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The Math Learning Center Blog

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We’ve all had those conversations in which someone laments that math isn’t taught the same way it was “in the good ole days.” Our understanding of best practices in mathematics has changed, and change can be difficult for everyone. And it can be especially difficult to a parent who just worked a long day and is now trying to help their student with homework, using strategies they never learned in...
Looking for resources to educate parents? Bridges leaders Barb Blanke, Kimberly Kelly, and Jessica Djuric have compiled a wealth of slides, articles, books, and handouts that could be used for family gatherings, student-led conferences, back-to-school sessions and more. Visit their site, Effective Parent Education. For additional ideas, see Lori Bluemel and Pia Hansen’s posts about Family Math...
Cynthia Hockman-Chupp
Children need lots of practice, with various activities in different settings, to develop a strong sense of number. My kindergartners love an activity I call Estimation Bag. I place a small plastic container inside a canvas bag, and a student adds a single type of object: paperclips, pennies, barrettes, etc. We start with 10 or fewer and increase the quantity to between 10 and 20 after a month or...
Marion Leonard
Bridges in Mathematics Second Edition was evaluated by EdReports and met all three major criteria at each grade level. This places Bridges among the very few programs that have achieved the organization’s highest rating. EdReports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educators with a trusted resource for independent reviews of classroom curricula. Their rigorous process evaluates how...
Collin Nelson
We’ve been talking with educators at conferences, in workshops, and online about how they use (and love) our apps. This feedback is critical to making sure our apps stay useful and relevant in your classroom. Earlier this summer we updated the Geoboard, Number Rack, and Number Pieces apps. Next on our to-do list was Number Line. The Number Line app has always been a great way for students to...
Collin Nelson
Learning List , a K-12 instructional materials evaluation service, recently released independent alignment reports and an editorial review of Bridges in Mathematics second edition. Each grade level K-5 was found to address 100% of the Common Core State Standards. Number Corner second edition was also reviewed. Grades K-5 were found to address on average 95% of the Common Core State Standards...
Bridges students learn more than one way to solve multi-digit multiplication expressions. This enables them to select the strategy that is most efficient for any given problem. In addition to the standard algorithm that many of us were taught, fifth graders also investigate: Area model & four partial products Doubling & halving Ratio table Using quarters Over strategy While my students use the new...
The Math Learning Center is making updates to all of our free math apps. We’ve listened to your feedback, and we think you’re going to love the new features. So far, we’ve updated 3 of our 6 apps. Geoboard, Number Rack, and Number Pieces are all ready to download in the Ipad version. Web version updates will follow by April 1. Here’s a list of the new features: Geoboard Updated look and feel...
Jami Smith
This video offers an inside look at Bridges in Mathematics within the School District of Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin and features interviews with elementary teachers, students and the district math coach. Falls Connection - Featuring Bridges Math from Riverside Elementary on Vimeo . Special thanks to the district for allowing us to share this story. Jami Smith is a media specialist for MLC.
Jami Smith
Dr. Raj Shah explains why math is now taught differently than it was in the past and helps address misconceptions about "new math". Dr. Shah is the owner and founder of Math Plus Academy an academic enrichment program with two locations in Columbus, Ohio. Math Plus Academy offers class in math, robotics, programming and chess for kids from KG to 9th grade. Math Plus Academy is on a mission to show...
Jami Smith