Imposter Pic

Math Imposter Sets (with Video and PDF)

By Steve Wyborney / February 15, 2015

Over 15 years ago, I began using Imposter Sets in my math classroom.  Imposter Sets frequently produce rich, insightful discussion about important math concepts.  Students readily embrace the mystery of Imposter Sets.  Classroom discussions are frequently characterized by investigation, exploration, and wonder.  Those are powerful responses to a strategy that is actually very simple to use.  …

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The Quicksand of Learning

By Steve Wyborney / February 4, 2015

If you blog, this might sound familiar:  Partway through a post, but not yet finished.  That’s me, right now.  I’m slugging it out, slogging through the middle.   The “quicksand middle” is how I’ve come to think of it.  The more I struggle, the more difficult it seems to be.  Oddly, I have everything I…

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GLHC pic

The Green Light Hundreds Chart (Free Resource with Instructional Ideas)

By Steve Wyborney / January 28, 2015

I see that 3,700 visitors have viewed “The Animated Multiplication Table.”  The combination of a ready-to-use resource coupled with instructional ideas drew some attention.  That resource was downloaded by many educators, and I quickly heard the stories of how it was used in classrooms.  Thank you for sharing!   I have another downloadable resource to share as…

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five twelve

Exploring Multiplication (Animated)

By Steve Wyborney / January 19, 2015

As a rookie blogger, I was shocked to see that more than 3,000 visitors explored and downloaded the animated multiplication table.   I wanted to spend a little more time exploring multiplication using PowerPoint animations.  This is my exploration.  The question at the end of the video will simply be, “Can you see 5/12 by…

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Brett Mohr reply

The Power of the PLN

By Steve Wyborney / January 3, 2015

It is November, 2004. I have 22 fifth grade students, but I’m not standing in front of them. In fact, I’m not in my classroom.  And I’m not even standing. I’m sitting in the front of a conference room that is filled with adults:  The Oregon School Boards Association Annual Convention. The steps lead up…

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The Parent’s Story of the Child

By Steve Wyborney / January 1, 2015

Your potential effectiveness as a teacher to each student will continually increase throughout the year. Why? Because you have the opportunity to better understand each child as the school year unfolds.  You see opportunities to differentiate across the classroom, and you wonder how to make it happen – and you strive to find ways to…

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give students the answer

Give Students the Answer

By Steve Wyborney / December 4, 2014

What happens if we give students the answers to the questions we ask?  Take a look…

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The Red Box Challenge

By Steve Wyborney / December 4, 2014

Here is another hundreds chart that I created in PowerPoint.  This is the Light Switch Hundreds Chart.  Can you explain why it arrives at the final set of numbers?  Try to think outside of the “box.”  You’ll understand what I mean in just a moment…   Update:  This challenge has been solved one time now.…

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single multiplication page

The Animated Multiplication Table

By Steve Wyborney / December 3, 2014

I made multiplication table using PowerPoint and went on to discover some very interesting relationships within the table. You will see several here.  Watch the video below.   Click here to download the animated Multiplication Table.   (After downloading, your first step will be to click the multiplication symbol to clear the table.)     Click…

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Letting Noticing Lead to Wondering

By Steve Wyborney / December 2, 2014

This post is simply my moving squares around using PowerPoint and letting it lead me to wonder about mathematical concepts.  You should watch it and see if it makes you wonder, too.

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Why We Must Wrestle With Content

By Steve Wyborney / November 10, 2014

I was awake at 5:30 this morning.  Maybe you were, too. For me, it was because of a math lesson that was coming up in a few hours:  subtracting negative integers from negative integers.  I wasn’t satisfied.  In fact, I was troubled.  It was bothering me so much that it had awoken me in the…

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The Hundreds Chart Video Tweet: My Learning Risk

By Steve Wyborney / October 26, 2014

I’m on a learning mission.  I am hungry to learn, and I need your help.  Truthfully, we probably all need each other to fuel one another’s passion for learning. When we connect, we ignite. So, I’m taking a risk.  I’m trying something new.  I’m stretching the boundary of what I know to an uncomfortable place where…

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