So this week kicked off the first Professional Development Community meeting (PLC) of the school year. The content area focused on Math so I led the discussions for each grade level PreK-5. One of the areas at the core of the meeting was about the importance of student's conceptual understanding of numbers. Two weeks before the first PLC, I went to teacher's classrooms to find out what they felt were big issues with math; here's what they shared:

• Students don't know their basic math facts
• Fluency and concepts of numbers is a problem 
• Students have a limited understanding of place value
• Fractions (use of visual models) are a struggle at the upper grades

  The cause of each of these issues is deeply rooted in NUMBER SENSE. According to Howden (1989), "number sense is a student's ability to have good intuition about numbers and their relationships. It develops gradually as a result of exploring numbers, visualizing them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited by traditional algorithms”.
     In summary, students come to school having prior knowledge of numbers (i.e. knowing telephone numbers, seeing speed limit signs on the streets, seeing money exchanged at the grocery store, etc.) Where the connection happens is when lessons or activities are taught in a way that builds upon what students already know. This is what gives them the opportunity to develop number sense.
I visited a 3rd grade classroom recently. The students are being introduced to multiplication and division, so they were sitting on the carpet in a large circle during the part of the lesson I observed. Each of them had a whiteboard and marker. The teacher posed the question "there are 19 students in this class. Each has 3 pencils. How many pencils are there?" She gave students time to solve the problem while moving around to observe them at work. 
     I noticed that most of them drew pictures along with an equation (19 circles and 3 dots in each circle). After hearing several students share their answer, the teacher asked "who solved  this problem another way?"...notice, she never said whether the answer was correct or not. One student shared his work: "There are 19 of us in class, but I know that 20 is one more than 19, so I made 20 groups of 3, which equals 60. Then I took one group of 3 away
20 x 3=60
60-3=57
That's how I knew that there are 57 pencils". Again this is what the idea of number sense means. So I challenge you to continue to build on what students already know and less on the what we believe they don't know. When that happens, you will see them develop into better problem solvers. 
Until next time...go out there and be GREAT!

 Looking for ideas to promote Mathematical Thinking in your classroom or at home? Check out the websites listed below!
mathbeforebed.com/
​https://www.youcubed.org
https://mrorr-isageek.com/
​
Reference
Howden, H. (1989). Teaching number sense. Arithmetic Teacher, 36(6), 6-11.
Number Talks: Whole Number Computation by Sherry Parrish

​
​
​
​
​

​     This week was the first week of school in my district and I must say it was a joy to welcome all the students and their families to the building. Going into classrooms and seeing teachers begin to build relationships with their students makes me hopeful about the year ahead. While this week  was a time to say hello to returning students as well as those who are new to the school, this week was also a time to say goodbye to a person whose music became the soundtrack  to the lives of many.
    Fans around the world were sadden to hear of the passing of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. I don't think any of us haven't listened to her music. As a child her music was the gold standard in our house. Imagine a 6 or 7 year old walking around the house singing "Don't Play that Song for Me", "A'int No Way" , "Natural Woman", and "Say a Little Prayer" (I know because that child was me...LOL)!
Ms. Franklin's music was so timeless that I used her song "Young, Gifted, and Black" as the backdrop for my dissertation defense on March 31, 2015. My study focused on high achieving and gifted Black children so I couldn't have picked a song more fitting than that.
      When it comes to history, Ms. Franklin's music is at the forefront of the most important events in modern times; from the Civil Rights Movement to the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. With countless hits, the one that resonates with this blog post is "Respect". When she gets to the bridge of that song and says "R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me", I remember seeing an interview where she explained what that word meant. She told the reporter "Respect is something everybody wants, even children want respect". And isn't that the truth? No matter who you are, where you are, or what you have, every person deserves respect. When beginning a new work week on next week, let's remember that message. When we are spending time with our loved ones, let's remember that message. And when we have those moments where we start to become discouraged and start doubting ourselves, let us remember that message. You know I always like to close my blog posts by challenging you to go out there and be GREAT, but this week I will close with a salute to Ms. Aretha Franklin. Thank you for your songs that gave our people hope even in a world that continues to judge us by the color of our skin and not the content of our character. Thank you for songs that let women around the world know we are beautiful, songs that told men how much we love them, but also let them know when they haven't done right by us, simply put, thank you for songs that have stirred our souls and will leave a lasting impact. 
     My prayer is that God will comfort your family and all those who knew you personally and loved you dearly. Thank you Ms. Aretha Franklin for the history lesson that you gave us through your music. With much appreciation and R-E-S-P-E-C-T
                                                                              Until next time...Have a great week ahead everybody!          

     So the summer has come and gone and I hope that you enjoyed time away from school. Perhaps you chilled out by the pool, at the beach, or maybe you simply enjoyed spending time at home on a "Staycation" where you took in the sights and sounds of your own town. Whatever you chose to do this summer, I hope it was well spent. Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. And isn't it funny how stores like Walmart start putting out school supplies the day after the Fourth of July? When I walk in there and see school supplies being placed in the center of the store, I put my hands up to my face like Macauley Culkin did in the movie Home Alone and just shake my head standing there thinking "Nooooooooo...I'M NOT READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, PUT THOSE SCHOOL SUPPLIES BACK IN STORAGE!!!!!" But as the saying goes "it is what it is"...so here we are in August headed back to school. 
     Whether you are a returning teacher or if this is your first year in the classroom, the anxiety and preparation that goes into getting ready for the first day of school is something that both groups of teachers have in common. While countless articles and blog posts offer great ideas for lessons and activities that play a vitale role in setting the tone for learning as well as student achievement, what is also of high importance is the need for teachers to make sure that self-care is a priority. During my years as a teacher I remember the adrenaline rush that came over me as I spent long hours at school decorating my classroom, planning lessons, and writing my Welcome Letter to parents/guardians so that I could hit the ground running on day one. In the pace of getting things ready for my students, I found it difficult to get a good night's rest because I would be thinking about the long list of things I needed to do back at school. I also didn't take time to eat or if I did grab a bite to eat it was usually later in the day; because after all, I needed to get my classroom ready for the start of school right? In theory I was sabotaging my own self-care instead of finding that balance between school preparation and taking care of myself. 
     Of course as the school year got underway things balanced out, but there were still those times that I would go back to those unhealthy sleep and eating habits that I practiced before the start of school. So I want to share some reminders that you can refer to throughout the school year:
1. Get a good night's rest.  The National Sleep Foundation suggest that adults get between 7-9 hours of 
   sleep per night.
2. Eat 3 meals a day. Make sure that you include fruits/vegetables in your meals.
3. Exercise. Go for a morning walk/run. This can be done in the evenings if mornings don't work for you.
4. Unplug from technology. Cut off the computers and smartphones so you can take time to mentally           recharge and get your mind right.
5. Remember your purpose. Politics and workplace gossip can impact the morale of the school; a word of
   caution...steer clear of chronic complainers and fault finders. Keep your focus on the main purpose...the
    STUDENTS.
     These are just a few suggestions that you may consider throughout the school year. Remember you owe it to yourself so that you can be your best each and everyday....I hope you have a wonderful school year! Now go out there and be GREAT!!!!!!!!