YouTube 🤓 #iteachmath Thanks @TimBrzezinski for organizing this 🥳 piped.video/j8qLjzdWxEw

Do the bulk of your assessing in real time. If you are checking assignments that are over a week old, consider not checking them at all. Feedback a week later for an adolescent is not very helpful. Here are 3 strategies I use to give quick feedback: 1) Use inquiry tasks with built in feedback. Self checking activities or whole class feedback in real time. Desmos, Graspable Math and Geogebra have many tasks like this. If you keep your kids in teams, they will naturally give each other feedback in real time. 2) For group (BTC) tasks, have students go group to group to give feedback during the activity (they can leave praise, suggestions or questions). Give feedback to the whole class. Take pictures. If time permits, write up the feedback and send one message to each team. 3) for bigger assessments use Edulastic or another digital assessment system that auto checks. The few items you need to review or comment on should be done quickly. Leave the bigger tasks for BTC. 4) you don't have to assess everything. Pick one task (at most) per day to focus on. You don't have to document everything, but you should take notes on any outlier or something you need to address with a student or the whole class. Finally, if you are spending all of your time grading, stop. The best use of your time is developing your understanding of your content and your students' thinking and planning the work needed to help them grow. Grading everything only wears you out and does nothing to move your kids toward proficiency. #iteachmath

""Math education should not obsess with speed and memorization of math concepts," argues Breydo. "This is not what mathematics is about. To unlock human potential, we must refocus on cognitive reasoning and problem-solving skills" #iteachmath forbes.com/sites/juliabrodsk…

What was once a handful of students is now almost half the kids in school. Some disguise it better, but many, many children are not actually testing (the same is true for routine classroom assessments). Our testing data tells us nothing. We need to STOP THIS CHARADE 😐 #edchat

I was teaching in North Texas decades ago and was fortunate to attend a workshop called "Socratic Questioning" ...we experienced this teaching method from "the student perspective" and then groups of kids were brought in for the workshop facilitator to teach them a new skill via questioning. That experience changed me as a teacher. After the workshop, I started to rework my own pedagogy & curriculum to incorporate more questioning. I remembered one of my Calculus professors used a lot of questioning during her "lectures" ..but, other than her, I had never really encountered anything like this before. My kids were not as excited (they routinely said .."you make us think too much!"), but, at the end of that year, my scores came back (on the state test) better than ever, and I have been a true believer ever since. I know that test results are not the best indicator of success, but I was actually concerned that my scores may drop if I altered my methods. I have been willing to take risks ever since that time. If you are still reading this, I want to encourage you to try inquiry. It revolutionized my teaching. It can do the same for you. #iteachmath

A #ThinkingClassroom Task today! Would you rather have a million dollars? ..or a penny, but your pay is doubled for 30 days? Great conversations and a few surprises! 🤓🥳. #iteachmath #mtbos

Today we created transformations posters! 🤓 It was a good day 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

This would make a good "thinking" task. What do you know for sure about these triangles. What questions do you have? Is this realistic? What context could be represented by these triangles? Create a more interesting task using this diagram 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

The soda problem was a lot of fun 🥳 Kids worked in teams to discover a real life application for linear inequalities. 🤓 #iteachmath

There were times when the extra hours of curriculum creation and "prep" paid off, but, looking back, all the hours of work didn't always equate to better outcomes. If you are still working tonight, you can put it aside. You deserve some time away from the job #iteachmath

The hardest part of Calculus? ... Algebra The hardest part of Algebra? ... Arithmetic Seeing a trend? Our course sequences demand too much tedious skill before introducing the wonder and beauty of mathematics. Let's turn this around. Kids can use #edtech to explore LONG BEFORE they master all the "techniques" related to arithmetic or algebra. When kids see where they are going, they are much more likely to stay on track to get there ... particularly when the destination is amazing. #iteachmath

I would call every parent every week. Hmmm 150 kids, 5 min per call (only 5 min?), 750 min a week is 12.5 hours every week. You do that every week?

It has been a whirlwind of activity! Moved cross country, halfway unpacked and started the process of getting settled in a new job! Looking forward to meeting the middle schoolers 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

Twitter is my oasis and hangout. It is where I discover amazing educators and fresh ideas. It is where I challenge myself and others to create a better system than the one we have now. I am grateful for my tweeps 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

Thanks for the inspiration, @Mathowitz! 😊 Exploring symmetry, special triangles and mapping in the unit circle! Link to this @geogebra applet is here >> geogebra.org/m/xZvaUBtP #iteachmath #mtbos #maths #edtech #edutwitter

The same reason many rules or laws go unenforced. We create "rule of law" under the assumption that most will submit to the rules and laws, but when a certain threshold is met, enforcement becomes difficult, if not impossible. We have an epidemic of misbehavior in schools.

Today was a good day. Kids were doing some geometric transformations in a Desmos activity and were Googling the names of the famous mathematicians on the dashboard out of curiosity 🤓. I am really enjoying the @Desmos curriculum 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

Timed tests ACT/SAT scores Access to technology Gifted/Honors/AP ..etc... Lack of access to (1) grade level curriculum (2) certified instructors (3) a safe learning environment

180 days a year? 7-8 hours a day? Why so much 'content' if most of it can be found with a Google search? Maybe we could schedule differently? Give better learning experiences in fewer hours per day?...fewer standards so kids can really learn them? What are your thoughts? #mtbos

Purple duplicators. 🤓

Need a quick way to assign teams? Use sticky notes! #iteachmath #mtbos 🤓🥳

I can't quantify the impact of Twitter on my teaching. When I tell people I learned more on Twitter than I did in college, they roll their eyes in disbelief, but it is 100% true. I continued improving though the #Covid19 pandemic because of the inspiration of #edutwitter

Students enjoyed this @Desmos activity: Graphing Stories. 🥳 Students make sense of functions intuitively before diving into notations & equations 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos teacher.desmos.com/activityb…

Student's create name tags (tents) the first day with colored cardstock and markers.🤓 A chance for them to be creative and for me to learn their names! 🥳 I use these all semester when changing seating arrangements #iteachmath #mtbos

Collaboration has an effect on our brain activity 🤓 #iteachmath sciencealert.com/working-on-…

Absolutely. I teach the same students daily, but at different times. One class meets in the mornings one day and afternoons the next. The behavior is dramatically different in the afternoons. Louder, more agitated, difficulty remaining on task, silly, disruptive and/or irritable.

Students can use @GraspableMath and @Desmos on #Jamboard to make sense of linear inequalities 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos 🥳🎉

Today is the first day of school for students in @IPSSchools! 🤓 A new grade level, new faces and a new school! Looking forward to meeting the @Harshman_MMS students 🥰 Today we make name tags and syllabus posters 🥳 #iteachmath #mtbos

We did this fun activity as a math department this morning. 🤓 Our team won 🥳 😁😉 ... I plan to try this with the kids next week! 🥰 #iteachmath #mtbos piped.video/teJbh-dxHTQ

I have just finished deleting decades of garbage curriculum. I had this crazy idea that I could rehab some of it (there are some materials that will be inspiration for upcoming projects) but, WAY too much of it was repetitive practice. I worked my kids and myself relentlessly and had "good results" on all those state tests, but the last couple of years I did almost zero repetitive practice and had the same level of success on those tests. If only I had known then what I know now. ... Repeated practicing without the depth of knowledge is just busywork. Rich tasks take kids deeper into those concepts, and that helps make everything fit together. #iteachmath

Students explored rates by sliding a ladder down a wall. 🤓 If the base of the ladder is pulled out from the wall at a constant rate, then explain how the top of the ladder moves down the wall. 🤔 #iteachmath #mtbos

You know what would make #Chromebooks even better? 🤓 A rear facing camera! 🥳 When students take photos of their work with their Chromebooks the results are less than optimal 😋 #iteachmath #mtbos #edtech

Things I have eliminated the past three years that have transformed my classes for the better 🥳 (1) Weekly Tests - these are administered no more than every other week. Also, quizzes have been eliminated and replaced with self assessments. #iteachmath #mtbos

Day 1 was name tags, syllabus posters and learning how to navigate the 8th grade! Tomorrow we tackle teamwork! 🤓 #iteachmath #mtbos

There is one thing I remember from my 8th grade math class that stuck with me. There is no subtraction... Just addition with positives and/or negatives. There is no division, just multiplying by reciprocals.

Portfolios provide a rich source of formative data 🤓 When students are creative and reflective they are making MEMORIES that LAST! 🥳🥰 #ITeachMath #mtbos

Rich Task: With no angles given, how do we find the measure of an angle? #iteachmath

It is a myth that teachers who use #inquiry methods never tell kids what to do. Inquiry means giving kids opportunities for exploration, questioning which fosters student agency, curiosity and intuition. #iteachmath

What is fascinating are those who tweet regularly about how poorly their kids are doing in their classes, yet, simultaneously reject any suggestion they alter their approach. At some point it would seem obvious that something new might be worth considering, yes? #iteachmath

Redesign school. No more Carnegie units; stop the mindless ranking, sorting and grading of students; quit with all the standardized tests. Give the students voice and choice. Stop making kids take so many classes and study so many topics they are not interested in. Foster curiosity, encourage creativity and reward the risk takers. Include more 21st century skills. Abandon outdated, uninspiring and irrelevant curriculum. Make school ALL about the kids and NOT about the adults. I could write a book, so I'll stop there 🙂

They won't remember that worksheet. Just ask the question: "If you pull the base out from the wall at a constant rate? .. will the top travel down the wall at a constant rate?" ...this was a full 90 min rigorous lesson. They will never forget it