Are your students struggling with math? Are you struggling with how to best teach it?
Take a deep breath and relax… you are in the right place.
Based on my 10+ years of experience in K-8 math and special education, I strongly believe the reason so many students are struggling with math is because the methods we have traditionally used are misaligned with how the brain actually learns.
Research in the science of math shows that we have an innate ability to subitize, or see small quantities and just know how many there are without counting. This visual ability is housed in the right hemisphere of the brain, while language and symbolic representations are housed in the left hemisphere.
Methods used successfully for decades in teaching students with dyscalculia demonstrate that strengthening this subitizing ability is at the heart of what is needed to develop number sense and further mathematical skills.
Yet most math curriculums are missing the mark! They focus on visual representations that emphasize counting, rather than subitizing, along with a heavy load of language and symbolic forms that do not yet have meaning to students.
Interested in learning more about the different courses available?
Decoding Math
Decoding Math is our signature teacher training program. It begins with laying groundwork in the science of math, dyscalculia, and math learning disabilities, then moves into effective instructional approaches, tools, and methodology for developing number sense, teaching addition/subtraction, multiplication/division, and fractions. The training concludes with a deep dive into math assessments, planning math interventions, and writing the math-related components of IEPs.
What is Decoding Math? Decoding Math is an approach to instruction that first and foremost is aligned with the science of teaching and learning. Next, it uses effective visual representations and tools like dot patterns and Cuisenaire rods to develop conceptual understanding and efficient strategies. Third, it uses a methodology that is explicit, systematic, multisensory, and cumulative in nature. Put together, this approach can be thought of as Structured Numeracy.
What is Decoding Math “Live”?
Decoding Math “Live” begins with the online, self-paced content of the regular 30-hour Decoding Math course, plus an additional 15 hours of synchronous online class time, totaling 45 hours. This class is eligible for 3 graduate credits through Gordon College for an additional fee and includes a final assignment.
In these “live” online sessions we will:
- review and discuss content from the online course
- learn additional strategies, methods, and approaches for teaching math concepts
- discuss what you’re learning with other like-minded educators
- share ideas and learn from each other’s experiences
- practice the methods you’re learning and plan upcoming lessons
- receive additional materials, templates and lesson resources
- ask questions and have them answered
- build a community of educators committed to supporting each other and improving our practice
- begin to feel more confident and effective as a math teacher, particularly when working with your struggling students
Mathemagical Membership
Mathemagical Membership is an annual or monthly subscription designed to take the next step beyond Decoding Math and provide math educators with the continuous training, comprehensive support, and valuable resources they need to provide effective math instruction and interventions. Let’s do this important work together!
Navigating Number Stories
Navigating Number Stories is an 8-week online course designed to equip educators with research-based strategies and resources for solving word problems. Learn about two highly research-based practices: explicit schema-based instruction and attack strategies. Together these approaches are proven to be powerful for student success in understanding and applying word problem structures. Finally feel confident about teaching word problems!