A Bit About Me
Thank you for visiting my website! I am McKenzie Sweet, a believer that all children are capable of learning and a seeker of teachable moments. I am a current Early Childhood Education major at Susquehanna University, located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Throughout my preservice teacher training, I have compiled a plethora of instructional strategies and classroom activities specific for teaching mathematics. I must admit that teaching mathematics caused me a great deal of worry. Teaching literacy came so naturally to me, but mathematics was a much different story. Luckily, after reading Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics and multiple scholarly articles, I gained more confidence! I discovered evidence-based, practical methods to teach mathematical concepts to lower and upper-elementary students. I created this website to share my findings with other preservice teachers, as well as practicing teachers. The information you will find can be adapted to teach students with a range of learning needs. Happy teaching, everybody!
Thank you for visiting my website! I am McKenzie Sweet, a believer that all children are capable of learning and a seeker of teachable moments. I am a current Early Childhood Education major at Susquehanna University, located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Throughout my preservice teacher training, I have compiled a plethora of instructional strategies and classroom activities specific for teaching mathematics. I must admit that teaching mathematics caused me a great deal of worry. Teaching literacy came so naturally to me, but mathematics was a much different story. Luckily, after reading Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics and multiple scholarly articles, I gained more confidence! I discovered evidence-based, practical methods to teach mathematical concepts to lower and upper-elementary students. I created this website to share my findings with other preservice teachers, as well as practicing teachers. The information you will find can be adapted to teach students with a range of learning needs. Happy teaching, everybody!
Navigation Advice
Click on the menu button, located at the top of this page, to discover the resources that I have compiled. You will find six individual tabs: CLD Students, Place-Value Concepts, Fraction Concepts, Measurement Concepts, Geometric Concepts, and References. When you click on each tab, you will be directed to research-based information for that specific mathematical concept. On the reference page, for your additional use, you will find full citations for the Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics textbook and the scholarly articles. I provide you with summaries of those resources, so I highly recommend you access them in their entirety. You will find even more great teachings tips!
Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics
Each page has a summary of evidence-based teaching tips. These were taken from the chapter in the TSCM textbook that corresponds with the specific mathematical concept being discussed. I tried my best to highlight the authors' most important ideas. Unfortunately, I did not have the space to discuss them all! Some of the tips may be applicable to your grade level and some may not. But, these evidence-based practices are worth the read!
Scholarly Article
Each page provides a scholarly-article review for that specific mathematical concept. The review provides advice from education professionals, such as college professors, child psychologists, and practicing teachers. Their teaching tips are extremely applicable to authentic classrooms, and I wanted to share their wisdom with all of you.
Classroom Activity
Each page has a video of a specific activity, which you could implement in your own classroom. I explain, as well as demonstrate, the activities in detail. They focus on specific skills that students are expected to master at certain grade levels. You are provided with the Common Core State Standards that the activities supports, so you know they are meaningful and effective. I throw in my own bits of implementation advice, as well.
Online Game
Each page provides an online game, which can be used as independent practice for your students. The games focus on specific skills that students are expected to master at certain grade levels. They are fun, kid-friendly ways for students to practice the skills without teacher guidance. They can easily be implemented as center activities, morning work, or a filler for some downtime. Students love playing games, so make sure to check them out!
Click on the menu button, located at the top of this page, to discover the resources that I have compiled. You will find six individual tabs: CLD Students, Place-Value Concepts, Fraction Concepts, Measurement Concepts, Geometric Concepts, and References. When you click on each tab, you will be directed to research-based information for that specific mathematical concept. On the reference page, for your additional use, you will find full citations for the Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics textbook and the scholarly articles. I provide you with summaries of those resources, so I highly recommend you access them in their entirety. You will find even more great teachings tips!
Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics
Each page has a summary of evidence-based teaching tips. These were taken from the chapter in the TSCM textbook that corresponds with the specific mathematical concept being discussed. I tried my best to highlight the authors' most important ideas. Unfortunately, I did not have the space to discuss them all! Some of the tips may be applicable to your grade level and some may not. But, these evidence-based practices are worth the read!
Scholarly Article
Each page provides a scholarly-article review for that specific mathematical concept. The review provides advice from education professionals, such as college professors, child psychologists, and practicing teachers. Their teaching tips are extremely applicable to authentic classrooms, and I wanted to share their wisdom with all of you.
Classroom Activity
Each page has a video of a specific activity, which you could implement in your own classroom. I explain, as well as demonstrate, the activities in detail. They focus on specific skills that students are expected to master at certain grade levels. You are provided with the Common Core State Standards that the activities supports, so you know they are meaningful and effective. I throw in my own bits of implementation advice, as well.
Online Game
Each page provides an online game, which can be used as independent practice for your students. The games focus on specific skills that students are expected to master at certain grade levels. They are fun, kid-friendly ways for students to practice the skills without teacher guidance. They can easily be implemented as center activities, morning work, or a filler for some downtime. Students love playing games, so make sure to check them out!