Part 2: Responding to The Power of Mathematics Learning Trajectories in Early Learning and Primary Classrooms
Edward Schroeter’s article is simply lovely—this is exactly what we had hoped learning trajectories (LTs) would offer teachers/caregivers and their children. Ed and his co-teacher, Katherine Benz used the LTs to learn more about the mathematics (clicking...
Part 1: The Power of Mathematics Learning Trajectories in Early Learning and Primary Classrooms
I vividly recall one fateful Professional Activity Day at the end of June 2016 when the Vice-Principal of my K to 8 elementary school turned to her kindergarten and grade 1 to 3 teachers and pointed out research that shows children’s preschool mathematics...
How Does That Help Your Learning?
Who would have known the simple phrase, "How does that help your learning?", would drive the way I viewed the teaching of mathematics? Returning to a classroom position after ten years of supporting teachers in their instruction, I knew that I wanted to do...
Building Blocks and Building Confidence in the Math Classroom
When children make cross-curricular connections in Math they not only solidify their current understanding, they also build their confidence in learning Math. Recently, in my grade 1/2 French Immersion Math class, we were exploring the concept of “difference”...
The Continuum of Teaching Mathematics
With the endless humdrum of the ongoing Math Wars, it is easy to forget that what teachers really need is simple help to understand practical ways to improve or acknowledge their math program. We have heard both sides for decades. One side is about the context...
Classroom Assessment in Mathematics: Paying Attention to Students’ Mathematical Thinking
Assessment does not merely occur at the end of a unit or course. Rather, it occurs constantly and is an integral part of daily classroom practice. Assessment is at the heart of teachers’ work as it focuses on paying attention to students’ mathematical...
Math Anxiety: An Important Component of Mathematical Success
Mathematics education in Ontario is a hotly debated topic, a large emphasis lately being on whether we should focus on the newer “discovery math” (also known as “Inquiry-based learning”) or the older “learn-by-rote” approach. While both approaches...
Part 2: Spatial Reasoning as an Essential Building Block of Pre-K and Kindergarten Education
Spatial skills are correlated with young children’s success in mathematics
Like many experienced kindergarten educators, I eagerly immersed myself in the tide of instructional reform launched by the Ontario Ministry of Education’s 2004 Literacy and...
Part 1: The Importance of Spatial Reasoning and Geometry in Kindergarten
Kindergarten students benefit from robust spatial skills and geometry education
The simple act of documenting the mathematics learning in my kindergarten students’ block and puzzle play has led me to some revelations about my three-, four-, five- and...
Who Makes the Biggest Impact?
Who Makes the Biggest Impact?
A few years ago I had the opportunity to listen to Damian Cooper (expert on assessment and evaluation here in Ontario) give a talk at OAME. He shared an analogy with us that I found particularly interesting. He talked about...