Even after all these years, when I think about Math instruction, the first name to come to mind is Mary Barrata-Lorton. A colleague had gone to a summer Math Their Way  workshop and was so excited about the changes she was seeing in her kiddos during the following year. They were excited about the activities and she felt that their individual needs were being addressed. No more, one size, fits all. I was ecstatic when my turn came to attend the Math Their Way  workshops. I finally had my OWN copy of the wonderful blue book, Mathematics Their Way. It was truly the catalyst for changing my way of teaching math. After this initial “revamping”, I was blessed to work at a school that believed in the philosophy of the TERC  activities (later known as Pearson’s Investigations) and implemented them with enthusiasm, well before our district caught on. The realization that we must teach the way kiddos learn was so apparent. Duh? Right?! To further this thinking, two teachers from our small campus became district teacher trainers for Exemplars and Developing Number Concepts. In my career, my Math instruction has moved away from teaching a process, procedures to leading kiddos to a true understanding that they can then apply to new situations.  I’m an eclectic mix of these philosophies and activities.
What’s the foundation of your Math instruction? Please share. 😉
Thanks for stopping by,