Teaching Approach
MASL scaffolds for multilingual learners
Sentence frames, glossaries, spoken-English versions of every equation, structured peer talk, visual supports — built into every lesson, not bolted on.
IM-aligned, ESL-first
Every lesson uses Illustrative Mathematics' Launch → Work → Synthesis architecture, threaded with WIDA-informed Mathematical Language Routines.
Permaculture-framed context
Math problems sit inside real systems — disaster survival, recovery, and redesign for regeneration — so students see why the math matters.
Sense-making over silent compute
Students learn to read, say, and explain math — not just compute it. Worked examples are models, not problem sets.
Unit 5 · Exponential Functions
Exponential Functions, Half-Life & Logarithms
Section A explores growth, decay, half-life, and rational inputs. Section B introduces logarithms as a name for the unknown exponent — the move L7 and L8 set up.
Unit 4 · Complex Numbers
Imaginary & Complex Numbers
Anchored on MASL card sorts: every new notation gets a Math · We Say · Meaning trio so students can read and pronounce expressions before they manipulate them.
Featured Research
Project-Based Instruction in High School Environmental Science: Integrating Permaculture Design Challenges and an Indigenous Knowledge Lens
A literature review of six studies (Krajcik et al., Matindike & Ramdhany, Akram et al., Nakano & Yamori, German et al., Lebo & Eames) examining whether the research base supports a Project-Based high school environmental science curriculum structured around Permaculture design challenges (disaster response, redesign, recovery) with Indigenous knowledge as a substantive lens, not decorative reference.
The synthesis lands on three sustained findings: affective engagement must precede cognitive transmission; genuine Indigenous-knowledge integration requires sustained, named partnership with knowledge holders rather than attribution; and assessment must measure engagement and identity alongside content mastery. The paper also names a real tension — high-fidelity curriculum design (Krajcik) versus localized practitioner adaptation (Lebo & Eames) — and resolves it as "fidelity on the driving question, openness on the local content."
Pedagogical Foundations
Teaching Math to Multilingual Learners
A WIDA-, NCTM-, and Stanford-Understanding-Language-grounded synthesis of evidence-based strategies for language-aware math instruction. BICS vs. CALP, Mathematical Language Routines, translanguaging as a mathematical asset.
Illustrative Mathematics — Pedagogical Foundations
The research base behind Illustrative Math: problem-based learning (Hiebert, Piaget, Vygotsky), the Launch → Work → Synthesis architecture, all eight Mathematical Language Routines, and how MASL vocabulary cards fit inside the IM lesson cycle.
Classroom Tools
🎲 Visibly Random — Group Generator ↗
Free browser tool for transparent random grouping. Smart roster parser, absence tracking, 70+ subject-themed group names, fullscreen smartboard reveal. No login, no data stored.
☢️ Radioactive Dating Lab
Custom drag-and-drop simulation for an Algebra 2 exponential decay unit. Real artifacts (Ötzi, T. rex skull, Ishango bone), live half-life curve, and a 3-page scaffolded recording sheet.
📊 Exponent & Roots — Visual Reference
Interactive visual reference covering the full exponent and roots unit. SVG factor-tree diagrams, semantic color coding, keyboard navigation.
Background
📄 Teacher Resume — Matt Bennett
Educator and curriculum developer with 10+ years across program management, workforce development, and environmental education. Project Manager & Lead Trainer at PowerCorpsPHL (curriculum for 100+ opportunity youth), former Permaculture Design faculty at Cornell, B.S. Mechanical Engineering from Boston University.