Algebra 2, Ready or not, here I come! (or How to Survive Algebra 2)
This blog post is especially for those of you who need to be ready for Algebra 2 sometime soon, so if you just finished Geometry and will take Algebra 2 next year, OR, even better, for if you just finished Algebra 1, because then there’s more time to prepare. (more...
Math For Keeps Manifesto
Math For Keeps MANIFESTO At Math For Keeps, I describe skill fluency using a Math Number—this is a number representation of the skills you have in the bag. It is NOT the number of skills you’ve been shown. Being shown a skill and being given opportunity and guidance...
Your Kid Is My Audience Too!
I alternate between “you” and “your learner/ student” when I’m addressing my reader. While I do have adult students, I know that most of my students are grade-school kids and most of my clients (who pays) are their parents. However, one of my missions is for students...
HAPPY is Most Important
Happy is most important! My whole practice method was developed on the premise that MOST of us (both “math-minded” and not) will end up frustrated by math trying to learn it with the minimal practice that is offered in the classroom. And not the healthy kind of...
MFK Glossary Week: Skill-Building.
This week, let's dig into the Math For Keeps Glossary! In these glossary segments, I'll explore the different terms and concepts that are central to the Math For Keeps approach to mastery. Skill-building: An approach to teaching and learning that works toward holistic...
Is Math Hard?
“Many of us think that math is hard, but, as Cheng makes clear, math is actually designed to make difficult things easier.” I read this on the book jacket of one of my Christmas presents, How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by...
Grades Schmrades
Grades can be a misleading way to know if your learner knows the material. Maybe they got extra points for attending office hours, maybe the test was graded on a curve, maybe they crammed and knew the material in that snapshot of time, but do not have lasting mastery...
I Fell in Love Again
Well, I fell in love again... with the annual We Are Girls Conference. It happens every November, and is the most wonderful event, with the loveliest most empowering messages for young women and girls. I get weepy thrills just walking through the doors every year. ...
When is a C Worse Than an F?
So you’ve just gotten your report card, or your latest test, and… you passed!!!! Hooray!! By the skin of your teeth, you passed. Now you never have to worry about that stuff again…right? Wrong! In math, that’s rarely the case. Every layer of skills is setting you...
What’s the Best Way to Empower a Student?
The Math For Keeps practice-to-mastery method builds in early successes. Success begets success and an upward spiral ensues. Kids (and grown-ups!) LOVE seeing themselves get undeniably better at something, even if it's something they might not think they care much...