Real-Life Math: 2 Simple Strategies for Joyful Math Talk

As the beginning of a new school year quickly approaches, we need to consider how we are going to build a positive math culture in our classrooms. I believe that every math class can be inviting and exciting for our students if we are intentional about creating joyful experiences. One of the key features ofContinue reading Real-Life Math: 2 Simple Strategies for Joyful Math Talk

Number Search Puzzles

Our children are six and eight years old. They love puzzles. And I love that they love puzzles because puzzles build many skills like perseverance while also helping us learn productive struggle. A favourite in our house are word search puzzles. The kids get great satisfaction from crossing out each word they have found with an excessive number of criss-crossed lines…

Being Open-Minded to Mental Math

A recent conversation with a group of friends got me thinking about how I was taught to do calculations compared to how my children are being taught. I’m sure we have all heard the debate on “new math” versus “old math.” I don’t think there is such a thing, to be honest, but I do think there has been a distinct shift in the strategies students are being taught in elementary school for computations. …

Coin Sorting Activity

I recently shared this activity on #WheresTheMathWednesday over on Instagram and it received a lot of interest from parents and educators looking for an easy, low-prep activity to introduce money to their children and students. The best part about this activity is that it can be tailored to suit your child’s needs and it can be extended in any direction depending on your child’s readiness…

Five Tips for Incorporating a Growth Mindset into Math Teaching

Growth mindset has become very popular in education and is, in a way, a bit of a buzz term. However, the benefits of applying growth mindset strategies in the math classroom have been visible among most of my students in my secondary mathematics classroom. I am a strong advocate for shifting our teaching from fixed mindset approaches to ones that incorporate a growth mindset. …

What Does Race Have to do With Math?

Like many, I have done a lot of learning (and unlearning) over the past several weeks. The world was already in a state of panic and vulnerability due to the Covid-19 pandemic when the murder of George Floyd, broadcast across social media, brought the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of our minds more than ever before.

Money Play Activity

Last week, the seven-year-old was learning about money – specifically adding and subtracting money amounts using coins. One of the activities had her earning money and then using it to purchase food at a concession stand for a movie night. All initial money amounts were under $1.00. …

Gamification and Growth Mindset

Gamification is a newer term being used in education to describe turning difficult or boring tasks into activities that contain features of traditional games. Although the term may be new, the concept is definitely not, and I think teachers and parents have been doing this for a long time to help reluctant learners. …