instructional strategies
-
Graphing Calculator and Miami Vice
The TI-83 appeared only 6 years after Miami Vice but it and the upgrade versions are still suggested or even required in SOME* US colleges (see gallery of math syllabi below). This has implications for math classes in high schools, as seen in many teacher Facebook posts. *In a previous iteration of this post I…
-
Multiplication with Integers: a Meaning Making Approach
I previously tackled the difference between the ” – ” symbol used to represent a negative and a subtraction problem. This post gets into multliplication through the context of buying a Wendy’s frosty. One comment to preface what is presented here. Negative numbers are abstract and challenging for many students. Multiplying by negatives is even…
-
Why Math Education is Important
-
Workshops on Math IEP Objectives and Data Collection, and Instruction for LD, ADHD, ASD
Announcing 2 workshops for educators working with students with special needs on math. These are designed to be hands on, with immediately implementation and can be delivered to schoolwide or district wide audiences. Identifying, writing, and monitoring progress for IEP math objectives that will support the entire year of math and that will allow all…
-
Hack for Multiplication (and division) Facts
A common method to learn multiplication facts is through skip counting. In turn, this is a means of learning division facts (see next paragraph). The challenge for many students is they struggle to learn the skip count routines or cannot engage brute force memorization effectively (e.g., have a working memory deficit). The challenge with multiplication…
-
Handouts for Multiplication and Unit Rate Word Problems
Here are excerpts from two handouts I use to help students understand how to write multiplication and rate word problems as math expressions. The image, below at top, shows a problem from the first handout I present. The students draw a single group represented by the rate expression (for elementary school word problems the term…
-
What is a math topic you want more information about?
I am asked by individuals, sometimes out of the blue, to provide insight about math for special education topics. I make an ongoing effort to share what I have and continuing to learn to help students. What is a math topic you want more information about? I will respond to general or even specific situations. …
-
1 and 2 Step Word Problems – Important First Dominoes PART 2
In PART 1 of Word Problems I went over my approach to teaching 1 and 2 step word problems involving addition and subtraction. In this post I cover multiplication, which is exponentially harder (pun intended – lay people see photo below). As seen in PART 1, I color code the different parts of the problem:…
-
1 and 2 Step Word Problems – Important First Dominoes PART 1
Several special education teachers responded in a poll indicating that the most difficult math topic to teach in elementary school is solving multi-step word problems. This happens to be a topic that is massively important and the first of several dominoes that will fall all the way through high school and beyond. One and two-step…
-
Learning Math – The Patting Head and Rubbing Belly Phenomena
In education, math especially, there exist a learning situation I call the patting head and rubbing belly phenomena. In this phenomena students are presented a math problem that consists of several steps they know how to do and then maybe one or two additional steps that are new. Adding the additional step is like adding…