Jessica Tobler, a teacher at Cherry Creek Elementary in Nebo School District, was honored with a State Math Award.
Jessica Tobler is an amazing example of an elementary teacher that strives to use best practices in mathematics education. Her school, Cherry Creek Elementary, is a highly-impacted Title I school.
"I am super grateful for Todd and Rory, for all their hard work in training teachers in CMI. I am also super grateful for my collaborative third-grade team, Alexa Martin and Jenny Loomis. All I’ve learned is from these wonderful people," stated Jessica.
Jessica decided early in her career that she wouldn't let outside circumstances dictate how she would teach her students. Jessica helps each and every student develop their own mathematical identity as problem solvers and as learners that see themselves as growing constantly. She helped her students see that, although they might not have a solid concept yet, they are getting better every day. These students are willing to persevere because of this identity she has helped cultivate.
Jessica's lessons are built on the ideas of task-based instruction, an approach to understanding math through problem-solving, the principles of building understanding of math concepts through the use of concrete representations, pictures and models, which lead to an understanding of numerical processes. She has also done a lot of work in the area of math fact fluency by helping students understand the concept of multiplication, helping them develop strategies based on number-sense, and building fluency through strategy use in games rather than the archaic practices of memorization, drill, and timed testing.
“Jess is the type of teacher that I would want my own son to have,” stated Todd Bradford, Elementary Math Curriculum Specialist at Nebo School District.
Congratulations Ms.Tobler! Cherry Creek is lucky to have you!