The Palmetto Education Summit 2026

Every student falls behind in math at some point. But with the right support, all kids can catch up and succeed in grade-level math learning. This session will explore how real-world context and visual representations help students make connections to the big math ideas that structure math learning, allowing them to build deep understanding of prior concepts while learning new content.  Participants will: Examine two math problems that use students’ prior mathematical knowledge and real-world contexts to create on-ramps to new concepts Explore how solving with visual representations, such as hands-on and digital manipulatives, activates and teaches foundational concepts while building a deep mathematical understanding of new content Uncover new strategies to help students build confidence and succeed in grade-level instruction By the end of the session, participants will be motivated to approach math learning as the evolution of a few big ideas—helping students build connections across concepts and grades and giving them a way into new learning.