Joyful and Engaging Math Teaching Strategies 

with Kendra Jacobs


Are you an elementary or support teacher, or a math specialist looking to make math exciting and accessible for your students? Kendra Jacobs offers interactive and engaging workshops that inspire confidence in teaching foundational math skills while promoting problem-solving and critical thinking.

SEE KENDRA'S WORKSHOPS

Kendra Jacobs is an experienced educator and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. She is passionate about reducing math anxiety for both educators and children, bringing joy to mathematics and changing the way we view and teach math. With over a decade of experience in the classroom and beyond, Kendra’s workshops are designed to meet the needs of today’s educators.

Why Join Kendra's Workshops?

  • For Teachers of All Grades: Choose from primary (K-2), intermediate (3-6), or general (K-6) workshops.
  • Flexible Formats: Attend in-person or virtually, with 1-2.5 hour options available.
  • Actionable Strategies: Gain practical tools and resources for immediate implementation in your classroom.
  • Customizable Options: Book a single workshop or combine sessions into a series to fit your professional development needs.

Mathematizing 24.7 comes from my deep rooted passion for constantly talking about math.

If you know me, you know it’s true. I’m always the voice in the back that says “and what about math?”

For some reason, we often think of math as ‘different’ from other teaching practices. We have readers in our classrooms. We have writers in our classrooms. And we ‘do math’. The word, mathematizing, used by Cathy Fosnot is created to shift this notion from ‘doing math’ to making math an active verbmath’ing or as she calls it mathematizing.

The name, mathematizing comes from my desire to mathematize everything. I believe that when we see math all around us, it is one way to positively impact our growth mindsets towards math and make it a little less scary. A little less different from the 'other' subjects. Mathematizing brings creativity and joy to math.

The idea of 24.7 was inspired by a colleague who is deeply passionate about making children’s ‘all day, everyday’ experience at school meaningful. That idea has always resonated deeply with me. We have children with us, in our school care for such a short time. How can we make the most of it? How can we bring intention to the little moments? The in between.

Mathematizing 24.7 is about making every moment count.

Workshop Topics

Getting Started on the Right Foot

In this interactive workshop, Kendra shares foolproof strategies for setting up a math program that inspires meaningful learning all year long. Teachers will walk away understanding how to engage their mathematicians, combat math anxiety in the classroom and create the conditions for a community of deep mathematical learning.

Routines, Systems and Structures for All Learners

For teachers looking to create structures that support all learners to succeed, a math workshop can be employed. In this interactive session, Kendra shares practical examples of math workshop in action, including mini-lessons, investigations and sharing which enable teachers to set up their own math workshop structure in their classroom.

Universal Design for Learning; A mathematical perspective 

In this workshop, Kendra shares easy to integrate strategies for all learners to thrive as wholistic mathematicians. She explores practical examples of Rachel Lambert’s universal design framework, in action, helping teachers understand the ‘how’ of universal design for learning.

Integrating Numeracy Into the All Day, Everyday Experience

For teachers looking at creative and engaging ways to integrate numeracy experiences into their classroom, not just during math block, but throughout the day!  In this engaging session, Kendra will explore practical ideas for teachers to mathematize their reading instruction, writing instruction, morning meetings and more!

Conferring with Young Mathematicians -

Counting Collections
(K to Grade 4)

In this practical workshop, Kendra shares interactive assessment practices in action, identifying what children know, can do, and understand through the lens of early number sense. Teachers will come away with a framework for assessment, using math conferrals to assist in both formative and summative assessment and a deeper conceptual understanding of early number sense and counting. 

Conferring with Young Mathematicians -

Multiplication
(Grades 3-6) 

In this practical workshop, Kendra shares interactive assessment practices in action, identifying what children know, can do, and understand through the lens of multiplication. Teachers will come away with a framework for assessment, using math conferrals to assist in both formative and summative assessment and a deeper conceptual understanding of multiplication.

What You’ll Gain

Strategies to reduce math anxiety in your classroom.
Practical examples of effective math teaching techniques.
Tools to create an engaging math environment for all students.
A deeper understanding of how to support diverse learners.

Contact & Availability

Ready to inspire passion and confidence into your math teaching?

Reach out to Kendra for pricing and availability.

About Kendra Jacobs

Kendra is a passionate mathematician based in Kelowna, BC. With years of experience in elementary education, she’s held roles as a classroom teacher, learning assistance teacher, resource teacher, and district consultant. Her workshops focus on making math a joyful, engaging experience for teachers and students alike. When Kendra isn’t teaching, she shares her love of math through her platform, Mathematizing 24.7, helping educators see math in every moment of the day.

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Client Testimonials

Lisa Wilson

Vice Principal  

As consultants working side by side, what I appreciated about Kendra was the way she aligned numeracy instruction with the literacy instruction we were supporting in schools. The alignment of general practices, structures and in particular the use of math goals to match the writing goals. The coherence in teaching literacy and numeracy benefitted teachers tremendously to create a harmonious day and most importantly supported the learners in the class. Kendra is a listener and seeks to understand what is already working well and builds upon this. She is thoughtful, responsive and has strong content knowledgeable. I felt inspired working alongside her.

 

Angelica Schon

Teacher, Germany

Very productive and informative - lots of practical tips for math lessons. I really appreciate the resources you've shared with me. I've used them in class and they were helpful when scaffolding. I am still insecure about my ability to teach math, but that's exactly why I've asked for help! very enjoyable - I am mostly afraid that I will be judged for my abilities, but that doesn't worry me when we talk.

 

Kerstyn Stewart

Teacher, Kelowna

I looked forward to each coaching session. I was nervous before the first because I wasn't sure what to expect but LOVED the opportunity to connect with Kendra and other educators outside my professional circle. I left each session with new inspiration and answered questions. I feel more confident in my math instruction and more aware of the developmental progression for the age group I teach. I liked your tip about breaking up the class into groups or partners. I would like to try pairing up students differently. I appreciated hearing what others were doing in their classrooms. I also enjoyed the collaborative nature of the sessions. Yes - your knowledge regarding early childhood and elementary years was very helpful. It helped to move my own thinking away from a more "traditional" model of teaching math and begin to incorporate more play based and open ended math opportunities in the classroom. I find that I am able to find "math moments" within each day outside the numeracy block and I am able to model that for the children who throughout the year are able to make similar connections.

 

Kyle Hamilton

UBCO Faculty

I had the pleasure of hosting Kendra as a guest speaker in a course I teach, and I am thrilled to share my experience. She delivered an exceptional presentation on using inquiry strategies in mathematics teaching for elementary school students.

Kendra is a highly professional and knowledgeable educator. She shared a wealth of relevant resources, tips, and innovative ideas that were immensely valuable to both myself and the participants. Her ability to model the strategies she advocated for was outstanding, demonstrating a deep understanding and practical application of inquiry-based learning.

Kendra embodies the qualities of the educator she promotes through her work. She walks the talk, showcasing the very best of what it means to be an inspiring and effective teacher. Her passion and dedication to improving mathematics education through inquiry strategies was evident.

I wholeheartedly recommend Kendra as a speaker and educator. Her contributions to our course were invaluable, and I am confident that she will continue to positively impact many more educators and students in the future.
 

Kenny Thyssen

Every time I engage with Kendra, I can't help but be filled with profound respect for the incredible value she brings to the table. Her uplifting and encouraging personality, coupled with her fiery passion for teaching, fosters enriching conversations that lead to personal growth, development, and fascinating insights. The way she approaches the world of mathematizing is truly astonishing, and I find myself eager to witness how she further contributes to reshaping our understanding of mathematical thinking and its practical applications in the real world.

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