Featured from the Blog

No matter what the grade level, the one common issue I hear from math teachers is kids' lack of fluency. When students lack math fluency, it makes every concept more difficult, and it hurts their confidence. While most teachers see fluency as a problem, many teachers aren’t sure what to do to solve this problem in middle school or later. I’m going to share some resources and solutions that will help your students build math fluency.

Manipulatives have the power to make math come to life! They make math concepts tangible and accessible to students. Whenever we have the chance to make math lessons hands-on, they instantly become more engaging and meaningful.

In middle and high school, manipulatives are less common than elementary school. However, they are appropriate for all grade levels and all abilities. A common misconception is that manipulatives are only needed in early grades or for students who struggle. Let’s bust that myth! Manipulatives encourage deeper thinking and sense-making. Instead of following procedures without thinking, we can use manipulatives to help students reason and make sense of the math.

Knowing that many students have feelings of overwhelm and anxiety when they enter a math classroom, many teachers try to create a calm environment. One way to do that is with calm pastel colors. These classroom decoration ideas will help you reinforce the math concepts you teach while creating a calm, welcoming classroom for your elementary, middle, or high school students.