Idea Galaxy

Adventures in Junior High and Mathematics

Math Teaching Tips

8 Do’s and Don’ts for Using Games in the Classroom

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We’re so excited to be over at Education to the Core talking about using games in the classroom. We’re big believers in the power of games to promote student engagement and get students lots of high quality practice.

But, we also know that sometimes games in the classroom can be chaotic or  ineffective. We compiled a list of 8 Do’s and Don’ts for Using Games in the Classroom to reflect some of the lessons we’ve learned over the years (and often, the hard way!!) We also have a great freebie waiting for you to accompany this post: Middle Grades Math Game Sampler Freebie.

Please join us at Education to the Core and let us know what you think!! 8 Do's and Don'ts for Using Games in the Classroom

Teaching Systems of Equations with Discovery Labs

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As I prepared to teach students about working with systems of equations, I reflected on last year’s students and came to a painful realization- there were several students who just never really got what they were doing. Sure, most students got pretty good at using the substitution method or the elimination method to solve for two systems of equations. But even for those who could do well with test questions, did they really understand at a conceptual level what they were doing? It was humbling to realize that for most of them, the answer was probably no. So for the past week I took a different approach to the topic, applying the Discovery Lab approach I’ve seen work so well for other topics. It’s been awesome to see how my students have responded to this Systems of Equations Discovery Lab. [Read more…] about Teaching Systems of Equations with Discovery Labs

The Truth About “Magical” Teachers

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Recently, I heard Kobe Bryant’s announcement that at the end of this season he will be retiring from the NBA. As he discussed his decision to step back and move into a new phase of life, he mentioned that his body is ready for a break. One example of his intense physical conditioning and training is that for every day of his career, every single day, he made 1,000 shots. That really hit me- he didn’t say he took 1,000 shots, he said he made 1,000 shots. And that wasn’t most days. It was his minimum for every single day.

A colleague of mine talks about teachers that are just “magical”. You know the type- they explain things in a way students really understand. Kids like them. When you’re in their classroom, there’s a positive energy, a buzz of excitement, and you can see students learning and caring about their work. They are the born teachers, the naturals.

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Learning from failure: failing forward for students

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Failure is not an ending. It's a beginning. It's a building block for success.

Six years ago I was introduced to the work of Carol Dweck. I loved learning about the idea of a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Those concepts have revolutionized the way I look at learning and talent. But what impacted me the most was her discussion of failure- that how we view failure is a critical factor which determines our level of overall success. Basically, in the growth mindset, failure is seen as a temporary situation which indicates a need for more learning and effort: “I don’t get this yet, but I believe with more practice I will” or “What can I do to get better at this?“ would be the thoughts and statements reflecting this view of failure. [Read more…] about Learning from failure: failing forward for students

Helping Students Discover More Math with Discovery Labs

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Have you ever been frustrated that your students just don’t seem to remember what you taught them? I think all educators have run into this challenge- you’ve taught it, students have practiced it, heck, they even did pretty well on the test you gave at the end of the unit. And then… BOOM! Their scores tank on the semester final/district benchmark/state end of the year test. And you are looking incredulously at the answers they got wrong wondering why they don’t know now what they seemed to know before. Anyone else been there?

After having this experience more than once, I spent some time reflecting and trying to figure out a different approach. One that would get the students doing more of the mathematical thinking. One that would cement conceptual understanding into students’ brains in a more permanent way. What I found was a discovery math approach that got me fired up about the learning going on in my math classroom. Here I’ll share with you the story of the very first discovery lab I used with students, why they work, and how to implement discovery labs in your own classroom.

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