As I listened to examples of number talks in the math classroom, this stands out, teacher language matters. “I think I heard you say.” “How did you know you should have…..” “Where do you think your mistake came from?” “So you are saying…” “How did you figure that out?” “Do we see it another way?”Continue reading “Teacher Language Matters”
Author Archives: Marge Kobewka
My Mother and ‘The Number Talk’
My brother nodded in agreement and chuckled, “Yes our mother was great with numbers.” She had the ability to use numbers fluently, a skill we we both easily acknowledged. How well I remember standing next to my mother in a grocery store or bank as she quickly and easily calculated totals. I would line upContinue reading “My Mother and ‘The Number Talk’”
Creating Safe Places to Take Risks for Learning
What messages will you give your students about the value of mistakes as we learn? Mistakes, fertile ground for growth. Live on the learning edge – don’t be afraid to make a mistake. The path of learning is littered with mistakes – thank goodness! Mistakes are the stepping stones to learning. If you can’t makeContinue reading “Creating Safe Places to Take Risks for Learning”
Taking on the Challenge
And the moral of the story is…. Ugh! A didactic tale can fall flat. With little meaningful connection to the story the message is seldom remembered or lost to the reader. You may identify with this. I for one, recognize this didactic interaction not only in books but in my classroom. Lesson 4 of How toContinue reading “Taking on the Challenge”
Shout it from the Roof Tops!
Current research helps us understand what high achieving math students do and it is most interesting, in fact Jo Boaler tells us it is worth shouting from the rooftops so here it is: High achieving math students use flexible thinking, are able to easily decompose and recompose numbers and naturally compress ideas to move onContinue reading “Shout it from the Roof Tops!”
Your Brain is Amazing!
All I can say is, “Thankfully we are developing a deeper understanding of how we learn.” Once upon a time I lived in a world of the fixed mindset¹ and likely you did too. Some students were smart and others were not. Intelligence was viewed as fixed at birth and one of the roles ofContinue reading “Your Brain is Amazing!”
It’s a scary mathematical world out there! Hmm… really?
Math, math, math, what are your thoughts on this subject? Is it true that math is portrayed as a hard subject? As a student have you ever received the message that some people are math people and others are not? Do we hold stereotypical messages about gender or race and ability to do math? WhenContinue reading “It’s a scary mathematical world out there! Hmm… really?”
An Online Math Course verses Summer Reading
This summer I am taking an online math course from Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education, Stanford University. It is fitting I think, that an online math teacher should take an online math course and it is logical then, that one of my interests is the very structure and organization of the course. How do I as aContinue reading “An Online Math Course verses Summer Reading”
English Language Learners in the Czech Republic
As I look back to the summer of 2013, countless memories remain from my experience as an English language teacher in the Czech Republic. The beauty of Prague? Yes surely. The challenge of daily communication? That too. The warmth of people in the Czech Republic ? Absolutely! All this and more…. What a crew weContinue reading “English Language Learners in the Czech Republic”
Developing Lifelong Readers – Where to begin?
I held my father’s large, calloused hand and matched his stride as we walked up the steps to the library and through the heavy wooden doors. We stood in the foyer, one long staircase before me led down to the children’s library and the other, up to the distant unreachable land of adult books. PerhapsContinue reading “Developing Lifelong Readers – Where to begin?”
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