Over 97% of my 11th and 12th graders have been failed by our “Survival of the Fittest” math education system. They had been convinced that they couldn’t do math, that…
A Team is the “SUM” of its Parts
Can passive team members become active? Can we find ways to insure that our study team members contribute equally and build confidence with this skill? These are some of the…
Using Sociograms to See Trends in Team Discussions
Our TRC team is conducting research on equal distribution of talk in teams. Before the school year started, our team decided to use sociograms to collect data on equal talk. …
Teach Me How to Factor!
As a fourth-year teacher I have tried many ways to make my classroom more student centered. One of the most successful strategies I’ve tried in my classroom is reciprocal teaching,…
Why is x to the Zero Power Equal to 1?
This is my third year teaching, and my third try at getting kids to open up and talk to each other. One of the ways I try to accomplish this…
Leading by Example – Using a Standards-Based Grading Rubric in a Grades-Based World.
Are you often frustrated by students who are only concerned about the grade and not about the learning/growth that is happening? In an attempt to get students, who live in…
‘We’re All In This Together’–the Perfect Icebreaker!
Helping our students effectively communicate with each other is constantly on the minds of CPM teachers. At the heart of this is the burning question: what does ‘effective communication’ really…
What Does it Mean to be “Good at Math”?
You’ve all probably heard it. Students enter your classroom with a preconceived notion of themselves and their peers. “I’m not good at math because [blank]…” But what does that mean?…
Digging Deeper into Division with Rationals
I have been studying how to get more kids involved in our math lessons. I feel like sometimes they get bogged down by the number of words on the page,…
The Voice Approach to Teaching Math
I use The Voice approach toward self-evaluation. On the show, contestants perform at least one song every week and they are either kept or let go. On any given episode…