"Mathletics?"

Last week, it was so wonderful to observe Barb Stahlhut teaching students about derivatives. Barb inspired me to think about experiential activities within my classrooms. My experience in her classroom made me say, "dump trucks to all." I must use personally relevant activities, objects, and scenarios to build student investment. Barb demonstrated how to put the "student back in teaching", and I really admired her use of technology, verbal validation, collaboration, and self-assessment. Also, the derivative activity focused on the learner. For me, Barb's words resonate beyond the walls of the classroom, "We know what it looks like, but what does it mean?"