Learning that Counts

I am a K-5 math specialist who loves to create engaging activities and games that allow students to become fluent, flexible thinkers, with a concrete understanding of core math concepts. Many math activities focus on memorization and procedures but not my resources. I am continually refining my products as I observe and reflect on how students approach and use them. My hope is that these products can help teachers and students move toward a love of math based on deep understanding, curiosity, and engaging discussions with peers.

I have a passion for elementary math education! I believe in a balanced approach to mathematics instruction that provides opportunities to build understanding without a primary focus on procedural knowledge. As the teacher, I strive to be a facilitator who guides discussion and the development of ideas. This means that students are the ones doing most of the talking as they explain patterns and make connections. I always keep the SMP, Standards of Mathematical Practice, front of mind. These 8 standards are consistent from K through 12 and describe the skills and behaviors that must continually be fostered for all learners. There are 3bthemes within these standards that I strive to incorporate into every lesson. 1. DISCOURSE. These resources help students organize their work in order to explain and defend their ideas and listen to the ideas of others. 2. PATTERNS & STRUCTURE. My organizers and consistent color patterns help to highlight these patterns. 3. REASON ABSTRACTLY. My products allow students to move between a story's context and their representation as they represent their thinking with pictures, numbers, and symbols. I do not use key words, CUBES method, or any "tricks". Instead, I provide opportunities for students to develop and refine their own strategies. This allows them to move through the stages of learning, CRA, as they move from physical objects and literal drawings to representing quantities and changes with numbers and symbols. In order to build fluency, students need meaningful practice that allows them to move from counting to deriving facts using reasoning strategies based on known facts, and then mastery. I provide meaningful activities and games to help students notice patterns, communicate their thinking, become flexible thinkers, and develop mathematical fluency and independence.

I graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor degree in elementary education and a reading endorsement. For three years I taught in grades 1-3. A couple of years later, I earned a gifted and talented endorsement from the University of Iowa. Later I earned a Masters of Education in Differentiated Instruction. During this time, I taught K-5 Gifted and Talented for seven years. While stuck at home during Covid, I began taking classes to earn an EL endorsement. I plan to complete that endorsement in the near future. In August, I will begin my fifth year as a K-5 math specialist.