Kathleen Cotter Clayton

2025 MassHOPE Convention Speaker

Speaker Bio

Kathleen Cotter Clayton is the daughter of Dr. Joan A. Cotter, author and creator of the RightStart™ Mathematics program. She is one of the first children to grow up under the RightStart principles. Kathleen has a degree in Home Economics and a minor in Business from the University of Minnesota and has two Masters Degrees from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Kathleen and her husband Steve have six adult children and six delightful grandchildren. 

Kathleen is currently responsible for curriculum development, marketing, and sales. She travels all across the US and Canada, sharing the RightStart mission of helping everyone understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics. In her spare time, Kathleen designs and creates quilts and loves to travel all around the world.

Speaker Workshops

Invisible
Learning Challenges in Math? Challenge NO MORE!
Teaching math is not for the faint of heart. Mix in a child with learning challenges and you may end up becoming discouraged and be tempted to throw in the towel. Be encouraged, you are NOT alone. Whether your child has been diagnosed with a learning challenge or simply doesn’t ‘get’ math, we can help. In this workshop, you will learn teaching strategies and techniques that will help a child with learning challenges learn.
How to Be a Great Math Teacher
Maybe you struggled with math, so how do you choose a curriculum to avoid the same fate for your child? Maybe you are really good in math but are unsure how to teach it? Should you include manipulatives? Or not? What DOES it take to be the best teacher for your child? Come, be encouraged, and learn about the science and the art of teaching math. You CAN be a great math teacher!
Fractions - Seeing Is Believing
Fractions are often seen as overwhelming with a list of chaotic and confusing rules. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Discover a visual approach that reveals the simplicity and beauty of fractions using a linear chart. Card games provide practice and support making learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions interesting and fun. This practical approach will give your child clarity and understanding of fractions.
Math Games: Laughter and Learning All in One
Bring joy to your math lessons with games. Engaging and exciting math card games will teach math and reinforce the facts. Instead of solitary and isolating worksheets, games create a social, interactive experience where children of all skill levels can learn together. Join us for a fun-filled workshop where we’ll show you how to play some addition, multiplication, and fraction games to boost math skills, promote critical thinking, and infuse learning with laughter and joy.
The Five Miscalculations in Math
Are your children bored to tears with worksheets and flashcards? Do they run and hide when it’s time for math lessons? When they see a word problem, do they give you the “deer in the headlights” look? Come and recalculate your math experience! Learn the five most common mistakes when teaching math and bring back and keep the excitement of math!
Math Super Powers: Building for Success
How do you help your children develop their math super powers? How can you empower them to use visualization and strategies to learn math facts? Come to this workshop and investigate techniques that will support your child’s understanding, build their confidence, and succeed in their math journey! 
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