kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Thanks for the great conversation!!! I'm walking away with some new ways of using using tools that help students facilitate and communicate their thinking. Have a great evening!!! #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A8: I've also been leaning into AI for great ideas on creative visual lately. Chatty, Gemma, and Magic School are all great! #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026@mnmmath.bsky.social That's so cool! I love those balance pictures. I'm literally using a set of those tomorrow as I workshop with about 25 middle school math teachers ;-) #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A8: I had the privilege of co-authoring the Seeing the Math You Teach. This book spotlights a plethora of strategies we use to help students get beyond memorizing and remembering. This book is heavy on visuals and light on text. www.corwin.com/books/seeing... #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026@mnmmath.bsky.social I agree - I also want students to learn to sketch their own visuals. That said, I like to include mats for things that students may find more difficult to create from scratch - hundred charts, ten frames, grid paper, geometric figures, etc. #ElemMathChat 130
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A6: There are so many strategies to visualize. If you're looking for a resource to help YOU see various strategies and representations, check out this free resource. It's great for helping PARENTS see the math, too! Math Power (free PDF): tinyurl.com/5xknefzf #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A7: Side-by-Side Math provides a learning sequence that helps students connect their thinking with physical, visual, symbolic, and verbal representations: tinyurl.com/mrv9y367. #ElemMathChat 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A6: That list is quite incomplete - there are so many strategies to visualize. So...if you're looking for a resource to help YOU see various strategies and representations, check out this free resource. It's great for helping PARENTS see the math, too! Math Power (free PDF): tinyurl.com/5xknefzf 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A5: I include laminated mats with the manipulatives “tool kits” at each table. Students can use laminated mats OR simply write on a white board/paper. This is especially helpful with representations that are tougher to sketch, such as ten-frames, hundred charts, or decimal grids. #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A5: I use lots of visual representations while I’m talking with students. I literally walk around with a clipboard and skinny markers so I can sketch a number line, a number bond, or a picture to illustrate as I talk math with the kids. And I invite them to do the same! #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026@mfannie.bsky.social So true - feedback is key to helping students manage precision with visuals that facilitate and/or communicate thinking #ElemMathChat 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026The key words in @mfannie.bsky.social 's last poast were "once they understand them." How do we develop that understanding??? Here's a free resource that many teachers and leaders find useful: Math Power (free PDF): tinyurl.com/5xknefzf #ElemMathChat 220
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A4c: For older learners, let’s help them see how to transfer their thinking from fraction manipulatives, such as pattern blocks, to diagrams, tables, or symbols. #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A4b: Explicitly helping young learners sketch counters, such as teddy bears, using x’s, circles, or tallies rather than actual pictures of the teddy bear counters is very beneficial. #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A4a: I find it helpful to explicitly help students create visual representations on white boards side-by-side with a partner who is either using manipulatives or recording with symbols. Check out this Corwin blog post on Side-by-Side Math: tinyurl.com/mrv9y367. #ElemMathChat 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026@anneliserecord.bsky.social - You're so right!! Sometimes other students need to see the visuals, and sometimes we do, too! Check out the new book I wrote with my friends Katie and Chryste...Seeing the Math You Teach Seeing the Math You Teach (NEW book): tinyurl.com/mwk8tj26 #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A3: I also find that we teachers sometimes need a brush-up on the visuals. Because when WE can see the math, THEY can see the math!!! #ElemMathChat 120
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A3: One issue I find most important to address right away is making sure that students understand the visuals so that they use them organically rather than simply copying what the teacher is doing. This is what Peter Liljedahl refers to as “mimicking", and mimicking is not thinking. #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026As with manipulatives, using visual tools provides two important avenues to thinking: FACILITATING thinking and COMMUNICATING thinking. #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A2: We’ve known the research about CRA for decades. I’m a HUGE advocate for using manipulatives, and visuals can never replace physical tools. That said, sometimes a quick sketch can help students communicate their thinking and even help facilitate new thinking. #ElemMathChat 030
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026@mnmmath.bsky.social - I just taught a 6th-grade BTC lesson today, helping students connect tables, graphs, and equations. It was amazing to see what the students were able to teach themselves using the visuals as supports 120
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026A1b: Oh…and let’s remember that virtual manipulatives are also visual representations!!! #ElemMathChat 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I'm Kim from Phoenix, AZ. Today I"m joining in from Honolulu, HI. We had a blast co-teaching BTC lessons in 4 classrooms today!!! #ElemMathChat 020
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I'm Kim, from Phoenix, AZ. Today I'm joining in from a school library in Honolulu, HI. We had a blast co-teaching BTC lessons in 4 classrooms today and then discussing next steps. 000
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Hi there, #ElemMathChat friends! We'll get started with our conversation at the top of the hour. Can't wait to learn together 010
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I'm so excited to learn along with everyone at #ElemMathChat TONIGHT!!! 000
kimrimbey.bsky.social @kimrimbey.bsky.social · 11/11/2024I just joined in on this party. Hello to all my math friends!!!!! #ITeachMath #ElemMathChat #EduSky 2150
