It is always wonderful to hear when what you do makes a difference, and I wanted to share with my readers the wonderful email I recently received from a student who took a university course (Designs for Learning Mathematics: Elementary — a “how to teach math to kids” course) with me a few years back. I love the “ripple effect” that happens when I can help teachers and student teachers change their approach to teaching mathematics, which in turn can make a great change for how students understand mathematics!
Thank you, Laura, for taking time to share this! Here is Laura’s letter with only a couple of edits for clarification. Woohoo!
Hey Carollee,
Don’t know if you remember me, but I took your Simon Fraser University course a couple of years ago. My husband and I relocated to Ontario and I just started my first teaching contract 3 weeks ago in a grade 2/3 French immersion class. My students are very weak in math… but since I have started teaching the way you taught me to, I can already see the ideas flowing in their heads! They are really starting to get it!!!
Two days ago we did our first word problem… they were blown away when I put the answer on the board and told them I didn’t care about the answer, but instead how they got to it! The first day they were a bit shy to try and fail, but by the 3rd day boy were they trying everything! number lines, dot array, hundreds chart, blocks, pictures!!! I felt such joy!!!!
So… I guess I just wanted to say thank you… and to let you know that you are changing children’s understanding of math… EVERYDAY!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU… THANK YOU!!
Laura Fusco It is always wonderful to hear when what you do makes a difference, and I wanted to share with my readers the wonderful email I recently received from a student who took a university course (Designs for Learning Mathematics: Elementary — a “how to teach math to kids” course) with me a few years back. I love the “ripple effect” that happens when I can help teachers and student teachers change their approach to teaching mathematics, which in turn can make a great change for how students understand mathematics!
Thank you, Laura, for taking time to share this! Here is Laura’s letter with only a couple of edits for clarification. Woohoo!
Hey Carollee,
Don’t know if you remember me, but I took your Simon Fraser University course a couple of years ago. My husband and I relocated to Ontario and I just started my first teaching contract 3 weeks ago in a grade 2/3 French immersion class. My students are very weak in math… but since I have started teaching the way you taught me to, I can already see the ideas flowing in their heads! They are really starting to get it!!!
Two days ago we did our first word problem… they were blown away when I put the answer on the board and told them I didn’t care about the answer, but instead how they got to it! The first day they were a bit shy to try and fail, but by the 3rd day boy were they trying everything! number lines, dot array, hundreds chart, blocks, pictures!!! I felt such joy!!!!
So… I guess I just wanted to say thank you… and to let you know that you are changing children’s understanding of math… EVERYDAY!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU… THANK YOU!!
Laura Fusco 