Shelly Renae Scheafer

  • 2013 Future Leader Initial NCTM Annual Meeting Attendance Awards Recipient

    Shelly Renae Scheafer

    Buckingham Elementary School, Bend, Oregon

    Fostering Early Numeracy Education

    The objective of this proposal is to acquire and share knowledge regarding early numeracy development, appropriate instruction, and early identification of at-risk students. It is the shared vision of a school community that makes the greatest school impact on student success. After seeing firsthand the results of a focused early literacy emphasis, I plan to be a pivotal player in bringing the same dedication to early numeracy. My plan is two-fold: 1) teach classes on fostering the development of early numeracy and 2) help my district move forward with a Response to Intervention (RtI) plan for mathematics. It's not enough for teachers to have great learning activities; teachers need to understand the why behind the activity in order to scaffold instruction to meet the needs of all learners. I believe much can be done in the regular classroom if teachers have the right tools for early identification and instruction.