Posts Tagged: Curiosity

Making Math Meaningful in the Home

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.”     -Colin Powell Building conceptual understanding for math can be done through almost anything. I’ve witnessed the most powerful understanding of fractions by cooking with my children. When we double or half the recipe it develops fractional understanding at the middle school level.…

“We’re not allowed to use number sense.”

Go ahead and read the title of this blog again. I’ve been thinking about it for almost 24 hours. It’s what my 4th grader told me last night after dinner. He and his sisters were allowed to choose anything they wanted for dinner. They chose a famous chef’s ravioli concoctions.…

Engagement Matters!

A friend, knowing how strongly I feel about the power of engaging students in a classroom, sent me a link to a news article. After reading the article, she said it sounded like my kind of classroom. The study, conducted with Canadian college students, compared a lecture format with an interactive format.…

Simultaneous vs. Sequential Interaction

What is the difference between simultaneous and sequential interaction? When I first pose this question to students, I ask them to think about the definition of each word for a couple of minutes. Then I ask them to share with their partner what they thought (Think-Pair-Share).…

A Tasty Serving of Small-Group Instruction

“For some reason, when you become a support to others, you become bigger than you are.” -Susan Jeffers, from “Feel the Fear…and Do It Anyway” This morning was spent filming parts of the new Tabor Rotation DVD Training Series. My cinematographer, Chris Shepherd [http://www.christophershepherd.net/], is amazingly creative and dedicated to making this an incredibly informative AND entertaining film.…

Planes, Patience, & Purpose

“It’s been my observation that people who understand the to-do list and “two-fers” get the maximum benefit from their time.  What is a “two-fer”?  Example: I never get in a line at an airport without something to read.” -Zig Ziglar Traveling has taught me a lot about patience, but it’s also taught me a lot about purpose.…

Picasso, Prisms, & Oatmeal!

“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.” -Pablo Picasso When was the last time you sat around with your friends or colleagues and asked ANY of the following questions?…

Cooking, Cookies, and Concepts

This summer I wrote blog posts for parents. As I spent time with my own children over the past two weeks I thought I would share a few ideas. How does a parent cultivate a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts without using a textbook? Winter break is the most wonderful time of the year to meaningfully apply math!…

Managing Small Groups in a Secondary Classroom

“The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.” -Agha Hasan Abedi “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” -Peter F. Drucker “As we get ready to implement these groups do you think it’s necessary to take a few days and talk about the norms or rules of behavior that are expected?”…

Practice, Not Programs

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” – Viktor Frankl Throughout the year I am thankful for so many things. Dedicated people with undying passion and vision keep me going and inspire me to continue on my mission.…