"Linking" Mathematics for Elementary Students

In my K-12 education experience I LOVED math! It was a straightforward subject that required little inference. Procedures were taught, practiced, and tested. I was successful in math and it gave me confidence. When I became a teacher 6 years ago teaching math looked a lot different than when I was in school. There was no textbook, no teacher guide, no worksheets, and no clear schedule of the scope and sequence of the topics to be taught. I knew my standards, but was at a loss when it came to how to teach my students these math concepts effectively.

As a teacher in Idaho, it is required before you can re-certify that you take a week long, intensive professional development class developed by professors at Boise State University and aligned with the Mathematical Thinking Initiative (MTI). Ummm HELLO!!!!!!! This was not the way that I learned math in school. The cognitive dissonance I felt that week was very tough for a former "math star". I left that week with an understanding of the why behind some basic math principles and a budding understanding of how to begin to help my students make meaning and connect to the math they needed to learn.

That one week was not enough, I was hooked and the following summer I began working on a graduate degree focused around these math principles. I can say without a doubt, after finishing my program, and working together with kids to learn 5th grade math standards the last 6 years that my feelings about math have grown even stronger. I am the annoying family member who wants to talk about my latest breakthrough with my students and their place value understanding instead of current movies or sporting events.

Below are some links to articles, blogs, and videos that I read, follow, watch, in an effort to continually refine my math pedagogy and understanding.

Four Principles for Deeply Effective Math Teaching

Dreambox Learning Blog - Best Strategies for Teaching Elementary Math

Dr. Matthew Beyranevand - 6 Ways to Help Students Understand Math - Edutopia

National Council for Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM) - an incredible wealth of information and resources!

One of my favorite resources - retrieved from www.nctm.org

One of my favorite articles - Effective teaching in elementary mathematics: Identifying classroom practices that support student achievement.

Research Based Best Practices for Teaching Mathematics and Improving Math Attitudes

8 year old explaining the subtraction algorithm

retrieved from - youtube

Professional Development on CGI

retrieved from - youtube

This list of links could go on forever! There is so much fabulous information out there. I fill close by saying that while the shift we have undergone in the last 5+ years to Common Core Standards or some form of more rigorous standards has been painful for many in the profession, students, and parents, I believe the new approach to teaching mathematics will reap rewards and create a generation of "math stars"

Rebecca