Math Moments with Mrs. Sheehan

A few weeks ago, I saw conversations about number talks on twitter and I thought, "How can I incorporate these asynchronously in a distance learning model?" Then, like magic, I came across a webinar from  Achieve the Core  and decided to sign up. During the webinar, Bethany Lockhart Johnson demonstrated how she used Flipgrid with her kindergarteners by having them record their answer to a problem, and then she would create a summary video where she pointed out different solutions and strategies and she shared that with her students. Check out her post about it  here . I was inspired by Bethany's idea, and I thought, this would work perfectly for an asynchronous number talk! I have used flipgrid in the past, but only a couple of times and not with many kids at once. So I put out a call to the #mtbos to help me out, and they delivered! I created a topic with a number talk using visual patterns (I got this idea from Sara Van Der Werf, check out the blog post  here ). I ...

At this point we all agree that we will inevitably  have at least some of our students learning virtually this year (or at the very least, absent from our classrooms for an extended period of time).  Our school hasn't decided what school will look like in August yet, but I want to be prepared. We will be one-to-one this year, so I plan to use our chromebooks often. One of my goals is to find ways to improve my online teaching experience from the spring. We used google classroom at our school. Overall, I think it's great. It's easy to use, you can schedule assignments ahead of time, and giving feedback is a breeze. However, there are some things I didn't like about it: Not being able to have important information pinned on the stream Being overwhelmed by all of the documents and information on the classwork page (even when it was organized) Not having a central place to post important links to things we used often Thankfully, our school required us (and paid for) all of ...

I can't say that I have necessarily missed my classroom during all of this. There are no windows, the desks are hard to group, it's crowded. My makeshift desk at home has a window next to it, a furry co-worker, ample bathroom breaks and time to eat vs. inhaling my food at lunch duty. My makeshift desk, complete with my fav candle, cold brew coffee, and my airpods #essentials But what I miss (and what most of us miss) is the conversations. While filling out my end of the year reflection evaluation, I had a hard time deciding what to put. My goal for this year was to encourage conversation among my students and teach them how to work together in groups and explain their thinking. I wanted to dive deeper into the #ThinkingClassroom model. I finally got my AP on board to see what I was trying to do.                       Some of my students working in #VRG earlier in the semester on our #vnps Then COVID happened. It isn't feasible ...

I think we can agree we've all learned a lot about ourselves right now. I'm fortunate. My family is healthy. We are able to work from home. We have fairly little responsibilities right now. My dog is ecstatic that he gets multiple walks a day. We get to cook and bake much more often. We have time to work on our house that we bought last year. As often happens during times of change, I've learned some things about myself. It is possible for me to stay awake past 11:30. (I actually hate it though. I'd rather get up earlier and go to sleep earlier. I'm working on that, if anyone has suggestions...) I need my students and colleagues. I crave social interaction all day and my husband has zoom calls and work to do. I'm sure even my dog is getting annoyed with me. I miss hearing about my students' weekends and chatting with my department in the hallway during passing periods. (I still don't miss lunch duty. I will never miss lunch duty). I have starte...

Today is day two of virtual learning, and I am already feeling restless, a little skeptical, and a little claustrophobic. I have always struggled with anxiety and transitions. In this time of unknowns, my mind continuously races. Will I get sick? Will my family members get sick? Will my students continue learning? Will we ever go back to school? When will things go back to normal?? I am somewhat of a homebody, but being trapped in my house has me feeling claustrophobic. Thank God for my husband, my dog, and FaceTime! Clearly my dog, Theo, is excited to be home and snuggle with us for the foreseeable future :) But the thing I'm most thankful for during this time of chaos is twitter and my #mtbos community. Last year, I made a twitter looking for ideas about how to get my students to practice more, and I found SO much more than that. I can't describe the ways this twitter community has changed my teaching practices for the better. But even more than that,...

This past week I had the privilege to attend the Standards Institute in Orlando. I went in not knowing what to expect, but it ended up being one of the best conferences I have ever attended. It was five days spent immersed with other educators who have a desire to see equity in education, recognizing our biases, and learning how to make equity a reality in our own classrooms and schools. It was a lot. It was five 8 hour days, mostly spent with our little cohort of subject area teachers. My group of educators helped push me, encourage me, and challenge me throughout the week.  Our facilitators were knowledgeable, lovingly challenging, and extremely helpful. Working with them this week has been a great reminder of how I want my students to feel in my classroom! The Standards Institute is put on by UnboundEd. Our main focus for the week was equity. We had several amazing keynote speakers speak on this, and during the day, we talked about how to make our schools equitable. ...

This is my first blog post EVER as a teacher. It feels so wonderful not to be limited by the character counts of Twitter! I'll start by sharing a little bit about me. I am currently teaching Algebra 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is my 6th year teaching. Last year I joined the #mtbos community on Twitter, and it changed my teaching practices for good. I began to implement a #thinkingclassroom and am working towards fully implementing it in my classroom. We use standards based grading in our department, and I'm a huge fan. I'm starting a program to get my ESL License this semester, and I'm excited to see how it will improve my teaching. Outside of school, I like playing (and coaching) volleyball, doing puzzles with my husband, reading, and snuggling with my dog. My plan for this blog is to share what's working in my room and any of my favorite resources/activities I have come across this month. I am in awe of how much is out there, and I'd love to sha...