Archive for November 2016
Promoting Questions through Math Stretches
Have you ever watched runners stretching before a big race? They are preparing their bodies, warming up their muscles, so they will perform at optimum levels. Just like those runners, our students need to warm-up to get their brains focused and ready for quality thinking and learning. Math Warm-ups, or Math Stretches, are an important…
Read MoreMath Question Journals
“Questioning and learning are intricately linked.” – Laney Sammons We want our students to think, reflect, and ask questions to extend their thinking. This process helps young learners take more responsibility for their work and learning outcomes. By asking questions, they are able to refine what they know and fill in the gaps that are…
Read MoreAsking Meaningful Questions
“If we teach our students to inquire, we will have a wealth of information from which to teach and our students will have a purpose for learning.” – Cris Tovani Centuries ago Socrates told his students that “wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” Today we find ourselves in a culture that seems to value the…
Read MoreThick and Thin Questions
“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” – Nancy Willard (American poet and writer) Learning is fueled by curiosity, so how do we inspire mathematical curiosity in our students? The classroom atmosphere we create can either stimulate or stifle the inquisitiveness of our young learners. If we teach our developing mathematicians to inquire and question…
Read MoreStrategic Questions
“Teaching students how to generate questions as they work with mathematics encourages students to become mathematical text critics.” – Laney Sammons In Reading with Meaning, Debbie Miller points out that questioning is a vital tool for helping readers create meaning. Just as readers develop and refine questions to comprehend a text, our young mathematicians must use strategic questions…
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