I

Waterford School District Learning Lab

Area: Algebra I
Position: 8th Grade teacher
School: Pierce Middle School
Email: TomczA01@wsdmi.org
Past Practice & Ambitions
Student performance in algebra has steadily increased as an area of concern for me as an
educator. Student data has made it apparent that more attention needs to be paid to effective
instruction and intervention in algebra. With failure rates in the range of 50-60% for 9 th grade
Algebra I, I feel a strong call to action. Over the past four years I have worked to increase my
awareness and improve my practice as an algebra and pre-algebra teacher through a variety of
approaches:
Adopted a functions based approach to teaching algebra with a focus on multiple
representations and connections between them (symbols, tables and graphs)
Specifically planned for types of discourse in which I expect students to engage during
each lesson or task
Used the Five Talk Moves to increase verbal participation
Integrated discourse through writing several times each week
Worked toward helping my students see themselves as mathematicians
Recent Shifts
My classroom has never been the traditional math classroom where students do warm
ups, check homework off an answer key, take notes, do examples and start their
assignment in class in a monotonous cycle every day. As we shift to the more rigorous
Common Core Standards, I can hardly contain my excitement for the ways in which it
requires the culture in all math classrooms to change. The CCSS have made it critical
for us to re-evaluate the ways that we engage students in mathematical thinking. We
need to equip our kids with mathematical vocabulary and rich language that will propel
them into thoughtful mathematical discourse via open-ended, inquiry-based tasks that
all students fully engage in. We need to provide them with a multitude of tools and
strategies with which to do the work of mathematicians

As we work together as a district on our writing initiative, Ive used the district
paragraph model to help students convey their mathematical thinking through writing
with a focus on how to convey their own theories, work and results. The use of rich
mathematical tasks has allowed students to write meaningfully in the algebra
classroom.

As Ive taken a leadership role in the 8th grade mathematics department, Ive worked
alongside Geraldine Divine and Valerie Mills and other colleagues from Oakland County
to explore more in depth the functions based approach to algebra at Algebra for All
Years One and Two, as well as how to increase student comprehension of algebra at
Supporting Engagement and Mathematical Reasoning Through Classroom Discourse.
Together we have explored the components of mathematical tasks (including the
launch, explore and summarize phases), using multiple representations and Smarter
Balanced assessments.

My grade-level team this year has also chosen to focus on math for our Professional
Growth Plan. We have decided to center our new learning around the book 5 Practices
for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions by Margaret S. Smith & Mary Kay
Stein. In addition, I have studied two other professional books: 1) Accessible
Mathematics; 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement by Steven

I
Leinwand and 2) Never Work Harder Than Your Students & Other Principles of Great
Teaching by Robyn R. Jackson.

I have noticed and become increasingly curious about my students' excitement over
mathematical tasks as well as their deeper understanding of content related to their
mathematical thinking and dialogue. I am thrilled to take this thinking further by
continuing to research and implement more effective discussion techniques,
instructional strategies and teaching structures in algebra.

Today's Work
Please join me and the algebra students of 309 in thinking about:
Proactive planning & utilization of the 5 Practices: Anticipating, Monitoring, Selecting,
Sequencing, Connecting
The facilitation of learning through three phases: Launch, Explore, Summarize
Deepening math talk through the use of "Five Talk Moves"
Wonderings
Will the shared work we do in the Launch portion ensure greater success for all
students on the task to follow?
What can I uncover about my students mathematical thinking during the Explore
portion and how can I use what Ive observed to plan for the discussion that follows?
Will I be able to make deliberate in the moment decisions for selecting and
sequencing varied student responses for the summary portion of our workshop? Will
these decisions lead to the development of powerful algebraic ideas for students?
Are my students transferring and utilizing the 5 Talk Moves in their math talks with
each other effectively?