Annie Forest

One of my favorite things is presenting to teachers. I've fallen in love with working with adults that want to improve their practice. Nothing beats being in a room of educators nodding their heads as I share with them about topics I'm passionate about too. Of course, there is a fine line between giving people what they want and presenting about topics you feel could push people's thinking and be about what the education profession needs . Dan Meyer wrote a post about this (and the comments are also important to read). It made me think, I'm certainly not just presenting to entertain people for an hour, but being entertaining helps get people's attention. I'm also not there to harp on reform and changes, but I wouldn't be my authentic self if I didn't slip a little of my progressive ideals into my presentation. My formula lately is: a little teaching philosophy (why) + resources (what) + pedagogy (how) + humor (I hope!) There is a reason educ...

There are SO many great ways to use iPads in the classroom. However, it can be a little overwhelming! Last year was my first year using iPads in math class. I tried a lot and learned a lot along the way. One big lesson I learned is that there are many math "games" out there that aren't much more than digital flashcards. In addition, many are timed which I think adds a lot of stress and not much in the way of getting students to think mathematically.  Read Tracy Zager's criteria for fact-based apps . If you are new to iPads, or just looking for some new apps, wanted to share some of my favorites. Many of the best apps I found are free! First, if you teach middle school or high school, you NEED Desmos . Download it now and read more about Sara's love of Desmos . Although the activities aren't through the app, also take some time to check out the activities at teacher.desmos.com . Next, check out ClassKick . You create assignments, kids work, yo...

There are a ton of tweets with the hashtag #iwishmyteacherknew. The idea is, as a teacher, you ask your class what they wish you knew and you collect their responses. This idea is not new. I remember hearing about it two year ago. But, with the beginning of a new school year, it's come back around. Oh, and there is a teacher making money off of it, too. What?! Making money, you might ask? Yes, a teacher asked her class this question and turned the responses into a book (not linking to it, on purpose). Now, I'm all for writing about the profession. I have a stack of edu books waiting to be read. What I'm not into is asking kids to share their deepest thoughts, fears, and struggles and then turning around and sharing them with the world. Rafranz Davis says it great, read her post here . You are their teacher. If they feel safe enough with you to share personal details, DO: 1. read it 2. let it inform you as a teacher 3. and keep it private! DON'T: -share on ...

I am really lucky that I get to be home with my kids right now while I'm on maternity leave. While on leave, I still want to feel connected to my work. I'm keeping up on Twitter and taking on a few PD leadership opportunities in my district. When I came across a great activity by Sara , I just knew it would be one I would want to try if I was in the classroom this year. So, I passed it along to all my middle school math teacher friends. A few teachers tried it out and were nice enough to send me pictures! How amazing that I got to see the smiling faces of kiddos excited and happy to be in math class?! It makes me happy to be connected with teachers and classrooms!

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 ...

Math is everywhere! As a math teacher, I feel like I'm thinking about math often. But there are some latest inspirations that keeps math on my mind ALL THE TIME. I see math in almost everything I do! My first example of inspiration is " Math Photo Challenge ," a summer photo taking challenge for math-minded Twitter peeps (not on Twitter? check out the website ). Each week there is a different theme/challenge. It's a great way to see the math in your everyday life. The collection of pictures from everyone is also great images to use in your classroom in the fall. You can show pictures and ask your students what they notice/wonder. Or you can use pictures for specific standards and ask students what problems they can come up with that match the image. I'm even thinking about how I can have my students use their iPads to take pictures with a different theme each week so they are inspired to see math everywhere just like I have been! Here are a few examp...