All Blog Posts (176)

Puzzles and Brainteasers, Set 8

Puzzles and Brainteasers, Set 4

5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions

this site includes help for 83/84 and Nspires

General Info - Algebra 1 - Statistics 1

Algebra 2 - Trigonometry - Statistics 2…

Here is a link to an article called Let Me Learn My Own Way

This is taken from the ASCD Smart Brief

ASCD Smart Brief

"Education consultant Jane Kise's recent study showed that learners with different cognitive styles have significantly different approaches to math. But what does this mean for teachers? Kise answers…

Here is a link to an article on Math Anxiety.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/05/18/31math_ep.h30.html?tkn=PZCCgIX4PjXZW2XdpIIG1LKJMVCQUHHr57gf&cmp=clp-sb-ascd

I have noticed in my classroom that students with higher levels of anxiety are the also very focused on their grades.

I think the ideas that…

Here is the worksheet and rubric for my activity.  It took my class of ninth graders two days to complete. 

Kelly Kroft

A4AProject.doc…

How do you manage notebooks in your math classroom. Are they graded? And if yes, then how do you grade them? What items are kept in student's notebooks? Are they worth the time and effort to keep up with them? How much class time to you spend on notebook upkeep? I am interested in hearing your view points. Please include the grade level and type of math class you teach in your response.

Last week, my morning classes from our Knabusch Mathematics and Science Center were supposed to go to Sterling State Park to plant some trees and do some beach clean-up (a yearly activity). Due to the weather, we were unable to go and I was left scrambling for an activity that I could do with both my geometry class and algebra class the day before spring break. The week prior, one of my afternoon students had wondered how many students you could fit in the classroom.

So, I…

Does anyone feel that students ability to retain material is not what is used to be?  I have been teaching for 16 years now and it seems that when a student is exposed to a new lesson, it goes in one ear and out the other.  They are really good with it during class, but when they walk out of the building it all goes away.  I have heard so many kids come in the next day and ask me what we did the day before.  Also, if I tell them we are having a test the next day, they show up without a…

Well, it's a sure sign of spring when the snow has melted, the kids have gone absolute stir-crazy for summer, and my colleagues and I gathered for our last Algebra for All After-School meeting.

This time, we had so many things to talk about - there wasn't much time to waste.

First on the agenda was the upcoming final project for our last face-to-face meeting in May.  I came across an astounding lesson in the Connected Math series that we tweaked and adjusted…

I just finished reading the book "Focus" by Mike Schmoker.  It it a great book for any curriculum, not just math. 

The first part of the book explores general teaching strategies and the importance of keeping things simple, providing clarity and prioritizing the curriculum. 

The second half of the book explores different curriculum areas: English, Social Studies, Science and Math.  Obviously, I concentrated on the math section of the second part.  The…

I've been looking through tons of lessons and trying to figure out what to do for that final project - coming up with some type of assessement that will lead students towards more THINKING on their own.... more problem solving on their own.  I think the Spaghetti Bridge has been retired, at least for now.  I'm sure there's a great science teacher out there somewhere that will gladly pick up my slack on that one!  Lol! 

At any rate, I'm off to work on the lesson, and I'll be…

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Good book with some interesting potential applications for testing. 

 I was thinking of applying this to what we do immediately before we give a test. 

How does that "set up" (if we do any)- impact our students to do their best.

BLINK is a fast read.  It gives the science behind why Gibb's gut works on NCIS.

Does anyone have a ritual to get their students in a good frame of mind to test well.

For a…

Below is a playful (yet passionate) interpretation of the perception that teachers are nothing more than "glorified babysitters".  The author, David Coffey from Spring Lake, hits a chord with me and some of the frustration I have felt (as of late) regarding the public's perception of teachers.

Enjoy and feel free to comment.

BTW... this article is starting to pop up in newspapers throughout the state.  I found it at Mlive.com at this…

I decided to try out my new video camera and set it up on a little tripod in the back of the classroom while I did an activity with my Algebra 2 class today.  It was a very interesting experiment!

I told my students what I was doing, it was for my own personal use and to carry on as usual.  Here are some of the observations I made while I was going through the activity:

It kept me really focused on my personal goals for the activity.  I was working on wait time, giving clear…