Everyday Math

March 18, 2016

Well my first week has come to a close. I'd like to talk about Everyday Math since I have now seen it for a full week. It is definitely very different than what I was taught in elementary school, as well as what I taught in my last placement.

This week we covered geometry for thee days, and math machines for one day. The curriculum is set up for a 4 day week. At first I thought this a little weird, however, the more I thought about it the more I liked it. This gives you built in flexibility to extend one lesson into two days if you think your students could use the extra practice. You have the ability to catch up if you fall behind for unforeseen circumstances (class programs, fire drills, 2 hour delays, etc.). Or, you have the options to get to supplement with additional activities. This is what we did today. My teacher set up math stations for the students to rotate through.

Something else that I like is the constant review on old concepts. This keeps students' thinking refreshed. So far it seems as though there is time for review during each lesson and also on each homework page.

I am still learning this type of teaching and I'm sure I will have a pros and cons list by the end of this 8 week placement. However, right now I just wanted to discuss the positives.