THIS is what I keep trying to say...!

I have continual discussions with teachers and administrators about our much-needed shift in our mathematics classrooms.  However, it seems to me that, too often, people get caught up in the shift in content from grade to grade rather than the real and necessary shift in our instructional models and methods.  Matthew Oldridge says this so much more eloquently than I ever could in a recent blog post. (well worth the 6 minutes to read!)

I especially like when he says, "Assume your students are all capable of high levels of mathematical thought."  It reminds me of the saying we see on Pinterest and Facebook all of the time:  "MY TEACHER THOUGHT I WAS SMARTER THAN I WAS, SO I WAS."

This statement of his also resonated with me:  "If you treat mathematics like broccoli, kids will probably try and avoid it. Treat it like the world’s most delicious cake. Stop pretending it’s just some medicine that must be taken. Make it all interesting. Yes, you can."

Yes, you can, indeed!