elcome to the inaugural issue of the Math Coach Chronicle! We are delighted you have decided to join the rapidly growing ranks of Chronicle subscribers and are confident you will find it worthwhile.

Do you teach math at any level K-8? Would you like to get together with teachers like yourself (and other experts) to share strategies and make sense of the math you teach?
You have come to the right place! read more

  by: Maggie Martin Connell

If 3 isn’t 'three', then what is it? That isn’t a trick question. We make that mark to communicate a very specific idea about quantity. But, if we lived in China, we might name the idea something else and make an entirely different mark to represent it, even though the idea itself hasn’t changed. So, if ‘three’ is neither the mark nor the word, then what exactly is it? Consider the following scenarios:
read more

 Make a Memory...
 Build a Model

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re probably right!"

Henry Ford

Are you a ‘math person’? Would you like your students to be? read more

Try this little experiment...
find someone who has never eaten a mango and try to explain what that is like. He/she will likely understand each word you use in your description, but will that mean they have an intuitive sense of mangos? Probably not.

What must that person do to access that kind of understanding? They actually have to experience a mango.
And that goes for any kind of learning. For understanding to take place at that deeper, conceptual level, the learner needs direct personal contact
read more

I have been teaching middle level kids for 13 years now and have always enjoyed very positive feedback from students, parents and colleagues about my skills as a teacher. In fact, I have never been able to even imagine doing anything else. Until this year. read more

For Kids       For Teachers

Why was Al such a good dancer?

          click for answer

 Pass It On
 (Tips from Teachers)

Do you want to encourage your students to focus more on the ideas and less on finding the ‘right’ answer?

Try a math class where no one is allowed to give the answer!

Rules:
Students and teachers may focus only on:

• interpretation of the problem or computation (what does it really mean?)

• models built to represent the mathematical idea

• strategies (learned or invented) that might lead to a solution
  why something makes sense (or doesn't make sense)

Add a point system where non-answers are rewarded and watch your students dig for meaning!

Sally Hirst from Fredericton, NB says...

Before beginning a new concept, I like to have a clear picture of what my students already know about the idea and what misconceptions I may have to address. Part of the information I getI get comes from asking students what the idea is NOT. For example...
read more

The Chronicle team has put together a list of possible topics to pursue in future issues. What would you like to see? Do you have other suggestions?

• Speaking of Math (what you SAY makes all the difference)

• Bridging the Gap Between Manips and Symbols

• Expectations for Teachers…What is Fair?

• How Do You Know That They Know? (Assessment)

• Building Games that TEACH

• The Fine Art of Asking Great Questions

• Building Heavy-Weight Mental Math Strategies

• Place Value AGAIN?

• Fractions That Make Sense

• Basic Facts For a Lifetime

Please take a moment to let us know what might be useful to YOU. Your suggestions are helpful in shaping the Chronicle to fit your needs. contributions@igetitmath.com

Here are some great math sites to check out:

National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM)

Math Forum

Cut The Knot

 Growing Ideas

Grow with us! Any suggestions about how we can do that together will be considered.

Has this issue of the Chronicle been helpful to you? What would you like to see in other issues? Please email suggestions to... contributions@igetitmath.com

Playing for Practice
(Games that Teach)

As classroom practitioners, we may at times be reluctant to use games as part of the learning process. There exists a perception of games as being somewhat ‘frivolous’ and having no place where ‘real math’ is being done. But a well constructed math game can offer... read more