I love data and the insights it can provide, but I’ve also been thinking about its limits. From my Garmin watch to classroom decision-making, this post explores the balance between using metrics wisely and preserving the creativity, professional judgment, and human connections that make teaching meaningful. Continue reading What We Lose When We Optimize Everything
Increase engagement in your classroom with simple nudges like Pivot and Going Downhill. Pivot by switching instructional formats to re-energize students mid-lesson. Use Going Downhill to tackle challenging homework problems in class, maximizing peer and teacher support. Continue reading Two Simple Nudges: Engage Students and Empower Learning
In September 2021, the PDPD project was launched to enhance teacher professional development through personalized instructional nudges. These manageable teaching actions aim to improve relevance and accessibility in PD, particularly in algebra. The focus is on tailored strategies that fit into existing practices, fostering impactful changes in teaching and student learning outcomes. Continue reading Instructional Nudges: The Core of Practice-Driven Professional Development
My grant team and I were working on ideas for our project (Practice-Driven PD). We’ve been thinking about how to create small suggestions for teachers to enhance their algebra instruction. This week our conversation was about using worked examples with students (if you want to read a great report on algebra instruction check out this … Continue reading 180 Ideas: #20 Rate & Review
Resources for those of us teaching students how to solve systems of equations with substitution or elimination. Continue reading Substitution and Elimination
Thank you to everyone who joined me at the Beyond Math Conference this summer. I hope you enjoyed my presentation on Getting the Most out of Math Tasks. As promised, here are some additional resources to accompany that presentation. Staircase Task During the video I did three tasks. First, I did a classic task called … Continue reading Beyond Math Conference 2021
A few weeks ago I teamed up with Casio Education and TODOS: Mathematics for All to do a webinar on choice. I think that providing students some choice in the classroom is so important. By providing students some choices over what and how they learn I have found increased engagement and empowerment. If you are … Continue reading Choice as a Foundation for Engagement and Empowerment
Four ideas for facilitating small groups remotely. Continue reading Facilitating Small Groups Online
Taking spin classes has got me thinking about my preferences for instruction and how this might relate to our students’ preferences. Continue reading What Spin Class has Taught me about Teaching
I’m fascinated by large numbers. They are a big part of our lives in so many ways, but they are so hard to visualize and understand. There aren’t many things we can touch or see a million of at once. I am also interested in wealth inequality and personal finance. I’ve brought all of these … Continue reading Lifetime Earnings of a Teacher
