These are a few of my favorite things

1.     Open Middle – Basically I’m obsessed. Between depth of knowledge and unlimited possibilities both in answers and strategies, I can’t stop talking about these problems. Allowing for students to learn from their mistakes and to be encouraged and inspired to keep going in ways that no worksheet will ever accomplish is what Open Middle does best. Even though each problem focuses on a standard there is space to talk about number sense and the Mathematical Practices. The more I use Open Middle the better teacher I become and the better my students learn about math and themselves.

GO NOW: openmiddle.com

2.     Desmos – While they are not the only calculator I use (Shout out to the TI-84) I love the opportunities for ease of use and exploration. The activities allow for students to step out of the classroom without falling into the pitfall of the dreaded word problems. It is so obvious that this tool has fostering learning for teachers and students as its first priority. As much as I love Desmos I know I have only come into contact with the tip of the ice berg. Looking forward to much more fun!

      GO NOW: desmos.com

3.     IMP POW’s – These somewhat forgotten beauties always sneak up on my students. They are usually enough off the beaten trail to not feel like “math”. I use them most in my precalculus students who are used to getting everything on the first try or getting it done fast. When they can’t find the answer in the first five minutes they declare the problem impossible. Then awhile later when they do accomplish the problem the sweet victory has them shout for joy! Some problems need more time and effort to solve and usually that means they are the ones worth solving.

4.     Silence – Silence is Golden. Either from my students, as they are thinking, reflection, or working hard. Or from me, as I refuse to give them the answer right away and make them think about it. One of my favorite things to do is delay an answer and then when I come back to hear “Nevermind, I answered my own question”.

5.     Collaboration – This is usually the opposite of silence. They are working together, talking and planning on how to solve the problem. It usually means helping and reteaching are happening between peers. The best is when it happens naturally. It creates energy and productivity in the room.

6.     Exit Quizzes – Do you really know? Exit Quizzes holds the student to accountable to the material. But it also creates space for a private conversation. For the student who is too shy or the classroom that is too big, I can check in one-on-one with each student to either help them understand better or give them the thumbs up that they’ve got it!

7.     Questions – My questions or their questions this is where the magic happens. I did an activity this year where the students created questions they thought could be answered mathematically concerning the concepts we were working on. With the freedom of not having to answer any of the questions their imaginations soared and they made more “real world” connections then I could’ve ever exposed them too. Then they picked their favorite and answered it.

8.     Laughter – Today in class we played a game that had the whole class laughing. The AP test is coming up and my students desperately needed some balance to the stress in their life.

9.     Reflection – I’ve been doing this more lately. Usually in connection to an open middle or desmos activity.

10.  Trying again and again and again – I try new things, the students try new things. There is no harm in trying. I want to always encourage my students to keep trying. I’ve enjoyed the productive struggle conversations on twitter that were started by Robert Kaplinksy. I know this is something I need to spend more time on so that it because a positive part of my overall classroom culture.

Thank you #MTBos for changing my life, I appreciate all of you!