A monthly publication of articles put out by the Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics, MCTM.org

Get Off the Escalator! “Teaching” is Active and Intentional.

Submitted by Sara Van Der Werf
As we enter 2016, my wish for the all teachers is that we would stop wasting time making excuses for why our students are not learning, we would not waste time wishing for students to arrive with more skills than they have. I wish we would see the assets our students do arrive with. I wish for all of us that we would actively do something different if our students are not successful. My wish for 2016 is that all of us would ‘get off the escalator’ and make intentional choices in our teaching.

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The Importance of Quick Images and Multiplicative Thinking

Submitted by Nina Smith.
Faye B. Clark and Constance Kamii report “Multiplicative thinking was found early (45% of second graders demonstrated some multiplicative thinking) and developed slowly (only about 48% of fifth graders demonstrated consistently solid multiplicative thinking)”. So how can we support students to develop this type of thinking?

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Happy Hunting

Into the fall and winter many people find themselves out hunting. No different the mathematicians perusing the NCTM Regional Conference Program Book in November in Minneapolis. With pen and highlighter poised participants were ready to hit the target of the perfect session(s) to find that “just right” strategy to address the focus of classroom or district needs.

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