CGI and I

I have taught first and second grade for seventeen years. It has been a wonderful journey of growth for my students as well as personal and professional growth for me. I teach in Southern California have looped students from first to second grade for many years. Knowing my students for two years has enriched our time together and allowed me to dig deeper into the curriculum as routines are already set when we begin the second year.

Fun, dedicated, progressive!

Please visit my blog for recent student work samples, instructional tips and reflections! http://www.CGIandI.weebly.com

First and foremost, THANK YOU for being a dedicated educator with a heart for children! THANK YOU for pursuing excellent teaching in mathematics and knowing that children come to school with TONS of information and ideas about mathematics! As the landscape of education changes with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, I am excited for the growth our students will experience! I have been a teacher since 1995 and am a mother of two children, Hannah and Luke. Watching a child develop their mathematical identity is a supremely rewarding experience and I would like to THANK YOU for committing to this journey! I went to UCLA for my undergraduate degree in Sociology and Business as well as my teaching credential and Master of Education degree. In my own teaching experience, I have been fortunate to study at UCLA under the supervision of one of the most influential individuals in the field of mathematics education, Megan Franke. As a student teacher and Master of Education candidate, I was asked to reflect on how children learned, particularly in the area of mathematics. At that time, Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) was beginning to grow. Megan encouraged teaching candidates to think hard about how kids thought and learned and apply this knowledge in a mathematics environment. I was also fortunate to work with master teachers at Seeds UES (the lab school at UCLA), who had done research in Japan about mathematics instruction. Over the years, I have worked hard to achieve balance in my math programs for first a second grade. My program involves opportunities for skills practice, problem solving and lots and lots of discourse in the area of mathematics. My students consistently engage their thinking through word problems. I unpack the problems with the students, watch them work, listen to the their ideas, confer with students as they work and then select students to share their strategies. Developing students’ meta-cognition has a powerful impact on their growth as young learners. When children can explain their ideas and engage the ideas of others, their math power grows. The students I choose to share are mindfully chosen, just as the order in which the strategies are shared is something I orchestrate as well. I never just pick someone at random to share. As luck would have it, the district I work in works with Megan’s staff and Megan herself at UCLA. I have had the privilege of working closely with Angela Chan and have facilitated Learning Walks, Lesson Link and Academic Link protocols at my school in the grades one and two in the area of mathematics, with CGI as a specific focus. I enjoy participating in our school Math Focus group which plans professional development in mathematics and I am also a Math Coach for our school site. I am passionate about teaching mathematics to young learners and truly I feel more like a facilitator who channels their amazing strategies and ideas to a place where more of them can understand and apply them. My expertise is in first and second grade and I have developed problem strings in a variety of areas. Please see my website often as more are posted! I LOVE discoursing with other educators about mathematics and invite you to join me in this wonderful journey! Thank you and enjoy!

Figure skating has been a huge part of my life for most of my life. I was a competitive figure skater in the ladies discipline in the United States and went on to represent Switzerland (the land of my first citizenship and homeland of my father) at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, World Championships, multiple European Championships, two World University Games and many International competitions. Currently I am an official with the United States Figure Skating Association. I am a National level Judge, Referee, Technical Controller, Technical Specialist and Data Entry Operator. Additionally, I serve as a Team Leader US figure skaters to International competitions around the world. Lastly, and most importantly, I have been married to the man of my dreams for 17 years and have two amazing children who fill my life with love laughter and joy.