October 20, 2025

Team Building Tuesday: Getting Started

(5-min Non-curricular tasks that motivate, activate and engage Math students) If you want to read the research on why these are effective go here ENTHUSIASM MATTERS – There is enough info in each slide for students to figure it out. Start the timer and say “Go!”. Use your words to encourage them to persevere and […]

Why Math?

According to Wikipedia, “Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes.” Other sources have similar definitions but I would like to pose a different perspective. I think that what most people think of […]

Is “Building Thinking Classrooms” Grouping right???

As a math teacher I am constantly reevaluating my program because even if we think everything is perfect our group of kids change every year and what might have been great for last year’s group might not be so for this one. One of the parts of my program that I thought I’d revisit this […]

Low Floor High Ceiling High Cognitive Demand Activities

How to make every activity a low floor high ceiling high cognitive demand activity

It’s All About the Dog

Meet Rufus, a super light stuffed dog that we use to decide who reads or answers a question next. How does an inanimate stuffed dog choose students you might ask? Well, using a complex AI generated algorithm I created a… Only kidding!!! As much of a techno geek as I am, I have come to […]

The Art of Teaching

I talk and think a lot about our art. As a scientist I also think and write a lot about data and research. I know some people think these are mutually exclusive but, in my opinion, anyone that says that doesn’t really have a good grasp of either. Last Formative Friday, the Team Test I […]

Mindset Monday: 21st Century Job Skills

Mindset Monday 21st Century Job Skills Kids have learned the power of why. Clean your room. Why? Eat your vegetables. Why? Learn Math. Why? Over the years I have heard (and said) multiple answers to this question: So you can be a Scientist/get a good job/graduate/earn more money etc etc. Unfortunately, for the vast majority […]

How I assign Desmos Activities in Google Classroom

Check out this little video on I do this thing

The impact of an antiracist math program on learning outcomes for economically challenged students of color

Abstract California’s economically disadvantaged students of color deserve to have a high-quality mathematics education. Historically, over 80% of these students leave high school below standard in math which denies them access to the economic and social benefits of being able to do high powered math and denies California the workforce it needs. This action research […]

Wildcard Wednesday

Wildcard Wednesdays are the third, unique antiracist intervention. Because 98% of the students of color from the target school are economically challenged the school has had little success using homework as a learning tool. Interviews with teachers have revealed that less than ten percent of students at the target school do homework with fidelity on […]