Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics

This month's issue of #MTLTPK12 includes an article describing a teacher reflection tool designed to help K–5 educators foster equitable participation & a sense of belonging for all students in mathematics discussions. @nctm.org

pubs.nctm.org/view/journal...

#MTBoS #iteachmath #T2T #math #mathed

Link to the article (rather than the journal): pubs.nctm.org/view/journal...

An image showing the Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics' Excursions: Categorical and numerical data, and 2D and 3D geometry activities that encourage K-5 students to apply the mathematics they are learning to the contexts of their own and others' lives and communities. 6 images represent Favorite Foods K-1, Quilts 1-2, Buildings 1-2, Languages 3-5, Quilts 4-5 and Temperature Grade 5

This month's issue of #MTLTPK12 includes an article about Excursions and how activities that connect the math students are learning to their lived experiences & communities can foster a culture of belonging. @nctm.org

pubs.nctm.org/view/journal...

#MTBoS #iteachmath #T2T #math #mathed

Thank you for the heads up! It is working on our end... Can you send info about the error msg to Megan?

Open Patterns When we teach students about patterns, we’re really teaching them how to begin to think algebraically. This is especially true when we use Growing Patterns or Visual Patterns from Fawn Nguyen…

A lovely variation of a growing patterns activity from @mikewiernicki.bsky.social. What if we give students an image of Stage 1 (instead of 1-3) & ask, "How might it grow?" B/c they create the pattern, students have "a real 'need' to know how to describe it."

"Trying something new is not the end goal, it’s part of a learning cycle. We try a routine, task, or approach. We notice how students engage w/ the math. We reflect...& adapt, not to chase novelty or flashy, fun options, but to better position Ss as sense-makers within a coherent math storyline."

"Possibly the most important resource in developing this mathematical understanding is collaboration, as students can share their thinking and make connections between each other’s ideas."

"Too many schools mistake exposure to grade-level rigor for quality instruction & generic pedagogy for content-specific intervention... [How do we learn from the] places where schools are using assessment to identify gaps & adopting or building content-specific interventions to address those gaps?"

Keeping it real . . . As math teachers, we work really hard to figure out what students know. We confirm where we are trying to take them by regularly consulting our curriculum guides. Then we use backwards design to ma…

A lovely blog about how powerful "the simple shift of finding personally meaningful data, versus given data, and using it in authentic ways" can be. Also, what happens when that authentic data results in "an ugly number."
- @jsandford.bsky.social

What Leaders Look For vs. What Actually Matters in Math Classrooms Most school leaders I know want the same thing.You want students to leave your building prepared for life. You want them to be able to think, adapt, make good decisions, and contribute to their commun...

"Many students move thru years of math instruction w/o ever being asked to solve problems that resemble real life. They learn: To follow steps—but not to make sense.
To avoid mistakes—but not to learn from them.
That speed matters—but not that struggle can be productive." - @pamseda1.bsky.social

Temperature: Connecting Math, Science, and Social Studies in Grade 5 Students interpret line graphs about places with extreme temperatures, learn about Matthew Henson's role in an expedition to the North Pole, and make line graphs showing the average temperature in a p...

NEW BLOG: "5th graders are often interested in extremes. ... [This excursion] explores extremes of temperatures, the expedition in search of the North Pole, and temperatures over time in places students’ families have lived or visited."
www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

Did you miss @jennalaib.bsky.social's Session? Watch the recording of it now!

www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

I'm looking forward to this tomorrow! Free for all.

Listen. Learn. Implement. NEW 30-minute listening sessions Teacher Reflection Tools and Insights for Equitable Math Classrooms * Student Reflection Tool, 2/9/26, 3-3:30 EST * Teacher Reflection Tool for Whole Class Discussions, 3/16/26, 3-3:30 EST Get Inspired by real classroom stories — then bring your questions to our live Q&A.

Session 2 of our 30-min listening session, with time for Q&A, is fast approaching! This session will focus on the Student Reflection Tool designed by the Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics. Learn more: www.terc.edu/mathequityfo... and register: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/ZIhtIun

2025-2026 Speaker Series Using Insights about Student Thinking to Shape Classroom Experiences by Jenna Laib 2/4/26, 7-8 EST

Session 3 of our Speaker Series is 7-8 EST on 2/4/26. Hear @jennalaib.bsky.social on how data gathered from students can inform responsive instruction that builds on their strengths, addresses their needs & creates meaningful math learning for all. Register: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/HKaippJ

2025-2026 Speaker Series Using Insights about Student Thinking to Shape Classroom Experiences by Jenna Laib 2/4/26, 7-8 EST

Session 3 of our Speaker Series is 7-8 EST on 2/4/26. Hear @jennalaib.bsky.social on how data gathered from students can inform responsive instruction that builds on their strengths, addresses their needs & creates meaningful math learning for all. Register: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/HKaippJ

Using Student Reflection to Inform a Strength-Based Approach to Math Learning A teacher explores how inviting her students to reflect on positive math experiences helps her acknowledge and build on students’ strengths and current understandings.

NEW BLOG: Finding out and "acknowledging what students understand & using that information to provide targeted feedback & responsive instruction not only promotes learning but also sends a powerful message to students that everyone is a math thinker, sense-maker and problem-solver."

"This is why I return again and again to interviews: they help me see growth that scores alone cannot capture, and guide me towards the thinking students are ready to build next."

Measuring Growth in Mathematical Reasoning: What Mia’s Thinking Reveals Mia* is a fourth grader who participates in a small-group intervention with me that focuses on multiplication. She is enthusiastic and playful — curling the dot in the i in her name into a he…

Inspired by @mburnsmath.bsky.social's session, Session 3's speaker @jennalaib.bsky.social wrote this. "To assess learning & development, I need to look more closely at how Mia reasoned thru the tasks, not just how many ?s she answered correctly. This is what I love most about interview assessments."

Paraeducators are an important and underutilized resource with great potential to impact mathematics learning in elementary classrooms.
www.terc.edu/doing-the-ma...

1: Kids who had more time for free play...made way more progress in the lesson.
2. Using [manips] upped dramatically how much math the kids did.
3. Even when [they] weren’t doing exactly what we’d asked, they were doing math.
4. Manipulatives make it easier – even automatic – to differentiate.

One teacher details how she's worked to have "students take charge of their learning...by [helping them] focus on what they already know and develop strategies that make sense to them rather than rushing to find answers and moving ahead with what is next."

Guest Blog: Reflections from the Classroom: Students as Agents of Their Own Learning. Rachel Goldner, a math specialist, describes how she works to empower students to see themselves as agents of their own learning. "I aim for students to look less often at me for assurance, correct answers and approaches and to instead look within themselves for how to solve problems"

Check out our first Guest Blog! www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

2025-2026 Speaker Series Using Insights about Student Thinking to Shape Classroom Experiences, by Jenna Laib 2/4/26 7-8pm, EST

Did you miss Session 2? Watch the recording of @mburnsmath.bsky.social's talk about reasoning: www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

Then register for @jennalaib.bsky.social's session which will explore how data gathered from students can inform responsive instruction! lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/HKaippJ

Reflections from the Classroom: Students as Agents of Their Learning Math specialist Rachel Goldner describes working towards her goal: "students [who] look less often at me for assurance, correct answers and approaches and...instead look within themselves for how to s...

Guest blog! Math specialist Rachel Goldner describes working towards her goal: "students [who] look less often at me for assurance, correct answers and approaches and...instead look within themselves for how to solve problems." www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

Reimagining PLCs: Growing Teacher Practice to Strengthen Student Thinking Every December, classrooms start to feel different.The pace slows just enough for teachers and leaders to lift their heads and ask the question we avoid when we’re pushing through the day-to-day: ...

"When Ss disengage from math—whether quietly or loudly—it isn’t a reflection of their ability. It’s feedback. It tells us something about the environments we’ve built, the expectations we communicate & the structures that support (or unintentionally limit) deep thinking." -@pamseda1.bsky.social

Reflections from the Classroom: Students as Agents of Their Learning Math specialist Rachel Goldner describes working towards her goal: "students [who] look less often at me for assurance, correct answers and approaches and...instead look within themselves for how to s...

Guest blog! Math specialist Rachel Goldner describes working towards her goal: "students [who] look less often at me for assurance, correct answers and approaches and...instead look within themselves for how to solve problems." www.terc.edu/mathequityfo...

Yes! Also: fun prompts for playing around with #OrderOfOperations

Can. Not. Wait!

We are so excited to have Marilyn Burn presenting tomorrow, 12/10/25 at 7-8pm EST! She will share videos of students solving problems & explaining their thinking, & focus on reasoning as the foundation for building math understanding & skills. Register here: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/HKaippJ