Annie Forest

I share this picture, not because it's particularly flattering, but because it shows my real life. My husband snapped the pic of me participating in a Twitter chat while holding my little one. I think most people that love their job struggle to find a work/life balance. That is certainly me. In fact, you could say that I suffer from FOMO, or fear of missing out. My family laughs at me because if there is ever a gathering and I can't make it (my mom and sister going shopping, for example), I always say "have fun, but not too much without ME!" Although I mean it as a joke, I'm also quite serious. I hate missing out on stuff! With work, as an educator, and personal life, as a wife/mom, I feel like I am constantly missing out on things. If you are on Twitter and have ever experienced being at home while most of your PLN attends a conference, you know the feeling (my examples: #NCTMannual, #ISTE2016, #TMC16) My FOMO is dialed up even more right now as it is t...

Yesterday I presented to some math teachers about visible student thinking ( check out the slides here ). One of the ideas I talked about posing a picture, problem, or visual and asking kids what they notice and what they wonder. I just recently learned about this and started using it with my students last school year. It's one of those things that is so simple but so powerful. If you haven't heard of this idea before, please note that I completely borrowed this idea. Annie Fetter did an Ignite about it a few years ago. When you just ask kids what they notice and what they wonder, you are really helping them to understand that they already have mathematical ideas going on in their mind. The other great thing is that every student can participate right away. No matter their skill level, students notice and wonder things. There are no "fast finishers" yelling "DONE!" and students that struggle can contribute as well without fear of being ...