Mastering Math Made Easier: The Power of Step-by-Step Resources
One of the things I always strive for as a teacher, is to encourage my students to be independent learners. In math, particular, it can be easy for a student to become frustrated when they are trying to complete a multi-step skill. If you have spent time in any upper elementary math classroom, you know exactly what I am talking about. So how can we as teachers help our students be more resourceful and move forward and face the challenge instead of getting frustrated and giving up?
One strategy I use after having taught a mathematical concept, is to provide a step-by-step resource that the students can access whenever they need help with a concept. This may be in the form of a poster on the classroom wall, in their math journal or it may be a PDF that is stored in a resource folder on Seesaw, Google Classroom or Canvas.
In this blog post I want to share one particular resource that features a challenging concept for most students: Writing Numerical Expressions.
I would invite you to visit Mrs. B’s Best to see a variety of step-by-step resources.
In this blog post, however, I want to share one particular resource that features a challenging concept for most students: Writing Numerical Expressions.
This and many other similar resources are readily available to be used throughout the school year. Regardless of where the resource is stored, I make sure the students know they have access to it as well as where specifically to find it.
Getting a reluctant student to use the resource did not just happen, it took a great deal of modeling and practicing whole group before all students understood they were in control of their learning. We also practice together how to use each resource. Often times, parents will request a copy as well!
And, as always…
