Looking for More than the Right Answer

Looking for More than the Right Answer

Just before the pandemic, I was given an incredible opportunity to spend some time with a brilliant group of 8 and 9 year old students. Our collective goal was to simply learn from each other during a mathematics lesson that I designed. Though the teacher and I met...
Writing to Learn in Mathematics 

Writing to Learn in Mathematics 

In this three part series, we will explore just a few of the types of writing to learn that teachers are utilizing as part of their work inside of the Adolescent Literacy Model.  Writing in mathematics takes a variety of forms, styles and purposes. When mathematicians...
Adapting ALM for Gifted Learners

Adapting ALM for Gifted Learners

Schools implementing the CTL Adolescent Literacy Model (ALM) have committed to improving literacy outcomes for all students through focused, intentional work in every classroom, regardless of content area. As a whole-school model, common strategies that lead to...
The Research Behind Artful Reading

The Research Behind Artful Reading

Artful Reading, when implemented with fidelity in classrooms, will improve teacher practice and effectiveness and improve student outcomes in literacy. Shanahan, in his 2010 What Works Practice Guide (IES), points to a set of  six requirements for reading...
Developing the Notetaking Skill

Developing the Notetaking Skill

Background: Taking notes from teacher presentations or from text or electronic material is an expectation for students beginning in the intermediate grades that increases at each level:  middle school, high school and especially college.  For some students, figuring...

Writing to Communicate in Mathematics

Students struggle to share what they know about mathematics through writing, and it should not be surprise to anyone that students feel uncomfortable writing about mathematics. As math teachers, most of us don’t write about mathematics routinely (if ever). We were not...
Academic Dialogue in the Mathematics Classroom

Academic Dialogue in the Mathematics Classroom

As we work to prepare our students for rigorous mathematics standards, I am continually reminded that the focus needs to move away from the teacher and shine on the student. Academic Dialogue is one way of focusing on the student. It allows students to talk about what...
Helping Students Understand Their Own Thinking

Helping Students Understand Their Own Thinking

Helping students learn to think about the processes they use to solve problems is an area of interest for me these days. I have been reading a lot about the different ways to help students understand problem solving in mathematics and the different kinds of thinking...