A few years ago, we wanted to start a robotics club in our school. When I say we, I mean the school’s students, parents, and administration. While all the teachers thought it was a good idea, there was one big question—who was going to step up to the plate to lead the effort? None of the faculty had ever built a robot, never mind teaching a student to do so! As a result, I volunteered to start the robotics club with the understanding that I would have to learn along with the students.

One of the hardest things to do is change the way we teach. We learn in educational programs that engaging students with each other and individualizing instruction are some of the keys to keeping students on track. Yet I sometimes find myself stuck in the mode of “talk and chalk,” leading the whole class through “I do, we do together, you do” activities. One of the solutions to getting out of this pattern of whole group instruction is the use of rotations and math centers. I am including one of my favorite math center activities as a download for this post.

It has been difficult for me to learn how to stimulate vibrant discussions about mathematics among students. I realized very early in my teaching career that in order to get students engaged in mathematical discourse I needed to foster community in the classroom, to help students feel safe expressing ideas, and to demonstrate that math can be fun!

This post looks at a Rule of Four Template and how teachers can use it to help students model with mathematics at the middle school level.

One of the most powerful professional development experiences for me was working with Lucy West. She was hired as a consultant to the urban school district where I was working as a middle school math coach. Her work with our district transformed my view of professional development and changed the way I teach. I am thrilled to be able to share three resources from Ms. West with you.

If you have been teaching math for several years, as I have, you probably have seen a slump in your own and others’ practice. I survived the first few years of teaching, learning about classroom management and how to process the ever-continuing flow of correcting and administrative duties. Then I began thinking about what it was going to be like to do this for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong—I love teaching, but the daily grind sometimes ate away at my motivation.