Is Counting Really So Easy?
I have heard the claim “calculus is easy, algebra is difficult, and arithmetic is impossible,” but if that is true, then what does that make counting? We often hear little ones proudly singing the alphabet song or reciting a string of numbers from 1 to 20. Have you ever asked one of those who now… Continue Reading
Not Another Ball!
I can’t believe it’s been a year since I embarked on this journey as a Research Associate at the AIMS Center for Math and Science Education. It has been an exciting transition for me, having the opportunity to pursue my passion for understanding how children develop their knowledge of mathematics. Over the last year, I… Continue Reading
Be the Reason Someone SMILES Today
As a former kindergarten teacher, I must say I am a big Pinterest fan. When I was looking up ideas for classroom inspirational sayings and quotes, a recurring saying kept coming up, “Be the reason someone smiles today.” What does this look like in a classroom? Why is this important? And how in the world… Continue Reading
Episode 55 | Dr. Richard Thiessen on Constructivism’s Beginnings
Dr. Thiessen joins Chris in the studio they talk more about the Biological underpinnings of the theory. Both Jean Piaget, and Humberto Maturana come at the ideas within Constructivism after earning doctoral degrees in biology. We talk about some connections to neuro and cognitive sciences, finally ending with some allusions to an evocative object Richard… Continue Reading
What Can We Learn From “The Tree of Knowledge”?
This fall semester, our research learning group at the AIMS Center is starting an interesting book study based on The Tree of Knowledge by Humberto Maturana. Up to this point, our group has read a variety of books by Jean Piaget, the father of constructivism, and concentrated on the related theme of Radical Constructivism as… Continue Reading
Help “ALEXA”
Technology allows us to have and use many different, highly sophisticated tools in our classrooms. Amazon’s Echo is just one such example that is being used in many classrooms. The Echo, which responds to the name “Alexa,” is Amazon’s digital assistant built into the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, which are wireless speakers with built-in… Continue Reading
Spoiler Alert!
My teaching career began in a 6th grade multiple-subject classroom. Along with math, I loved having my students experience good literature. One favorite activity for both the students and myself was to read aloud to them. I had a few favorite read-aloud chapter books that I would share with them, like Freak the Mighty by… Continue Reading
How much knowledge is enough knowledge?
The semester has started and I am confronted with the same question the AIMS Center is currently wrestling with: How much knowledge is enough for a teacher to know to make effective decisions with students? We read research by researchers who have been spending years if not decades studying how students come to learn to… Continue Reading
Spark Math Enthusiasm
How critical is teacher enthusiasm when it comes to children’s learning? Many of us know the monotone sound image of Charlie Brown’s teacher, “wot-wot, wot-wot, wot-wot.” Not very enthusiastic. Unsurprisingly, I believe that children are more apt to learn when the teacher is enthusiastic, especially about math. During a recent interview we asked teachers, “What… Continue Reading
Episode 54 | The Stories of AIMS – Elin Anderson
Research Associate Elin Anderson joins Chris in the studio today. They discuss her transition from working with the teams aimed at 5 to 6 year olds to the teams aimed at 7 to 9 year olds. This change has been interesting for her as she has been studying how the things we learn in the… Continue Reading
