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  • Basic Skills Older Students

    Basic Skills Older Students

    A widespread problem at the secondary level is addressing basic skills deficiencies – gaps from elementary school. For example, I often encounter students in algebra 1 or even higher level math who cannot compute problems like 5÷2. Often the challenges arise from learned helplessness developed over time. How do we address this in the time…

  • Fractions! Meaning Making for Comparing Fractions

    Fractions is one of the most challenging math topics. Many high school and college students struggle to some degree with fractions.  The Common Core of State Standards (CCSS), despite all the criticism, includes components to address the conceptual understanding of fractions. Below is a photo showing a 4th grade Common Core standard regarding fractions along…

  • FRACTIONS! Meaning Making for Adding Fractions

    Fractions is one of the most challenging topics in math. Here’s an approach to help introduce fractions. I show the photo above, explain to a student that he and I both paid for the pizza. We are going to finish eating the pizza and I get the slice on the left. I ask “is this…