Grow Your Mind
The Glue That Holds Math Proficiency Together: Building Adaptive Reasoning in Every Learner
Most students can follow the steps. They can execute a procedure, produce an answer, and move on. But ask them to justify their thinking, apply their reasoning to an unfamiliar problem, or explain why their answer makes sense — and the wheels come off. The National Research Council called adaptive reasoning the glue that holds all five strands of mathematical proficiency together. So why does it get the least attention? This post breaks down what adaptive reasoning actually is, why it can't develop in silence, and the practical routines that build it in every learner — regardless of grade level or ability.
Podcast: Unpopular Opinions in Education
What counts as real intervention? What does joy have to do with learning? I joined the Minimalist Educator Podcast with four fellow educators to share our most unpopular opinions in education — including mine about math intervention. Listen to both episodes and watch the full conversation here.
Guest Blog: The Lasting Impact of PBL on Students
Dr. Keith Adams has spent 30 years in education learning the same lesson from two very different roles — teacher and coach: sustained engagement doesn't come from compliance, it comes from ownership. In this post, he shares how Project-Based Learning, grounded in UDL principles, gave his social studies students a year-long invitation to pursue questions that actually mattered to them — and how the skills they built along the way followed them long after they left his classroom.
What Coherent Math Intervention Systems Have in Common
Why do so many math intervention efforts fall short despite strong educator commitment? In this post, I share four design principles that can help schools build more coherent mathematics intervention systems—ones that target the right needs, strengthen instruction, and support meaningful progress.
Guest Blog: When the System Gets Disrupted
Many classrooms look productive on the surface, but how much real thinking is actually happening? In this guest post, Robert Mayfield examines how changing the classroom environment in history and social studies can shift students from passive compliance to visible, collaborative thinking through a lens that also aligns with UDL.
Podcast: Simplifying Professional Development with On-Demand Tools
Naomi Church joins Monica Burns on the Easy EdTech Podcast to discuss how on-demand tools can transform professional learning. This episode explores the difference between PD and PL, the role of UDL in adult learning, and practical ways to design professional learning systems that actually lead to change.