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Why I Use Greek & Latin Root Study in Math & Science Classes
Read more: Why I Use Greek & Latin Root Study in Math & Science ClassesI was one of the lucky ones. Reading came easily to me, and I loved to do it. Learning naturally followed – I spent my later elementary years reading to learn rather than learning to read. I didn’t know it until I began working on my Master’s of Education in ESOL, but my own ease…
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Mathtilda & Her Pumpkins – A Fall Themed Math Thinking Task
Read more: Mathtilda & Her Pumpkins – A Fall Themed Math Thinking TaskOnce upon a time, there was a young enchantress who loved tending to her magical pumpkin garden. As fall approached, she hatched a brilliant idea – she wanted to adorn her precious pumpkins with hats! But these weren’t just any hats; they were special hats embellished with numbers. You see, both Mathilda’s pumpkins and her…
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Positive Affirmations For the Classroom
Read more: Positive Affirmations For the ClassroomWhy do I post positive affirmations in my secondary classroom? Promoting a Positive Learning Environment Posting positive affirmations in the classroom creates an atmosphere of encouragement, support, and optimism. Students are more likely to feel motivated, confident, and valued when surrounded by uplifting messages. This positive environment can foster a growth mindset, where students are…
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How to Lead Students to Discover Exponent Multiplication and Division Rules
Read more: How to Lead Students to Discover Exponent Multiplication and Division RulesIt’s no secret that you’re much more likely to remember something that you figured out on your own. Math discoveries are much the same, though they are less common. One of my favorite parts of teaching is taking the time to carefully craft learning opportunities that guide students toward finding patterns and discovering math rules…
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STEM Teacher Preparation and Retention
Read more: STEM Teacher Preparation and RetentionAs we prepare the enter the 7th week of the fall semester, I can’t help but reflect on how quickly time passes. In fact, the summer seems both as though it was just yesterday and yet a lifetime away. I’ve met new students and families, attended countless fall sports games, spent precious evening hours planning…
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Building Math Skills Through Short Tasks
Read more: Building Math Skills Through Short TasksI used to laugh at, and repeat all the jokes about math and numbers. You know – “there’s an infinite amount of real numbers – why make up imaginary?!” Or the “I liked math until they started adding letters!” and so on. I thought that, after I scraped by Calculus 2 in college with a…
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A Fun Activity to Start the Year
Read more: A Fun Activity to Start the YearWhen I learned I would be teaching math for the first time, I wanted to do something different. Teaching math seemed to me to be all of the least fun parts of teaching: lecture, worksheets, and the worst of all….. grading. If your kids can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, they can do this activity.…
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Teaching STEM: Navigating a Path to Success Part 2
Read more: Teaching STEM: Navigating a Path to Success Part 2Welcome to Part 2 of my series of blog posts in which I discuss a few tips which I feel have been essential to building confidence in your teaching sprinkled with tidbits from my own experience. If you missed Part 1, check that out below. Promoting Inquiry-Based Learning: Strategies for Engaging STEM Students Incorporating hands-on…
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Teaching STEM: Navigating a Path to Success Part 1
Read more: Teaching STEM: Navigating a Path to Success Part 1Do what I like to call taking the ‘temperature’ of the class as students enter the room each day. No, I don’t mean that you should literally measure their bodily temperature as they walk in (thank you COVID for that flashback to the 2020-2021 school year).
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How I Use Building Thinking Classrooms in My Math Classes
Read more: How I Use Building Thinking Classrooms in My Math ClassesI am a science teacher. If you would have asked me 5 years ago.. okay, even 3 years ago if I would ever consider teaching math, I would have laughed! But, things change, and it’s amazing what new things you will consider when doing what is best for your family demands it. Today, yes, I…