“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”    -Dorothy Parker
One of the most powerful tools a teacher has available is objective observation. In a differentiated math classroom, especially one that makes use of math stations, observation is essential. I was reminded of this in a conversation with an administrator who had hired me to assist her school in the sophisticating the ways in which they instruct mathematics.…
âThere is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation.â    -James Nathan Miller
“You were the first person to stop talking at me and give me something I could move in Algebra.…
Maria Montessori says, âWe cannot create observers by saying âobserve,â but by giving them the power and the means for this observation.â I cannot agree more and that is why Clipboard Cruising is one of the 14 Essential Elements of the Tabor Rotation Framework. Clipboard Cruising, or constant and consistent teacher observation is complimented by two other Essential Elements of Tabor Rotation, Exit Questions and Math Journal Writing.…
âEvery success is built on the ability to do better than good enough.â
I’m beginning to understand Tabor Rotation, but what are readiness groups and why are they important?
The Tabor Rotation Framework asks teachers to flexibly group students in a variety of ways. Each week includes partner work, whole-group instruction, teachable moments with individual students, small group work with students of mixed abilities, and working with small groups of students who are grouped together according to their level of understanding of the concepts that are being explored that week.…
âThe doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.â -Flora Whittemore
âMy basic principle is that you donât make decisions because they are easy; you donât make them because they are cheap; you donât make them because theyâre popular; you make them because theyâre right.â…
âI have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.â -Leonardo da Vinci
A group of teachers once told me that using small groups in mathematics didnât meet the needs of all their students.…
