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my new book is available

Order on Amazon.com: $4.99 My new book Teaching Unmasked is available in the following formats right now: As a free eBook (you can download the PDF file) On Kindle for $1.00 In Print for $4.99 On a blog (within the next few days) As a free audio book Read More...
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2010 03 13

John Spencer

11 Comments

redefining math literacy

It's my fifth year of teaching and I have a math intervention class. The term intervention sounds really serious, as if we're bringing in a team of family members to confront a child on drug addiction. Apparently, it's less severe - some kids aren't getting Read More...
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2010 03 8

John Spencer

5 Comments

what I can learn from early elementary teachers

I once sat in a meeting full of early elementary education teachers. It was a bizarre location, filled with bubbly talks of picture books and peppered with Pamper Chef party invitations. The speaker said, straight-faced, "Lee Canter is great and I recommend Read More...
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2010 03 6

John Spencer

6 Comments

climb to the top

Once upon a time in the Monkey Kingdom, a report came out about how poorly young monkeys were faring in the climbing tests in comparison to the rest of the world. Alarmed by these trends, people were scared and angry. Groups formed, demanding a return Read More...
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2010 03 2

John Spencer

11 Comments

connecting

"What is one item of technology that the world would be better off without?" I ask one morning for Bell Work. It feels like a soft ball question, but a few students struggle with it. "Let's get to work," I implore two boys. "I'm sorry, I'm thinking," Read More...
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2010 03 2

John Spencer

3 Comments

mystery

Note: this is a small section of one of the chapters that I'm writing for Teaching Unmasked. Parts of the book are written from scratch and other parts use my blog as source material. And now I'm using a part from the book to post to the blog - so I guess Read More...
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2010 02 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

we expect more out of the poor than out of the rich

As we analyze the functions of money, a student raises his hand and wonders why we left off two categories. "What about bribes? It's not the same as spend, save, invest, give away, lend or borrow." Another student argues that it fits better within the Read More...
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2010 02 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

what if everyone is right?

Students in my district have a hard time passing the standardized tests. It's no secret. You don't have to show me another graph advertising this in an in-service meeting (if you really want to provide me a service, you might want to ditch the graphs Read More...
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2010 02 24

John Spencer

16 Comments

math poem

show your work prove it the process the system the graphite numbers coldly lining up dreading the red checkmark simply saying "the product is more important than the journey" either/or binary machinery every number predictably acting as numbers act always Read More...
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2010 02 22

John Spencer

3 Comments

I hope he stays a lunatic for life

Micah tells Joel to look up at the moon. The elder is taking a lesson from the younger, a quick reminder that the moon still matters. "It was hiding behind the clouds, but now it's back," Micah explains. "It's a quarter-moon," Joel adds. "A quarter is Read More...
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2010 02 20

John Spencer

6 Comments

sometimes it's best when technology isn't user-friendly

The simple addition of "pages" tabs into Blogger has made student portfolios so much easier. In the past, I would say, "I want you to have a blog that also functions as a website and as a wiki, allowing me to edit your portfolio. I'm not telling you how Read More...
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2010 02 20

John Spencer

2 Comments

Friday Featured Blog: Joe Bower

I stumbled across Joe Bower's Blog For the Love of Learning through Twitter. He posted some comments and I enjoyed his responses. I enjoy some bloggers because they are so different from me (Matthew Koslowski, for example) or because they have similar Read More...
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2010 02 19

John Spencer

1 Comments

why I believe in scrapping grades

I used to believe that grades were ineffective on motivation. While I knew some students were motivated by the desire for an A, I thought that taking away grades would make little difference. The hard-working students would be the ones who still wanted Read More...
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2010 02 18

John Spencer

11 Comments

Kids Aren't Learning Enough About Dinosaurs

a mock article I wrote: A recent U.S. Department of Education study confirmed researcher's deepest fears about the inherent flaws in our Early Elementary Educational System. Children are not recieving adequate training in paleontology, despite the numerous Read More...
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2010 02 18

John Spencer

8 Comments

TAD Talk #1 - How much instruction do I offer?

My first TAD Talk. (TAD Talks are meant to reveal how little we know, how much of a mystery life is and what it means to meander in the mystery - in other words, the opposite of many expert-driven TED Talks) I don't know how much instruction to offer. Read More...
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2010 02 16

John Spencer

2 Comments

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