Blog

By Teresa Lara-Meloy | February 8, 2019 I recently started a martial arts class. Towards the end of the first class, we began something I have never done before: the five animal poses. As I focused on following the leader, making ...

By Teresa Lara-Meloy & Jennifer Knudsen | November 27, 2018 We have spent more than 10 years studying math argumentation in middle school, in part because early teenagers are in an interesting stage in their development of argumentation skills. While they ...

By Hee-Joon Kim | May 2, 2018 Last week at NCTM’s annual conference, Harriette Stevens and Hee-Joon Kim presented on using visual representations to engage all students in the mathematical practices—with a focus on argumentation. They discussed how both familiar representations (e.g. diagrams, graphs) and ...

By Teresa Lara-Meloy | April 19, 2018 Next week, we present at NCTM on using visual representations in the math practices—mostly argumentation, considering it’s us. Here it is in the program: As a teaser, here are a couple of slides from the ...

By Jennifer Knudsen | March 7, 2018 I recently re-tweeted Christina Cho’s (@ccho01) tweet on her second graders’ conjecture wall. So inspiring! If second graders can conjecture, so can middle schoolers, don’t you think? We’ve found it to be true. I thought ...

By Hee-Joon Kim | January 21, 2018 How do you decide which tools to allow for students to use to “do” mathematics? When we say doing mathematics, we mean students engaging in exploring mathematical ideas and concepts. Traditionally, students have been ...

By Harriette Stevens | December 12, 2017 We were recently lucky enough to present at the annual conference of the National Alliance of Black Educators. It was full of interesting sessions, which I didn’t have enough time to explore thoroughly. Our ...

By Jennifer Knudsen | November 6, 2017 Mathematical argumentation is improvisational! As you and your students create mathematical truth together, you all have to respond in the moment to what others are saying and doing. Norms of collaboration and celebrating mistakes ...

By Jennifer Knudsen | October 23, 2017 Mathematicians have been figuring out the mathematical truth for millennia. Can this possibly be relevant for today’s students? Yes! Mathematical argumentation can make your classroom more joyful and engaging. Going beyond just rules to memorize, ...

By Jennifer Knudsen | October 22, 2017 Mathematical argumentation is the perfect opportunity for your students to develop their own mathematical authority—their sense of self as creators of mathematics, in charge of deciding the truth for themselves. We elaborate in this ...