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Meet Mrs. Bresson
My name is Jolene Bresson and I am your child’s 7th grade homeroom and 6th-8th grade mathematics or science teacher. This is my fourth year teaching at St. Paul Lutheran School and I eagerly wait to encounter the exciting journey God has planned for this school year. I am thrilled to be back in a smaller, close knit teaching community where I can influence and work with each of my students individually. In 2004, I graduated from North Central College in Naperville with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in mathematics. I know, a crazy combination, but I enjoy mathematics and helping students grasp the complex concepts.
Number Talks
Throughout the math classes, I will facilitate NUMBER TALKS. What are Number Talks you ask? Number Talks are short, student-led discussions about a given mental math problem. That's right! No pencil or paper needed! Students will solve the problem mentally and then discuss how they solved it with a partner and the class.
According to Making Number Talks Matter by Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker, Number Talks are "about helping students take back the authority of their own reasoning through a short 15 minute daily routine in which they reason mentally with numbers." Number Talks allow the students to lead the math discussion and the teacher listens and facilitates.
In my math classes, we will do Number Talks about 3 days a week. My goal is to improve St Paul's students' mental math, problem solving, and communication skills. I want them to realize that there are many different ways to solve a problem, but they need to be able to DEFEND their thoughts while still accepting others' thoughts. Hopefully, you will see more students thinking outside the box and being more confident with their math skills.
