What are you reading?

In between classroom visits and preparing for professional development trainings, I spend a lot of time reading articles, blog posts, and books. Ok, let's be honest.... I often only read a few chapters of each book. There is a plethora of information and media to help me become a better math coach and teacher.

Blogging has become a common practice among teachers to share about their classrooms and teaching practices. This can be a great way to connect and collaborate with others. For awhile I used an RSS to gather feeds from a variety of bloggers. Yet it was too much. There was no way I could keep up with everything. So I stopped.
And now... After a several month hiatus from my RSS feed, I started using Feedly. I began a search for a few blogs that would help challenge and inspire me in my teaching and role as a coach & instructional leader. I needed my list of blogs needs to be small. They must have good information and resources. I do not want to buy tons of stuff from Teachers Pay Teachers.

I have been trying out Feedly. Keeping it to a short list and trying on a few blogs. See how it feels. Does it inspire me? Is this information relevant to what I need now?

If you are not following Marylin Burns Math Blog, take a peak. She has fabulous resources, so even though she just started her blog, I look forward to her regular posts to inspire me and keep information fresh. 

I am enjoying the process and allowing myself a few minutes each day to read and reflect. Even though I don't have time to do this everyday, the regular practice and routine is important. On the days that I do take the time, I am very grateful.

Today I read a post from Math Minds titled, Talking Points- Decimals. Kristin, a 5th grade teacher, shares an lesson she did with her students around decimals. She listed a few statements, or talking points, and students discussed and wrote whether they agreed/disagreed with the statement, or whether they were unsure about the statements. WOW! I love this idea. This can give you some really good feedback into students thoughts and understandings. Easy setup, too. I enjoyed the pictures of the student work. I can see how several of the SMPs are incorporated into this lesson and supporting students to become mathematical thinkers.  It also allows for some great connections and practice with writing in mathematics. Check out her post here.

What are you reading lately? 

Consider finding something to read that inspires you to improve your teaching practice. It could be a focus on instruction or organization or even communication with parents & families. Think about the goals that you have for this school year. Don't try to do too much. If you're like me, doing too much means you do a little bit in a lot of areas, but nothing is done the best it could be.

This is my stack of books (related to teaching) that I plan on getting through this current school year. I've had this stack since August, with the best of intentions of reading every book. HA! I have read good chunks of many of these books as each book provides me new resources to share with teachers, confirms best practices of teaching & learning, and helps me stay focused on quality research and resources.

I enjoy reading articles from ASCD & Ed Leadership as well as NCTM. There is so much stuff out there. Hopefully you can find a few good reads that inspire you to take your teaching to the next level.

What are you reading? How do you stay in the know? What sources inspire your teaching?