November 2015 Letter from Carolyn
Dear US Math Recovery® Members,
My junior high math teacher told our group of adolescents that, while time may seem to pass slowly at our age, the older you get, the faster time passes. To justify his perspective, he launched into a lesson on fractions, ratios, and proportions comparing a day in the life of an early teen compared to a day in the life of a middle-aged adult. I think of him each time I hear someone say, "Wow! Time flies!"
At this point in the school year, educators are moving beyond getting classroom routines established and getting to know their students into continuing to learn from the students and meeting with parents. The adage "Go slow to go fast" takes on a life of its own in our Math Recovery® world as it reinforced by many of our Guiding Principles, such as problem-based/inquiry-based teaching, initial and on-going assessment, sustained thinking and reflection, to name a few. Even the term Progressive Mathematization encourages us to take time to deliberately increase mathematical sophistication over time. In the day-to-day hurry, I encourage you to prioritize the Guiding Principles and implement the dimensions of Progressive Mathematization [Wright, R., Ellemor-Collins, D., Tabor, P. (2012). Developing Number Knowledge: Assessment, Teaching & Intervention with 7-11-Year-olds: SAGE Publications.] The return on the investment of your time pays in the increased learning and positive disposition for learning mathematics.
In October we celebrated twenty years of Math Recovery® in the United States. "Brilliant, inspirational, amazing, wow..." capture the conference feedback. Thank you to the featured speakers Dr. Bob Wright, Dr. Anderson Norton, Ann Stafford-Dillon, James Martland, Kurt Kinsey, Petey MacCarty, and Christina Miller for moving the cutting edge of our adult learning. Thank you to the board and staff who supported our conference. Thank you to the conference attendees who remained actively engaged throughout the conference; I hope that you have already implemented at least one idea with your students or team.
While days may feel as though they pass more quickly, in reality each is still the same amount of time. May you not only allow your students the time to learn and develop, may you also apply those same Guiding Principles to your own learning and to that of your colleagues.
Warm wishes,
Carolyn
