# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXC1Z4ledP
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20303934-edutopia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/8e0328063f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-02-16T16:38:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

Using pictures in math lessons can be a powerful way to show students that math “isn’t about just algorithms and shortcuts—it’s about seeing patterns and applying what we know to what is seen,” writes math coach Kristen Acosta. ⁣
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When teachers use pictures in math, it shows students “math is all around us,” says Acosta, thereby encouraging more students to participate—and altering the narrative about who is good at math. ⁣
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To find images, Acosta suggests scouring math websites, stock image databases, and Twitter—or simply snapping photos of everyday household items like beads, buttons, and coins. ⁣
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Here’s how she recommends using pictures to spark engagement:⁣
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1. Counting, Addition, and Subtraction: Use images featuring missing pieces or spaces, like a partially-filled egg carton, to teach addition and subtraction. Ask: “What do you notice?” and “What do you wonder?” Follow up with: “How would you count the eggs?” to get insight into each child’s thinking, says Acosta.⁣
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2. Multiplication and Division: Acosta suggests using pictures showing arrays, like small cups filled with dry beans or beads, when students learn multiplication and division. Give them two numbers that would yield a remainder when divided and ask: “How many beans would go into each cup and how many beans would be left if they put an equal number in each cup,” she suggests. ⁣
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3. Fractions, Decimals, and Percents: When students learn fractions, share pictures of measuring tapes or measuring cups. For decimals, pictures featuring easy-to-count money, like stacks of coins, can help.  And for percentages and ratios, Acosta suggests finding images of retail signs showing sales like “40% off.”⁣
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“Especially now, when virtual lessons are becoming more prominent in education, using pictures highly engages children. The focus is no longer on who calculates answers the quickest, it is on true understanding,” Acosta writes. ⁣
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Link in bio.

#TeachersOfInstagram #MathTeacher #MathTeachers #StudentEngagement #PrimarySchool #UpperElementary #MiddleSchool #MiddleSchoolTeacher #PrimarySchoolTeacher

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## Tags

primaryschoolteacher, upperelementary, mathteachers, middleschool, teachersofinstagram, middleschoolteacher, studentengagement, mathteacher, primaryschool

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