Why does high school math need a makeover?

There is no shortage of international studies to cast doubt on the effectiveness of American math instruction. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are two studies frequently referenced when discussing math disparities. These assessments warn us that the number of students who are proficient with math in the U.S. is low, especially when compared with other industrial countries like Japan, South Korea, and Finland. What’s going on?

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8 min read
Jan 5, 2024

Building Confidence and Increasing Inclusion Through Launch

What is inclusion in a classroom really? Inclusion is talked about in education in many different ways and takes on many different forms. Inclusion is more than just being in the room. It is more than ‘just’.

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3 min read
Dec 15, 2023

Why Should ALL Math Blocks Include Launch?

At All Learners Network (ALN), we start every balanced math block with Launch. Launch is typically about 5-15 minutes, depending on your time and schedule, and focuses on building number sense, reasoning, community and productive math discourse. Students gather as a whole class to engage in a number sense routine, with time to think independently as well as share their ideas with their classmates.

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3 min read
Dec 8, 2023

Making Math Lessons More Inclusive: ALN Problem Introduction Protocol

What if there was a way to get students more comfortable sharing ideas during a math lesson? What if there was a way to reduce the amount of “I don’t knows” during a math lesson?

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3 min read
Dec 6, 2023

Math as a Door Opener

All means all. Not “some” or “most,” but every single person deserves to have a humanizing learning math experience that affirms themselves as the capable, competent math thinkers that they are. As educators, we must consider all aspects of a person when planning high-quality learning experiences in order to increase access for all. The current status of our national education system has highlighted the disparities in the traditional delivery of, and access to, quality math instruction that effectively exclude certain students from college and career opportunities.

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3 min read
Dec 1, 2023

Unpacking Belonging in Math Class

Why is belonging in math class so important? Feeling a sense of belonging is a vehicle to engagement. Engagement promotes both learning and empowerment as an expert learner. At All Learners Network (ALN), we believe in opening the doors to all learners, especially those who have historically struggled to learn math in traditional instructional design. Inclusion means all students are considered when designing instruction and providing access to grade level mathematics. Maslow (1943) posits five sets of goals, or basic needs, which are related to each other and are arranged in a hierarchy of im …

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7 min read
Oct 27, 2023

Why do the High Leverage Concepts (HLCs) focus on one skill?

This blog post pulls from chapter three of our book, Teaching Math for All Learners: Teaching educators to use effective strategies to help all children learn math.

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4 min read
Oct 20, 2023

What is math coaching? What is not math coaching?

All Learners Network (ALN) facilitators Erin Oliver and Tara Trudo pull from their experiences as classroom teachers, interventionists, math specialists, and coaches to collaborate on this basic coaching primer.

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3 min read
Oct 13, 2023