YouTube video by NowaTechie

Wondering why manipulatives often disappear from upper-grade math classrooms? This post explores the power of concrete models in introducing new concepts and why hands-on learning still matters—even in middle school and beyond.

NowaTechie is launching two video series focusing on Google Tools and math strategies. The first series offers quick, practical tips, starting with Google Slides, while the second explores methods and resources for MathReps and teaching math. Both series aim for concise content to enhance learning and viewer engagement, encouraging audience interaction on topics of interest.

Math Dash Chats was created to enhance mathematical discourse in classrooms lacking student talk opportunities. This resource, covering grades 2-6, offers 36 weeks of structured prompts for daily use, allowing easy integration into lessons. It supports deeper understanding and communication in math, ultimately aiding teachers and students.

MathReps sustains effective daily math routines by prioritizing immediate feedback during class. Strategies include using dry-erase sleeves for real-time interaction, employing paper and pencil clipboard checks, leveraging the Snorkl tool for digital feedback, and conducting small-group interventions to target specific skills. This approach maximizes learning without overwhelming teachers.

I am coaching a third-grade team in enhancing student writing through the introduction of an EduProtocol focused on Parts of Speech. Following demo lessons, teachers independently engaged students with collaborative activities. Notable successes included improved student understanding and plans for integrating technology to further enrich learning.

As the new school year begins, the focus in our district is on the 2023 California Math Framework, emphasizing 8 Mathematical Language Routines (MLRs) that enhance language, fluency, and discourse. Key routines include the 3 Reads Protocol for word problems, Routine #3 for critiquing work, and the engaging Co-Craft Questions routine, empowering students toward deeper understanding.

We are only six weeks into the school year, but if you talk to teachers in the staff room, in the hallways, or during trainings, a single overwhelming theme emerges: everyone is stressed and exhausted. It doesn't feel like the typical "start-of-the-year chaos" that usually settles down by mid-September. Instead, it feels like we are walking on quicksand or trying to stand on a moving plate of jello. There doesn't seem to be solid ground anywhere. If you are feeling overwhelmed right now, I want to say this clearly right up front: …

Living and working in the same community for decades (yikes! Has it really been decades?) is an interesting experience. When you stay in one school district for as long as I have, "interesting" can quickly turn into "wild," the good kind of wild. Over the years, I’ve taught hundreds of students. As time has marched on, I’ve started seeing second-generation learners, teaching the children of former students. Now, in my role as an instructional coach, I get to experience one of the rare, incredible highlights of a long career: coaching/teaching alongside former students who are now district teachers themselves.

After years of relying on inadequate supplementary math programs, our district is piloting two new curricula: Innovamat Thinking Math and Savvas enVision Math. Innovamat emphasizes a spiraled design and student discourse, aiming for deep understanding. Savvas enVision offers a more traditional structure with topical units. Both approaches will be evaluated to improve student learning.

As the school year begins, teachers are encouraged to emphasize a deep understanding of place value as a foundation of the Base-10 system. Five engaging strategies include using curiosity prompts, strategic digit-placement games, connecting manipulatives to charts, interactive notebook anchors, and daily flexible decomposing exercises to promote conceptual understanding.

YouTube video by NowaTechie

Google Slides offers a voice typing feature that simplifies adding speaker notes by dictating instead of typing. Users can expand the Speaker Notes section for comfort and activate voice typing thr…