All posts by Mark Trushkowsky

About Mark Trushkowsky

Mark enjoys doing math problems that take weeks, family sing-a-longs and reading late into the night. At 16, he believed the next American revolution would be waged through poetry. Now he believes it is adult basic education. But he still likes poetry. Mark has worked in adult literacy and HSE since 2001. He is a founding member of the NYC Community of Adult Math Instructors (CAMI). He was born and raised in Brooklyn. He currently lives happily ever after in Minnesota with his partner Sarah, their daughter Liv, 4 chickens and a dog named French Fry. Follow him on Twitter (@mtrushkowsky)

Math Problems Aligned to the Common Core

HSE, Math, Pre-HSE, , , ,
Illustrative Mathematics
· Appropriate for: Use in class · Available: Lessons, Problems, Videos · Readiness: Some resources are ready for the adult ed classroom and some would need to be adapted · Engagement: 2 = engaging

Illustrative Mathematics is a great resource that brought together teachers, math educators and mathematicians to create mathematical tasks aligned to each standard of the Common Core. There are currently over 1000 tasks, from grades K through 12. Because it is K-12, some tasks will need to be adapted, but because it is K-12, there are rich materials for adult education students at all levels, from ABE to HSE. Continue reading Math Problems Aligned to the Common Core →

Developing Algebraic Thinking Through Visual Patterns

ESOL, HSE, Math, Pre-HSE, , , ,
Visual Patterns
· Appropriate for: Use in class, For student independent work · Available: Problems · Readiness: Resources can be used as they are · Engagement: 3 = very engaging

Visual Patterns is a very simple and wonderful website, created by a public middle school teacher in Southern California named Fawn Nguyen.

The site is essentially a collection of 157 different visual patterns (and growing). For each pattern, you are given the first three figures/stages of the pattern. For example, Continue reading Developing Algebraic Thinking Through Visual Patterns →

Developing Students into Deep Mathematical Problem-Solvers

HSE, Math, Pre-HSE, , , ,
Inside Mathematics
· Appropriate for: Use in class, Knowledge of teaching · Available: Lessons, Problems, Videos, Assessments · Readiness: Resources need to be/can be adapted for adult education classroom · Engagement: 2 = engaging

Inside Mathematics identifies itself as “a professional resource for educators passionate about improving students’ mathematics learning and performance”. The goal of the site is to help educators continue to grow and transform their teaching practice. To accomplish this there are a lot of resources, including  lessons, challenging math problems, videos of classroom instruction, videos of teachers planning lessons, videos of teachers reflecting on lessons they just taught, etc. Continue reading Developing Students into Deep Mathematical Problem-Solvers →

Scientific Misconceptions and Wonder in the Everyday

HSE, Science, , ,
Veritasium
· Appropriate for: Building teacher background knowledge, Use in class · Available: Videos · Readiness: Resources need to be/can be adapted for adult education classroom · Engagement: 2 = engaging

Veritasium is a YouTube channel of science videos, focused mainly on physics, created by the charismatic Dr. Derek Muller. As of this review, there are 199 incredibly engaging and visual videos, with more being added all the time. One of the things I really like about the Veritasium videos is the way they focus on drawing out and breaking down common misconceptions about science and how the physical world works. Continue reading Scientific Misconceptions and Wonder in the Everyday →