Big+Ideas

[Mike Anderson] - By identifying the Big Ideas, we make sure that we stay focused on what is important and we make sure that our students are learning what is important. This helps us identify when we are "off-target" and getting bogged down with unimportant details. It helps us to stop teaching to the textbook. It allows us to really know the curriculum instead of knowing the textbook. I see too much of teaching to the textbook. (Sharon) There are a lot of ways to make sure that we stay focused on what is important, the usefulness of focusing on the Big Ideas is that the many little details then have a context and/or meaning. (Bruce)  Students must reorganize their learning of skills and concepts in order to see their true value and meaning. This process along with showing the connections with other mathematics and our world will create the Big Ideas. (Carol)