Curriculum & Lesson Prep

There tend to be strong opinions when it comes to homework. Our goal here isn't to add fuel to that debate. We simply want to explain our philosophy, acknowledge that teachers may disagree, and share some ideas for what we'd do if we did give homework. Does Homework Help Students Learn? Research on homework is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. A major research synthesis by Harris Cooper and colleagues found that homework was more strongly associated with academic achievem

If you’ve ever browsed the When Math Happens curriculum, you may have noticed that spiraling practice is everywhere. In our courses, we call these assignments Staying Fresh Problem Sets because we think that name makes more sense to students and parents. So what exactly is spiraling practice, why do we use it so often, and how can you use it in your own math classroom? What Is Spiraling Practice? A spiraling practice set mixes problems from multiple math concepts. Spiraling p

Why Error Analysis Helps Students Learn Math A key component of our curriculum and courses is error analysis. We believe—and research supports—that students make meaningful learning gains when they analyze common classroom errors. Instead of simply correcting mistakes, students examine why the mistake happened and how to avoid it in the future. This helps students develop deeper conceptual understanding and recognize common math misconceptions. But is there a specific method