Dear US Math Recovery® Members,

Welcome back to another exciting school year! May an experience of renewal and growth equip you to enthusiastically face the challenges and rewards of being an educator.

NCSM’s Marshall Memo 551, September 9, 2014, contained an article about two types of cognition. One is crystallized knowledge, which includes knowledge such as vocabulary and arithmetic facts and is often measured by standardized tests, and the other is fluid knowledge, which includes abstract-reasoning and novel problem solving. So frequently the educational debates pit one type of thinking and learning against another. I thought of the Learning Framework in Number (LFIN) that is foundational to our Math Recovery® professional development, and the insightfulness of seeing both types of knowledge as important, as reflected in the LFIN.

Next year will be the twentieth anniversary of Math Recovery® professional development in the United States, and the twelfth anniversary of the establishment of the US Math Recovery® Council as a nonprofit organization. Relevant programming and professional development, along with many dedicated individuals, have contributed to the longevity of Math Recovery®. Relevancy, in no small part, is due to a solid Learning Framework that incorporates and encourages the development of both factual knowledge and abstract reasoning. I invite you to reflect on your own classroom teaching experiences and the opportunities that you present for students to solidify their knowledge of number through problem-/inquiry-based teaching that is informed by initial and on-going assessment and focused just beyond the child’s current understanding. I am confident that applying the “Guiding Principles of Math Recovery Teaching” will enhance both crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities.

I look forward to seeing you at the 2015 US Math Recovery® Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, October 26-29, 2015!

Kind regards,
Carolyn Olijnek
Chief Executive Officer