Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
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8:30 9:00 am
9:00 9:25 am
9:30 11:30 am
Morning Sessions
9:30 11:30 am
Morning Sessions
9:30 11:30 am
Morning Sessions
A "just enough" approach to intervention for students with gaps in their mathematical understandings. Michelle Naidu, Foss 43
(Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12), General Interest;
Assessment, Curriculum / Lesson Planning)
This 3-day session is geared to help teachers plan real time interventions for their students, while still
attending to their own course curriculum requirements.
Day 1: I don't have time to teach my curriculum, let alone fill gaps!
We'll take a look at collaborative planning processes that help you gain deep understanding of your
curriculum, as well as what your students need to know. Be prepared to unpack your standards and look at
vertical alignment to help hone in on which gaps need immediate attention and which (while important) are
for another time.
Day 2: Not all pre-assessments are created equal
There are as many ways to pre-assess your students as there are to assess them. Pre-assessments can also
serve several different purposes. We'll discuss how to design quick pre-assessments that identify gaps based
on what your students need to be successful with your curriculum. We'll also get started at making preassessments for the upcoming year.
Day 3: Now I know there's a problem, what do I do?
Alternate Title: Oh shit, they cant add!
Quick, effective ways to offer "just enough" intervention that will make your new instruction more effective.
We'll look at possible structures for managing individualized interventions and enrichments and start planning
for your classroom.
Dont Plan a Lesson, Design an Experience Jonathan Osters, Chris Robinson, Ole Rapson, and Nicole Bridge,
OGC 200
(Beginner Level, Intermediate Level; Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Post Secondary;
Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Questioning)
Experience-First Mathematics (EFM) is a term we adopted to describe all approaches of instruction that
encourage students to take ownership of their learning. This includes problem-based, inquiry-based, and
project-based learning. All these techniques require the teacher to carefully design an experience a chance
for students to immerse themselves into the math and create new mathematics for themselves. These
sessions are designed for all teachers looking to increase their use of student-centered learning, and both
beginners and intermediates can learn so much from hearing a variety of voices.
Day 1 activities will have participants exploring a fun math topic instructed in an EFM style. We will then
dissect the experience: what worked well and why? Well identify the intention behind every teacher choice
and what you as a teacher might have done differently. We will also discuss how current research supports
this approach.
Day 2 will begin with a discussion about overcoming challenges within the classroom and school community.
Participants will then investigate a traditional lesson (or two) and make it Experience-First. Small groups will
tackle different parts of the lesson, constantly focusing on what the student experience is. Each group will
share ideas, and participants can share stories from their own practice - which lessons do you have that are
Experience-First style lessons, and which lessons would you like to modify?
Day 3 will give participants an opportunity to partner up and intensively work on making an EFM lesson for
your classroom, spending time on each partners lesson.
9:30 11:30 am
Morning Sessions
9:30 11:30 am
Morning Sessions
Using online collaboration and dynamic math to focus on thinking, rather than thoughts - Steve Weimar,
Anderson Hall 101
(Beginner Level, Intermediate Level, Advanced Level; Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades
7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Common Core State Standards, Discussion / Debate, Geometry, Technology,
Accountable Talk; Collaborative learning;)
Many of us are working to have classrooms in which the Mathematical Practices are as important as content
knowledge, but it is challenging to organize a learning environment in which we focus on thinking, rather than
thoughts. How do we design math education so that students and teachers can focus on how we are thinking
and what it means to get better at these Practices? I will draw on the work of the Math Forum in the Virtual
Math Teams project, where we have built a multi-user GeoGebra environment, and on our work in online
problem solving more generally. Over the course of the morning sessions we will dive deep into rich geometry
tasks (and encounter some new ways to think about big ideas like construction and proof), get to know the
freely available VMT GeoGebra environment, talk about how people have used it with students, and explore
the difference between focusing on thinking and focusing on thoughts, by focusing on thinking in actual
student work.
11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm
1:30 2:30 pm
Race, Math, and What We're Not Talking About Jos Luis Vilson
Mathematics reform has become a major topic in the last few years, from Nicholson Baker to Andrew Hacker.
What's often absent from the conversation is the voice of educators, specifically those working with the most
marginalized students. How do we address these intersections so all students can learn?
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Games and Activities for Integer Addition and Subtraction - Christy Pettis and Aran Glancy, Old Main 202
(Beginner Level; Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6); Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Number)
We've developed a fun game and follow-up activities for introducing integer addition and subtraction to
students. The game combines a context, a vertical number line, and the chip model. We'll explore why we
think introducing integers with these three models *together* makes a difference by looking at sixth grade
student work. The session will begin by looking at sixth grade student-generated stories and responses to
simple integer computation problems. We'll use these to talk about how the student work gives insight into
the key aspects of integer understanding that need to be addressed in initial instruction and how to build on
student understandings. Then we'll introduce "Floats and Anchors" and give some time to play the game.
We'll also show some variations on the game and follow-up activities that we've made and used with students
to better support their understanding. The game and follow-up activities are all available for free at this
website: https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/integer-games/home
Pear Deck 101 - Julie Reulbach (Pear Deck certified coach) and Julia Finneyfrock, OGC 200
(Beginner Level; Elementary (Grades K-4), Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades 7-8), High
School (Grades 9-12), Post Secondary, General Interest; Assessment, Curriculum / Lesson Planning,
Technology)
Pear Deck is an interactive software that allows students to actively participate in each aspect of your lesson.
Learn how to Pear Deck existing powerpoint or google slides presentations as well as create Pear Decks from
scratch from a Pear Deck certified coach. By the end of the session, you will have a finished Pear Deck lesson
you can use!
Using Talking Points to Create a Culture of Exploratory Talk - Elizabeth Statmore, Music 24
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Common Core State Standards, Discussion / Debate,
Social Justice)
If you want your students peer-to-peer talk to rise out of the swamp of mumbling and into the level of truly
exploratory talk, then you are going to need some structures and tools to get this going. In this workshop
session, participants will experience and learn efficient, evidence-based techniques for introducing and
improving the quality of student-to-student talk. Immersive segments will be followed by reflective, master
class segments in which we will analyze the techniques and ideas weve just experienced. All levels of
teachers and learners are welcome in this session, and any math we do during the workshop will be accessible
to all who wish to participate.
Backwards Bikes & Productive Struggle - Sara VanDerWerf, OGC 201
(General Interest; Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Leadership/Advocacy)
I'm on a journey to create a classroom where students are excited, curious and engaged in mathematics. Not
some students, all students. In 2015-16 I learned to ride a backwards bike (note: as of 1.16.16, I am still
learning, but by summer 2016 I hope to have learnED). Everyday, in our school hallways, I practice riding the
bike in an effort to model persistence for my students. Ultimately my journey to ride this bike taught me more
about my own teaching and my beliefs about students and how they learn math. Join me in trying to ride my
backwards bike. More importantly, I will share the things I use in my own classroom to create a desire for
productive struggle in my math students. (Google 'backwards brain bicycle' & watch an 8 minute video if you
want to see why I am trying to learn to ride this bike)
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Playing with Math and Getting Published - Sue VanHattum, Old Main 104
(Beginner Level; High School (Grades 9-12); Algebra, math circles, playing)
Putting together the book Playing with Math: Stories from Math Circles, Homeschoolers, and Passionate
Teachers was a 6 1/2 year long labor of love. It's done. It's published. It's a very cool book. Maybe it will inspire
you.
I'll present about some of what I learned while working on it, and how the work provided me inspiration for
my college teaching (even though the book has nothing to do with my college courses). I'll be thinking,
together with the group, about how our online participation enriches our teaching. And we can talk about how
to get published.
4:00 4:30 pm
Afternoon Sessions
I'm Blogging With The Man In The Mirror - Justin Aion, Foss 19b
(Beginner Level; General Interest; Supporting Teachers)
If you want to make the world a better place, you'd better look at yourself and then write a blog! "But, Justin,"
you say! "What would I write about? Why would anyone read it?" Come join us as we discuss why and how
spreading your brain jelly onto Internet toast can help you become the best teacher ever!
Balancing on the Block - Allyn Davis, Old Main 104
(Beginner Level; High School (Grades 9-12); Algebra, Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Supporting Teachers)
It won't be 90 minutes of lecture! Strategies and lesson planning "must haves" when teaching math on the
block schedule. How to use every minute to ensure an environment that balances the ownership of learning
for teachers and students.
Building a MTBoS at Home - Jim Doherty, Music 23
(General Interest; Supporting Teachers, Creating Community)
Our wonderful, supportive community helps us to help improve our students lives. Wouldnt it be great if we
could cultivate this type of enthusiasm and support at our own schools or in our own districts? I would love for
you to join me in a roundtable discussion to share ideas about how to build our own local MTBoS
communities.
What is Mathematical Modelling? - Edmund Harriss and Chris Shore, Foss 42
(Beginner Level, Intermediate Level; Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School
(Grades 9-12); Common Core State Standards, Curriculum / Lesson Planning)
Mathematical modelling is often talked about, but what is it? We will start with numbers and talk about how
we really use them, from there we will move to more complicated models balancing between the
mathematical world and the so called "real" world (or sufficiently interesting imaginary ones).
4:00 4:30 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Using the Box (Area) Method to Create Coherence and Connections - Anna Hester, Old Main 202
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Algebra, Pre-Calculus)
Many of us have abandoned FOIL and teach the Box (or Area) Method for multiplying polynomials, but if that
is all you are using it for come check out this session to learn how using this model extends to factoring (not
just trinomials!), completing the square, and dividing polynomials. Forget about the arduous long division and
students not remembering the extra steps in synthetic division. Using the the same area method you can
divide any polynomials with ease. By using this method for multiple operations it cements their understanding
of the algebra underneath it and helps us "nix the tricks" in one more way to foster conceptual understanding.
Connections to earlier math classes will also be made to help emphasize the coherence of math throughout
school to students.
The Animated Equation - Paula Krieg, Foss 21a
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Linear Equation, quadratic equations,
transformations, flip-books)
Hands-on Math! Here's an analog way to put "play" and "pause" right into your students hands to help them
make sense of the transformations of graphs of equations. The technology is old-fashioned flip-books. The
books we'll construct will show visual behaviors of graphs of linear and quadratic equations but once you get
the concept you see that these can be created with all sorts of content. The goal is to lead teachers through
the process of how to make these books simply in the classroom, and we will do it within the time constraints
of a typical class period. Templates and hand-outs will be provided. After constructing the the books we'll
discuss how to use them as discovery tools for deciphering the patterns behind the changing equations.
Some of what we will be doing can be seen at https://bookzoompa.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/theanimated-equation-book/.
Problem Solving: A Self-Differentiating Class - Wendy Menard, OGC 201
(High School (Grades 9-12); Curriculum / Lesson Planning)
Using a curriculum focused on problem-solving techniques, we can engage students at all levels and
demonstrate for them how they can think like mathematicians. This elective course, based on the book
Crossing the River with Dogs, was designed originally for off-track upper level students. However, it can be
modified for a wide range of ages and abilities, and parts of the course could be synthesized with any class. In
this workshop, we will examine some of the strategies and problem sets used for the course, and also explore
the classroom culture that best supports success for all.
Every kid, Every Day - Becca Phillips, Music 24
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Leadership/Advocacy, Social Justice, Supporting
Teachers)
Every classroom has Those Kids - kids who are hard to engage, hard to understand, and sometimes hard to
like. Whether you have a full room of them, or a handfull on the back row, please come talk about how
positive behavior intervention can help stem the school-to-prison pipeline and give every child an opportunity.
You'll leave armed with things to try, things to consider, and things to motivate you to reach every kid, every
day.
4:00 4:30 pm
Afternoon Sessions
4:30 5:00 pm
9:30 11:30 am
11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm
1:30 2:30 pm
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
"I'm Not a Math Person" - Identity and Its Impact on Math Success - Nicole Bridge, OGC 200
(General Interest; Social Justice)
So often we hear people say things like "I am not a math person," or "I just don't have the math gene." How
are these identities formed? How can we help to students to develop positive identity around learning and
doing math? Why does it matter? This session is meant to be the beginning of a conversation for teachers to
think about their own identity around mathematics and the identities of their students. The goal is for
participants to leave with a deeper understanding of how to examine their own instructional practices, and
strategies to help their students create a positive math identity.
Making Math Class Accessible For All - Andrew Gael and Melynee Naegele, OGC 201
(Beginner Level; General Interest; Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Leadership/Advocacy, Social Justice, Special
Education)
Lesson planning is hard. Planning a math lesson which provides access for all the learners in your room is even
harder. During this session participants will be introduced to two lesson planning practices (EDC Accessibility
Strategies and Universal Design for Learning) which will allow participants to investigate what they already do
in their classes and ways to increase access for students with learning needs and disabilities.
Participants will be exposed to practical examples of these lesson planning strategies currently in use as well
as given the opportunity to explore implementation in their own practice and get feedback from others in
attendance.
Going beyond simple differentiation by creating an equitable environment of accessibility for students with
learning needs and disabilities will truly benefit all the learners in any math class!
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Fostering Algebraic Reasoning in the K-5 Classroom - Kristin Gray, Anderson Hall 101
(Elementary (Grades K-4), Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6); Algebra, Arithmetic)
What do we do after students notice? Through many of our classroom routines and activities, students begin
to notice things. They recognize patterns and use repeated reasoning to begin generalizing their
understandings. While there are so many important ideas we want students to notice within the mathematics,
sometimes it is difficult to know where to go with them.
In this session, we will discuss specific structures, planning considerations, and questions that can help foster
algebraic reasoning and prepare students for middle school. Through looking at student work samples and
watching classroom video, participants will learn how to create classroom experiences to support algebraic
reasoning and prepare students for future mathematical work.
Building Flexible, Connected Knowledge: Look For and Make Use of Structure - Nicole Hansen and
Dylan Kane, Foss 42
(Middle School (Grades 7-8); Common Core State Standards)
When students are simply following rules and using strategies dictated by the teacher, they are missing out on
developing and using deeper understanding of content. When students use Math Practice 7, look for and
make use of structure, they build a capacity to work deeply and flexibly with content in order to apply their
knowledge in the future. This session will explore a framework for categorizing different types of structural
thinking by solving and analyzing tasks that span sixth grade through Algebra I.
Make it Stick: Applications in the Classroom - Anna Hester, Foss 43
(General Interest; Assessment, Curriculum / Lesson Planning)
You know that blank stare during exam review when you put up a problem you taught so well in August, that
they knew how to do...but have now completely forgotten? Have students who say "I knew it so well, but
forget it on the test"? Have students who say "I studied this for hours" - and you believe them - but they still
bomb the test? Do you wonder how you can make that valuable learning in your classroom stick for the long
haul? Then this session is for you!
In summer 2015, many of us on #eduread read through "Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning."
Come hear how I have been implementing ideas from the book based on the latest research about how we
learn and retain information, and the way it has transformed the learning in my classroom. If you've read the
book, come share your insights! If you haven't, then come to hear what the hype is about and leave with ways
to immediately start helping students deeply learn the material you teach so they remember it at the end of
the semester - and next year!
Practices, Claims, and Targets ~ Oh Shifts! - Donna Lione, Old Main 206
(Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades 7-8), General Interest; Common Core State Standards,
Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Supporting Teachers)
Trying to navigate through the layers of the Common Core? Stop the Madness! Its time to work smarter NOT
harder and change math instruction from a MILE WIDE and an INCH DEEP to a MILE DEEP and an INCH WIDE!
Bridge the gap between Instruction and Assessment to create targeted classroom lessons and tasks that
seamlessly integrate the Standards for Mathematical Practice, CA Content Standards, and the SBAC Claims &
Targets. Its time to empower our students to Think, Communicate, and Make Sense of Mathematics while
connecting the fundamental pieces of the Common Core Puzzle.
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Teacher Leader and Admin Roundtable - Jasmine Walker and Bob Janes, Foss 19b
(General Interest; Discussion / Debate, Leadership/Advocacy, Supporting Teachers, Transition, Administration)
There are many ways to lead both in and out of the classroom. Come join a round table discussion to share
strategies, ask questions, and hear tips from both the teacher leader side (grade level leaders, committee
chairs, school department chairs), the administrative side (assistant heads of school, district curriculum
coordinators), and everything in between.
Depending on the size of the group, we may split into smaller discussion circles around specific issues, such as:
Should I take on a leadership role? What happens when my colleagues start reporting to me? What if my
district and school disagree on curriculum? How do I approach a teacher with more perceived experience?
What about budgets? Final exams? Professional development?
Towards the end, we will reflect back and give advice to both ends of the leadership spectrum in an effort to
understand that the role of teachers and administrators is never mutually exclusive.
4:00 5:00 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Warm up Routines: Developing Class Culture, Mindset, and Number Sense - Lisa Bejarano and Jessica Bogie,
Foss 42
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Discussion / Debate,
Questioning)
Warm up activities can maximize class time, set a class culture, develop growth mindset in students and fill
gaps in, or extend, student understanding. Participants will engage in a collection of high leverage warm-up
routines, understand the research supporting warm ups and learn how to use them to grow their students and
their teaching practice. All activities encase the Math Practice Standards, use technology, promote student
ownership, and can be applied to your classroom tomorrow!
Participants will:
-Adapt warm ups and routines to meet the needs of their secondary math classes by engaging in a variety of
warm up activities from a student's perspective and considering the benefits & weaknesses of each structure.
-Apply research supporting the implementation of warm up activities to maximize their effectiveness through
a brief presentation of brain research and executive function skill development in adolescents.
-Engage in a variety of warm up activities from the position of a student. They will discuss their solutions with
small groups and identifying teacher and student learning that develops through each activity.
-Consider examples of weekly routines and leave the session with a plan for warm up implementation that
meet their students needs and a collection of resources for effective implementation.
Pythagorean Theorem Technology Investigations - Joel Bezaire, Old Main 104
(Intermediate Level; Middle School (Grades 7-8); Algebra, Curriculum / Lesson Planning)
An introductory investigation of the Pythagorean Theorem for use in a Middle School classroom featuring
easy-to-differentiate activities using Geogebra, Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets), and TI-83/84 Programming.
Attendees who want to "play along" should bring a laptop and calculator.
4:00 5:00 pm
Afternoon Sessions
4:00 5:00 pm
Afternoon Sessions
4:00 5:00 pm
Afternoon Sessions
A Demonstration of the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Math Discussions Tony Riehl and Kerry
Gruizenga, Foss 43
(Beginner Level, Intermediate Level; Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Algebra, Common
Core State Standards, Questioning)
We will demonstrate and discuss the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Math Discussions *Margaret S.
Smith & Mary Kay Stein, NCTM & Corwin Press, 2011.
This transformative process can take your classroom from the ordinary to the extraordinary by using inquirybased, student-centered instructional tasks. Students learn to analyze and synthesize the material with
guidance from the instructor rather than being force fed new material. The five practices can be used with any
task or project based material and incorporated into your classroom immediately. A hidden benefit is that
students use all Eight Mathematical Practice Standards on most tasks as you orchestrate your classroom.
Participants will simulate a classroom where the 5 practices are used and then will discuss how to break down
and incorporate the practices in their classroom.
We will also discuss the use of Mathematics Vision Project (www.mathematicsvisionproject.org/) lessons as
rich tasks.
We have attended 2-day workshops by both Margaret Smith (co-author of the 5 practices) and MVP Travis
Lemon and Janet Sutorius (co-authors of MVP and practitioners of the 5 practices) as they demonstrated and
strategized the use of the 5 practices.
Teaching Math to Students with Disabilities Roundtable - Mark Sanford, Foss 21a
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Supporting Teachers)
Are you a general education math teacher who has been teaching students with disabilities in collaborative or
self-contained classes for years, or have you just been told youll be teaching a collaborative or self-contained
class in the fall, or somewhere in between? In this session, teachers in any of these groups will have a
roundtable discussion on practices that have helped students with disabilities succeed in their math classes .
The intended takeaways are 1) teachers experienced in teaching in a collaborative or self-contained settings
will have some new ideas, techniques, and strategies to approach their classes with and 2) teachers new to
teaching in these settings will have some ideas on how to structure their classes to better support the
educational needs of students with disabilities.
Unique 3D Box Design, for 3-6 Grade Students: Engaging and Expanding Student Problem-Solving Through
Box Design based on Consumer Boxes - Peter Wilson, Foss 19b
(Elementary (Grades K-4), Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6); Curriculum / Lesson Planning, Geometry,
Integration)
Mid-upper elementary students are asked to become well-versed in finding perimeter, area, surface area and
also work with various polygons and their formulas. Taking those topics and making them relevant and useful
to students can be a challenge. By looking at consumer boxes, and using flat geometric nets, starting with
flattened cubes and pyramids and leading to pentagonal dodecahedrons and much more, this ongoing 3D Box
project lets students be creative, while at the same time engages them in challenging problem-solving, visual
literacy & geometry, and measurement skills. They love it and will keep asking for more.
Participants in this workshop will obtain a workable guide on setting up this project in their classrooms. The
session includes observations of student-created boxes and other visuals, along with a chance for participants
to make their own box designs. All the materials students normally use to create their designs will be put to
good use by the participants. The session also includes an interactive discussion to help all participants gain
inspiration from others as they brainstorm how this project can be used in their classrooms.
9:30 11:30 am
11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm
1:30 2:30 pm
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
(Not) Just Here to Teach Math - Andrew Browning-Couch, Old Main 202
(High School (Grades 9-12), General Interest; Social Justice)
Throughout the past few years, there has been no shortage of news stories about race, religion, and
intolerance. As teachers, we have the opportunity to honor the whole child by incorporating these important
events into the math curriculum. By doing so, we help empower students not only to make sense of the world
around them, but to challenge their beliefs about themselves and others. We will look at multiple strategies
from leading discussions that focus on building the Standards for Mathematical Practice to full-scale ProjectBased Learning.
Lets Be Reasonable: Fostering Fraction Sense to Support Fraction Computation - Brian Bushart, Foss 43
(Beginner Level, Intermediate Level; Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6), Middle School (Grades 7-8); Supporting
Teachers, Fractions)
Have you ever had students who can do just fine adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing...unless theres
a fraction in the problem? Then all of a sudden youd think theyd never used these operations before? What
is it about fraction computation that throws so many students for a loop? Why cant they tell when answers
are nowhere near reasonable? In this session, well explore a critical understanding many students havent
grasped despite years of instruction in elementary school: fractions are numbers! Without an understanding
of fractions as numbers, students have a difficult time comparing fractions, which in turn affects their ability to
estimate and verify reasonableness when computing with fractions. This session is for both elementary
teachers introducing these concepts and middle school teachers looking for ways to revisit them. Youll have a
chance to try out activities to help your students build stronger fraction sense that can lead to greater success
in fraction computation.
Go with the Flow - Alex Overwijk, Anderson Hall 101
(Intermediate Level; Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12); Thinking Classrooms)
In our classes we strive for emotional, physical and mental engagement. Based on the research by Peter
Liljedahl we have embraced the ideas of vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPS) and visibly random groupings
(VRG) to create thinking classrooms. Our rooms have turned into spaces that are conducive to students
thinking individually and collectively. Students and teachers learn together by constructing knowledge and
understanding through activity and discussion. By using engaging activities we have learned to create flow- a
state of heightened focus. During this session you will experience flow while you engage with VNPS and VRG.
Learn to go with the flow.
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
Assessing What We Value - Chris Robinson and Jonathan Osters, OGC 200
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Post Secondary; Assessment)
What does a grade in your course represent? How does the way you calculate your students grades describe
what you value?
Most of us think about two types of assessment on a daily basis. Formative Assessment should give students
feedback on how close they are to meeting class expectations of knowledge and skill. Summative Assessment
is a measure of what they know at the end of the learning process.
Another two pieces of the assessment picture that we often think about is the balance between a student
knowing the skills of mathematics and students being able to solve novel problems. In the past, Mathematics
education movements have swung far in each direction, at times over emphasizing skills and at times
sacrificing skills practice.
We will discuss our comprehensive assessment package inspired and modified by the skills quiz systems of
Anna Maria Gaylord and Dan Meyer with the addition of novel problem solving assessments. Digital materials
to modify for your own use will be provided.
Desmos for Elementary Math - Denis Sheeran, Foss 20a
(Elementary (Grades K-4), Upper Elementary (Grades 5-6); Assessment, Curriculum / Lesson Planning,
Supporting Teachers, Technology)
This session will show ways to use existing Desmos activities and the activity builder, polygraph, and Desmos
explorations in the late elementary grades. Elementary teachers are encouraged to bring current paper based
activities for discussion and conversion to Desmos activities.
Lessons without Lectures: My Approach for "Directed Discovery" - Andre Verner, Music 23
(Middle School (Grades 7-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Post Secondary, General Interest; Algebra, Curriculum
/ Lesson Planning, Pre-Calculus, Discovery learning, problem sets)
Three years ago, I asked the following question: Is it possible to write problem sets that develop mathematical
ideas in a discovery oriented manner without requiring any lecture and without leaving any students behind?
Today, my answer is an emphatic, "I think so!" In this presentation, I will share the approach I've used in
writing these problem sets. In particular, I will focus on the following questions:
What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of teaching a math class with minimal or no lectures?
How can we implement the principles of Experience First Mathematics while ensuring that our struggling
learners are highly supported? (Discovery learning is great when it works. But what if some of the students
don't reach the intended conclusions?)
What are the best questions for engaging students? What are the pitfalls that can cause students to become
disengaged?
In my talk, I will offer one possible set of answers to these questions. (There are many "right" answers, of
course!) I will focus on the way I've used problem sets that guide students to key mathematical ideas, an
approach that I refer to as "Directed Discovery." I will share what's worked well for me, as well as what hasn't
worked so well. Hopefully, this will help spark the type of discussions that we are all interested in having at
TMC16!
And of course, I will share the problem sets themselves with anyone who's interested in having electronic
copies.
2:45 3:45 pm
Afternoon Sessions
4:00 5:00 pm