A Blog is Born

I finally did it - I joined the millions of other people who toil away typing their musings onto visually appealing digital diaries with hopes of reaching the world in some way. Why?

Well, what I hope to offer is a resource for teachers as they transition to the Common Core Standards in Mathematics. I have attended many trainings, developed aligned curriculum, and taught utilizing both the Common Core strategies and standards. It has been an interesting path - there are more than a few things I wish I would have known from the onset, and others I've figured out along the way. The idea here is to offer up all those wonderful little tidbits so you don't have to make quite as many mistakes as my colleagues and I did as we transitioned to Common Core.

My goal is to offer an assortment of posts and videos which demonstrate how to utilize Common Core strategies to reach the goals of the Standards. I have found that there are many lessons and activities available all over the web - we have plenty of resources that meet the standards. Our problem is that we don't know how to present them in a way that pushes students towards an enduring understanding of the foundations of mathematics. For example, many teachers have come to me saying things like, "I have lessons and activities where students divide fractions, but how do I actually TEACH division of fractions so it makes sense to students and they can see the pattern for the algorithm?"- THAT's the kind of question I'm hoping to address here.

BUT, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's go back to the beginning - the literal beginning of new blog.

In the beginning... I had to create a name. I feel very strongly that naming something is important. A name should embody the thing it represents - it is how we determine identity after all! So, now that we're all clear about my intent with "For Better Problems," I feel it is important that I offer my reasoning behind the name.

Why I am "For Better Problems:"

Last year (2012-2013), my middle school math department implemented the Common Core Mathematics Standards (rather than continuing to teach the California standards as they were being phased out).

Throughout this process I have found myself facing a myriad of problems. Anyone who has ever attempted anything new - or dealt with over a hundred seventh graders on a daily basis - will understand that problems are to be expected. The difference is that I would argue the problems presented by the transition to Common Core are "better" problems than those of the past, and in more ways than one.

First, the shift to Common Core has presented a host of new challenges and obstacles, but the good news is that they are finally the types of challenges and obstacles that are worth overcoming! We have moved from, "How do I cram all this information (that doesn't even relate to my students lives) into the short amount of time I have to teach it so they can pass a test and make my administrators happy?" to "How do I create lessons that actually get students to think critically and solve problems?" I don't know about you, but I would MUCH RATHER spend my time and energy answering the latter of these two questions, even though, at times, it has proven to be the more difficult question to tackle.

The second reason my attention has focused on "better problems" is the simple fact that Common Core requires it of us. If we expect students to explore, learn, and perform at the depth of the Standards, then we really have to give them "better problems" that present them with the challenge and opportunity to think, and we have to present them in a way that progresses their thinking towards deriving mathematical patterns, skills, and properties. We cannot just give the problem "2 + 3", have a student pick the answer "5" from a list of four answers, and determine that this student has "mastered" addition. By focusing on progressions of better problems, we can encourage students' growth and understanding of mathematics, foster foundations of number sense and mathematical reasoning, and maybe encourage a few more people in the world to love (or at least tolerate and understand) math.

So, the point is this: I am for tackling the more difficult yet more important problems that arise from teaching math in a way that is meaningful; I am for finding better problems for my students so that they can apply the properties of mathematics to solve the unique problems of life; I am for the switch from information-regurgitation to a focus on college and career readiness; I am "For Better Problems."