Slice of the Pi
January Edition
Helen Keller
Ringing In The New Year!
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. Alan Cohen
I hope this week went smoothly! I spent the large majority of my time in "classrooms" collaborating on the Mathematician Projects that were originally scheduled for in person learning. We had to adjust expectations, work through glitches, revise plans, and introduce new ways of sharing ideas and resources with students and allowing them to share ideas with us and with each other.
Patience, flexibility, and positivity were all key components of our success, but most of all it was having educators to collaborate with and be a support system for each other! One of the highlights from the work was a teacher sharing how refreshing it was to work together in such an isolating year. If you haven't yet, I recommend inviting me, one of the other coaches, or another colleague to spend some time in your classroom- it's a beautiful way to kick off 2021 together!
Oh the Places You'll Go... with Joe!
Big welcome to my previous grade level partner, son's teacher, and another son's lacrosse coach to the position of technology integration specialist!
We were chatting about the unique challenges of math from a laptop and he has found a lot of success with the free-to-download whiteboard app that let's you import images and pdfs - student book and home connections pages, for example.
He has created a tutorial for you; thanks Joe!
Math At A Distance
One of the most important ways students learn new mathematical concepts-regardless of their complexity-is through the use of tools, whether they be objects, pictures, or drawings. Even when teaching online, it is important that students have access to tools that build their conceptual understanding.
Theresa Wills
Another highlight from this week was coteaching in a second grade class using the TEAs and MLC Apps. Following the "never say anything a kid can say" philosophy we decided to let the students have some structured play first. Very open ended to start, and then layering on questions like, "How could a mathematician use this tool?" and "How is this similar and different from your physical math tools?" Meg's class rocked it! Above is a sample of some of their findings and the link will allow you to offer the same opportunity to your class. If you want to explore these ideas some more- email me!
I'll also share a slide deck made with ideas from the book Math at a Distance by Theresa Wills. There are slides with links for manipulatives for counting money, place value, area and perimeter, graphing and diagrams.
It Takes You and GREG to TANGo!
You and your students are invited to join Greg Tang ( math author, speaker, presenter) as he teaches the K-6 topics requested most! There are 14 lessons scheduled in January, and more planned for February. Click here to register your class. You can join from your classroom in school or remotely.
Here is a link to great ideas Jennifer O'Brien put together after attending the session with Greg on decimals- she enjoyed it and plans to sign up for more! The slides are also below if you want a quick peek!
Dear Family,
· How do you use math in your life?
· How did you feel about math as a kid, and now? How did you feel about it as a subject in school?
· Were you always good at math, and what do you think it means to be good at math?
· Can you tell us about your job and how you use math with it? Is your job hard, do you like it, and how do you work with other people? What tools do you use?
· What qualities do you think a person needs to have in order to be a mathematician?
Miss a previous issue?
December 20-21: Slice of the Pi
November 20-21: Slice of the Pi
October 20-21: Slice of the Pi
September 20-21: Slice of the Pi
Questions? Comments? Curiosities?
Email: asmith@region15.org
Phone: 203-947-3446
Twitter: @anniesmith821