Have you ever asked a student, “How’d you get that?” and gotten a shrug, or “I just knew”? The first question we ask matters, but what we ask NEXT matters even more. Here’s the difference between funneling and focusing questions, with elementary examples you can use in your next number talk.
Ever had a student add 3/4 + 3/4 and get 6/8? It’s not a procedure problem. It’s a WHOLE problem. One common fraction visual makes that mistake feel completely logical to kids. Here’s which one to hold off on, what to start with instead, and how to keep kids focused on the whole.
Why do some students look lost before they even start a math problem? I sat down with Becky Lord to unpack five cognitive areas that affect math learning (working memory, processing speed, verbal comprehension, visual processing and fluid reasoning) and the simple changes elementary teachers can make, starting with LESS, not more.
Welcome! I’m a Recovering Traditionalist elementary teacher and now, I help teachers and children learn to love math. Explore how I can help provide you PD at your fingertips! BuildMathMinds.com