Whenever Sheely Jones is in need of a new lesson or idea, she turns to Illuminations. “I know I’m getting something good,” she says. “I focus in on the questions that the lessons provide. I explain to my students (preservice teachers) that the questions are a must to facilitate discourse with their young students.”

When we met Sheely at the 2015 NCTM Annual Meeting in Boston, she gave us some insightful feedback on our resources:

How long have you been in the educational field? 

Since 1991; I currently teach content and methods to preservice elementary school teachers. I teach a curriculum and reflective course for practicing teachers and provide PD to school districts.

How do you use the Illuminations website? 

I have an assignment where students must visit the website and choose a lesson that they will use. They must then write a paragraph to describe to website to someone who has never visited before. Finally, they describe how they will use the website as a new teacher.

Is there a particular lesson plan that you’ve enjoyed using? 

I use Stick and Stones to show students how you can incorporate culture into a math lesson. Not only did students have fun creating their sticks with Native American patterns, they also completed the attached worksheets and discussed sample space and probability. Furthermore, we also were able to look at Native American patterns with symmetry.

How do you make the most of Illuminations resources? We’re excited to hear and share! Email us at [email protected] today.