Below are some less than organized ideas about "math intervention," the concept that certain students need to brush up on material from previous grades to access grade-level math. Thoughts on Intervention Progression is inherent to modern mathematics education. The Massachusetts Frameworks for Mathematics Education prescribe the expectations for that progression, and encourage "intervention" for students who may be behind, as if they are experiencing an emergency akin to addi

image from https://uk.pinterest.com/jinnyree14/lego-dots-ideas/ Introduction I swear Lego discontinued their Dots products in 2023 because I started them using to teach. Lego dots were small geometric pixel-like pieces intended for children's crafts. While I have used Dots successfully in one-on-one tutoring, I plan on integrating them into my middle school classroom teaching. I prefer to write in present-tense, so this article will be written as if I am using them in the cla

Doing well in math class relies on two very separate skills: mathematical curiosity, and reading your teacher's mind. This is advice I have imparted on every one of my tutoring students, often repeatedly. I don't know exactly where it came from or why it's so important to me as an educator, but I have my suspicions. This article is written in two parts: part 1 outlines the problem, and part 2 outlines the solution. If you are concerned with success strategies, I'd recommend s

Introduction Studies show that young students often lack a basic understanding of the additive inverse, which is, in my opinion, a real shame. I particularly appreciate Paul Lockhart's description of the necessity for identities when performing arithmetic. From page 85 of The Mending of Broken Bones: "The maneuvers that any artist or craftsman performs are those suited to the medium. Whether it is tying knots, performing ballet, carving wood, or doing algebra, the medium—be i

Most lesson planning begins with defining some kind of lesson objective, often in the form of "Students will be able to [insert skill here.]" In Massachusetts, this lesson objective should be mapped onto a specific standard from the Curriculum Frameworks, standards that were never defined for individual grade levels in Massachusetts until 2000 to adhere to newly-administered MCAS standardized testing. Whether or not a teacher believes they are teaching to a test, the act of w