Math Imposter Sets (with Video and PDF)
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. …
Read MoreThe Quicksand of Learning
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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The Green Light Hundreds Chart (Free Resource with Instructional Ideas)
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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Exploring Multiplication (Animated)
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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The Power of the PLN
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…
Read MoreThe Parent’s Story of the Child
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
What happens if we give students the answers to the questions we ask? Take a look…
Read MoreThe Red Box Challenge
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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The Animated Multiplication Table
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…
Read MoreLetting Noticing Lead to Wondering
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.
Read MoreWhy We Must Wrestle With Content
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…
Read MoreThe Hundreds Chart Video Tweet: My Learning Risk
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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