Susan Marie Kunze
Elementary Mathematics Awardee
"Children learn best when they work with manipulative materials prior to working with abstract symbols. Representational learning is the bridge between the purely manipulative and the symbolic. This can be pictorial or another representation of number without the symbols… Asking a child to ‘talk through the problem’ is a method I use to incorporate formative assessment into a particular activity. Interviewing a child about his/her cognitive process while working a problem gives insight into the child’s understanding or clarifies misunderstandings, allowing for targeted and immediate remediation. Similarly, encouraging students to ‘talk math’ while playing a game or working together to solve a problem provides information on student understanding." — Susan Kunze
Susan Kunze is a second grade mathematics teacher at Elm Street Elementary in the Bishop Union Elementary School District in Inyo County, where she has taught since 1985.
Kunze graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 1975, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Ryan Act Multiple Subject Credential. In 1982, she completed a Master of Education degree in Elementary Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Kunze is a member of the California Mathematics Council and a frequent presenter at mathematics workshops and conferences.
Kunze has authored two books for teachers, Ten Minute Activities, Grades 1-3 and Grammar and Punctuation for Grade 2.