Five Resources for Middle School Math Teachers

10/17/2017

$Are you looking for resources? Math teachers need many - this blog post offers a few ideas.$

Teaching Middle School Math
Teaching math isn’t easy, but with the right resources, it’s much easier to connect with your students and improve your teaching practices.

There are SO many options and resources out there for us to choose from. Sometimes, depending on the topic, there's so much available that it can be overwhelming.....while for other topics, it's challenging to find anything that fits our exact needs.

For this post, I've chosen some sites/resources that could help you in your math planning.

1. Lesson Plans (obviously!)
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with a great lesson plan....you just get stuck. When I started looking online, I was surprised to find so many great lesson plans for all grades and subjects, including math. For me, it’s a great way to get ideas, even if I don’t follow the exact plan. I love sites like PBS Learning Media and TeachingMath.org, which have a variety of lesson plans and activities to help inspire us.

2. Teaching Groups/Collaboration
There are many groups of teachers from different parts of the world who have found each other through social media and have created or joined Facebook groups. These groups share teaching tips, discuss teaching methods and philosophies, and offer support and advice. One group I'm part of is called Let's Talk Teaching Teens - this one is for teachers of middle and high school teachers. It's exciting to share with, learn from, and help teachers around the world!

3. Games, Puzzles and More
My favorite resource for math teachers is actually a bunch of different resources. I’m talking about activities, games and puzzles to keep students engaged. A few great places to start include:

Problem of the Week and Free Resources from yours truly
Big List Of The Best Websites For Teaching Math (massive list of great resources)
YouCubed (my absolute favorite site!)

4. Books!
I love reading books to find ideas and improve my teaching, and there are a couple that I think are absolute must-haves. These are by Jo Boaler; I've read others that are good, but I think hers are amazing:

5. Pinterest Boards
I'm sure you're already all over Pinterest, but just in case you're not - I can’t tell you how many great resources I’ve found on there. Entering search terms like “math” or “teaching” or specific topics like “equivalent expressions” or “dividing decimals” brings up numerous pins and boards. Fill up your own boards with related resources so you have a place to turn when you're in need of a quick idea. From teaching tips to games, there’s a little of everything.

When you’re armed with the right resources as a math teacher, it's so much easier to help students learn to love math.