Mathsational

  Are you looking for innovative ways to get your students talking, thinking, and collaborating more effectively in your math classes? Look no further! Engaging students in rich discussions is key to deepening their understanding and making learning truly stick. I've gathered some discussion strategies that can transform your classroom into a hub of mathematical exploration. These approaches are designed to encourage participation, critical thinking, and peer learning. Let's dive into some strategies you can implement right away: 1. Which One Doesn't Belong? This versatile strategy serves as a fantastic icebreaker and a critical thinking exercise. Present four images, numbers, or expressions, and ask students to identify which one doesn't belong and, more importantly, why . There are no wrong answers, only justifications! This encourages all students to participate and articulate their reasoning.  Check out this website to get you started: WODB by Talking Math with Kids...

In reading this weeks #MTBoSBlogsplosion prompt , I realized that I do a pretty poor job of explicitly teaching soft skills.  I'm looking forward to see what everyone else posts to see what I can add to my daily routines.  My curriculum is so jam packed that I really don't have the free time to take a an entire period to teach a soft skill. The one thing that I think I do well is building the capacity of my students to work collaboratively.  This is because I use the hybrid rotational model of blended learning .   It's also largely due to the fact that I stumbled across the Kagan  geometry book a few years ago.  This book gave me activities to have students learn geometry through collaboration.  I love the focus on vocabulary and notation that are so important in geometry, but also the varied collaborative structures.  Each structure gets students actively involved in the learning process and some even incorporate movement into class. My...