education 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…
education… 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…
curriculum… Reflections on the Problem-Based Learning (Symmetry Mini-Unit) 10 Jan 202026 Jun 2020 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…
curriculum… 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…
education… Problem Based Lesson #2: Making Connections with Symmetry in Grade 4 8 Jan 20208 Jan 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…
curriculum… 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…
curriculum… 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 --…
education… 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…
education… The Story of Fibonacci, and the Math Ethnic Studies Framework 17 Oct 201917 Oct 2019 In the late 12th century, a young Leonardo Bonacci -- better known as Fibonacci -- traveled with his merchant father from their home in Italy to Algeria (North Africa). They…
education Tyler’s Dilemma: Digging into Unit Rates, and One Student’s Resistance 11 Oct 201911 Oct 2019 "You have a choice of which version of the game to play," I said, as I placed out four different gameboards and spinners for our focus game. Tyler's eyes narrowed.…
education… When Our Beliefs Become Compromised… (part 1) 30 Jul 201928 Aug 2019 When are the times in my own teaching that my belief in kids and communities is compromised? - Cornelius Minor (@MisterMinor) Heinemann Teacher Tour, July 27, 2019 Cornelius isn't a…
education A Tribute to My First School: The End of the Beginning 19 Jun 201928 Jun 2020 Yesterday, my First School closed. It was the school that took a chance on me, where an optimistic principal hired me -- a green, green 21 year old -- to…
education… “I see the same hands”: Dealing with Discretionary Spaces 12 Feb 201912 Feb 2019 The teacher frowned as she looked out at her 25 students, only 3 of which had their hands raised -- the same three students who always had their hands raised."I see…
education The Museum of Rarely Used Math Manipulatives: What Do We Need? 20 Dec 201820 Dec 2018 Today in Kindergarten, we used Attribute Links to play Name My Rule. We sorted shapes based on properties (number of sides, number of 'points,' size, color, etc.). Attribute links are…
education Keeping a Straight Face 9 Aug 201810 Aug 2018 This is my contribution to the Convention of Mathematical Flavors organized by @samjshah2. He put a call out for presenters to ponder the "mathematical flavor" of their classrooms How does your class move…
education We Need to Talk About Crazy Barb, or Throwing Skittles at a Problem 29 May 201817 Nov 2019 A NOTE: While I changed her name and a few minor identifying details, this is essentially a true account. I know it sounds strange -- because it was. This is not…
education Doris 23 Jan 201817 Nov 2019 A student from my first ever fourth grade class -- now in his 20s -- contacted me on Facebook today. He was glad that I remembered him. "u and mrs…
education The New Kid 16 Oct 201717 Nov 2019 In a nutshell: my district offers a fellowship grant each year for six teachers to spend a (paid) week writing about teaching over the summer. I am never fully certain…
