Chelsea

25 Jul 202225 Jul 2022

If you walked past my classroom, you could smell it from the doorway. In fact, you could smell it from slightly down the hall, past my students' cubbies, almost to…

100 Posts

20 Jul 202220 Jul 2022

This post is the 100th on my blog! 🎉 With all due respect to any of you beautiful and talented people reading this, I write this blog, first and foremost,…

Changing How I “Mathematize Children’s Literature”

26 Apr 202227 Apr 2022

I enjoy teaching math through children's literature. Typically, I'll read the book aloud to a class, stopping briefly when inspired to ask a question or a student raises their hand.…

The Learning that Led to Today

19 Apr 202219 Apr 2022

"You aren't these kids' first teacher, and you won't be the last."-Jennifer N. When I was an early career teacher, teaching 4th grade, I wanted to teach my students everything.…

Jeni

12 Feb 2022

https://twitter.com/ddmeyer/status/1492240147693326336?s=20&t=U7ocVNde45CfduzletMjjw Dan Meyer tweeted about professional influences. There are any number of people in my life deserving of public tribute -- dozens if not hundreds of amazing educators to which…

Windows and Mirrors: Fair Shares for Eid al-Adha

2 Aug 20212 Aug 2021

A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world. Hadith attributed to Prophet Mohammed (ra) Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha was a little over two weeks ago. It…

How Much Is Enough: Using Student Feedback to Reflect on Practice

28 Jun 202112 Jul 2021

Do students need to finish every problem? When I have asked this of colleagues, everyone has responding with a resounding no! Definitely not!Not every student needs that much practice.It's okay…

Pushing the Edge: Podcast with Greg Curran

6 Jan 20216 Jan 2021

I am supremely honored that Dr. Greg Curran invited me as a guest on his most recent season of his podcast, Pushing the Edge. Greg is an incredibly thoughtful and…

Using Videos to Reflect on Practice, Student Identity, and Agency

29 Nov 20203 Apr 2021

I hate watching myself on video. I squirm. I flinch. I last, I don't know, a maximum of 9 seconds...? And now I have to teach in an environment where…

Using Screenshots & Photos to Reflect on Practice

28 Nov 20203 Apr 2021

Back in the Before Times, I took hundreds of photos of student work. "What do you do with all of those photos?" students would ask. I am a student of…

How Are Students Representing Their Ideas During Remote Learning?

27 Nov 20203 Apr 2021

I come from the Marilyn Burns School of Student Work Samples -- which is to say I prize student work that fills a large, blank page. (#TeamBlankSpace) Marilyn Burns, one…

Back to School PD: Sharing Participant Thinking

12 Sep 202011 Sep 2020

Last week, I facilitated a few PD sessions for elementary teachers in my district. There were some predictable -- and wildly unpredictable! -- tech hiccups. I stumbled over some words.…

Crime and Punishment: A Tale of Changing Beliefs

26 Jun 202028 Jun 2020

"Man is what he believes."-Anton ChekhovWhat happens when those beliefs are unintentionally racist -- and never examined? This is a story of how I changed a belief I once held…

Blindspots

5 Mar 202026 Jun 2020

---originally published on slowrevealgraphs.com -- In January, I chaperoned a field trip to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. We took in the larger-than-life portrait of George Washington and troops crossing…

Reflections on the Problem-Based Learning (Symmetry Mini-Unit)

10 Jan 20206 Feb 2022

This is the last post in the series on experimenting with problem-based learning in Claire's fourth grade class. The other posts in the series are: Getting Started with Problem Based…

Problem Based Lesson #3: Learning From One Another in Grade 4

9 Jan 202026 Jun 2020

This is a post in a series about problem based instruction in fourth grade -- centering on a series of lessons classroom teacher Claire* and I taught about symmetry. This…

Problem Based Lesson #2: Making Connections with Symmetry in Grade 4

8 Jan 20205 Feb 2022

This is a post in a series about problem based instruction in fourth grade -- centering on a series of lessons classroom teacher Claire* and I taught about symmetry. This…

Problem Based Lesson #1: Launching Symmetry in Grade 4

7 Jan 202026 Jun 2020

This is a post in a series about problem based instruction in fourth grade -- centering on a series of lessons classroom teacher Claire* and I taught about symmetry. Part…

Getting Started with Problem Based Learning in Grade 4

6 Jan 202026 Jun 2020

What are the conditions that inspire teachers to take on problem based instruction? This isn't a story about how you can determine when a teacher -- novice or experienced --…

Cultivating Mathematicians… of All Ages

21 Nov 201921 Nov 2019

Original published for @autismplusmath 's Guest Blogger Week at: cake.co/c/kyVnSVj"I mean, you know... I'm not a math teacher," said Jessica*, who teaches Kindergarten. She didn't whisper this confession in an…