Nix the Tricks--Use manipulatives and strategies to help students understand

One of the biggest challenges we have is to change our thinking about how we teach math. Many of us teach using the same methods and same "tricks" that were used to teach us  because this is how we feel comfortable.   Research shows that we should be working to help our students make sense of the math.  To do this, we need to work to include more concrete examples of problems and to eliminate the teaching of tricks in math.  

I found this great website called Nix the Tricks.  On this site, a high school math teacher explains how the tricks hurt students in the long run.  She also offers a free, downloadable book where she lists different tricks that teachers teach, why they shouldn't be taught, and how we should be teaching instead.

I am constantly looking for good manipulatives to use in the classroom.  This document has a list of some virtual manipulatives that can be used in all classrooms K-5.  As kids get older, we sometimes think we shouldn't be encouraging manipulatives anymore, but that is not usually true.  All students need to go through three stages with a concept: concrete, pictorial, and abstract/numerical.  They will all be in each stage for a different amount of time, so most 5th grade classrooms will still have kiddos who need to use manipulatives to help it make sense.

That's what we want.  For it all to make sense.

Share these resources with others that you think might benefit.  If you want some help with putting some of these things into action in your classroom, please let me know!