#INspirEDmath
January 2019, Volume 6
Let's Chat!
We would love to hear your goals! Add your 2019 professional goals to this Padlet. Read through the goals of your peers. You may even find a partner or support system to help you on your journey!
Problem of the Month!
Would You Rather...
Get our students thinking with the problem of the month. Maybe even personalize the problem to the right - Would you rather receive the net revenue from all the parking for an Indianapolis Colts game OR the net revenue from the sale of soda and hot dogs at an Indianapolis Indian's game?
From the basics like addition and subtraction, to proportional reasoning, geometry, probability, and much more, wouldyourathermath.com has got you covered! The opportunities for great discussion, critical thinking, and research are incredibly rich and abundant!
January's Focus: Practice #4
- Establishing mathematics goals to focus learning
- Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving
- Use and connect mathematical representations
- Facilitate meaningful discourse
- Pose purposeful questions
- Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding
- Support productive struggle in learning mathematics
- Elicit and use evidence of student thinking
Give Them Something to Talk About
One of the most asked questions we get from educators is, "How do I get my students engaged and talking about math?" Take it from Bonnie Raitt and give them something to talk about! (You can almost hear Bonnie in the background, can't you?) Consider the following two questions:
- How many sides does a triangle have?
- How is a triangle different from other polygons?
The first question requires no discussion. There is one answer. They have memorized that fact. The second question requires more thought, more connections to prior knowledge, more risk taking in the generation of ideas.
NCTM's fourth recommended teaching practice, facilitating mathematical discourse, has consistently been identified as a high-leverage instructional strategy. According to John Hattie's research, classroom discussion has an effect size of 0.82 (Visible Learning for Mathematics, Hattie, 2017). To put that into perspective, the zone for desired effect of classroom influences starts at 0.40. Essentially, this means that discourse is well above the threshold and will likely result in just over two years of learning in one school year! (To see the list of 252 influences and their effect sizes related to student achievement, click here.)
A small step in promoting mathematical discourse in your own classroom is to open up the questions. Choose the right tasks. Ask yourself two questions when selecting tasks:
- Is the task a high-cognitive demand task? Think DOK levels. Does the task simply require the recall of information or the application of a skill or formula? If so, then there may be nothing to talk about. When we reach DOK levels 3 and 4 we are asking students to work through non-routine problems, synthesize ideas, critique thinking and explanations, and to develop arguments. All of these, and more, will require students to question their thinking and the thinking of others. Here, there is a lot to talk about!
- Does the task support the mathematical goal of the lesson? Because we are opening up our tasks, the potential for a scattered conversation arises. Making sure we are setting clear learning goals and aligning our tasks with those, we can assure the point of our lesson is not lost.
Resources We Love!
Mathalicious
101 Questions
Yummy Math
Sign up for the Math Extravaganza Nearest You!
The math specialists from the Office of School Improvement at the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) are traveling around the great state of Indiana providing FREE full-day math-specific professional development and YOU are invited!
The day will focus on promoting and developing ambitious instruction in the K-12 mathematics classroom using NCTM’s Eight Effective Teaching Practices as outlined in Principles To Action (2014). In the morning, educators will participate in an interactive presentation with the IDOE math specialists to discuss the research, resources, and strategies aligned to each practice. The afternoon session will be dedicated to guided implementation time. Educators will be given the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a safe and collaborative environment. Ideas will be shared and connections made!
Details:
Five PGP’s will be given for educators who attend the full day professional development
Educators should bring a laptop or other device
Each site will have the following schedule, with minor variations in time, dependent upon location:
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with a one-hour lunch on your own
Space is limited to 100 educators at each location - sign up quickly to reserve your seat!
Click here for locations, dates, and registration links.
Opportunities to Get Involved!
ELL and Special Education Teacher Work Groups
DATE: Thursday, January 24, 2019, 8:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m.
We are looking for ELL and Special Education teachers who work with mathematics teachers and students and who can provide relevant classroom considerations for implementation of the Indiana Academic Standards for K-12 classrooms. These considerations will be a critical part of the mathematics framework. Click here to show your interest in serving on this committee.K-12 Mathematics Content Expert Work Group
DATE: January 30, 2019, 8:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. (K-5)
February 4, 2019, 8:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. (High School)
February 6, 2019, 8:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. (6-8)
Educators from every grade level and every high school course are needed! The group charge will be to develop supporting examples at each DOK level for each standard. This will be an integral part of the mathematics framework! Click here to show your interest in serving on this committee.Analytical Algebra II Training
DATE: TBD
Does your school have plans to offer Analytical Algebra II in the 2019-2020 school year? Interested in learning more about the differences between the traditional Algebra II course and this course? Click here to express your interest in joining educators in developing rigorous resources and pedagogical practices that meet the needs of our diverse learners in the course.
Educator Spotlight: Gina Boyd
Gina Boyd teaches a self-contained 4th/5th high ability class at Mayflower Mill Elementary (a Title I school) in the Tippecanoe School Corporation in Lafayette, Indiana. Gina is a National Board Certified Teacher and a leader in elementary economic education. In her twenty-six year career, she has taught every grade from 1st to 8th except for 6th –unless you count the 6th grade math class she has taught to her advanced 5th graders! Originally from Tennessee, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from David Lipscomb University in Nashville and her Gifted and Talented license from Purdue University. Gina was the recipient of the national 2016 John Morton Excellence in Teaching of Economics Award and was named a 2011 Golden Apple Teacher by Greater Lafayette Commerce. Gina was awarded the regional Olin W. Davis Award for Exemplary Teaching of Economics in 2009 and again in 2013, and she has won numerous grants from the Indiana Department of Education, the Public Schools Foundation of Tippecanoe County, the Indiana Council for Economic Education, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Gina loves to integrate math and economics, and through her leadership, many teachers at Mayflower Mill use the classroom mini-economy for economic instruction and behavior management. Gina's students learn about entrepreneurship every year by running class businesses that allow students to create, produce, and sell five different products each year. The students produce prototypes, calculate unit costs for production, and learn to calculate profit. As the Elementary School Teacher Advocate for the Purdue Center for Economic Education, Gina has also presented workshops on the mini-economy, classroom business enterprise, and integrating math concepts and economic instruction to other area schools and at conferences. Follow her on Twitter @4th5thGT
Your IDOE Mathematics Team
Robin Conti
Email: rconti@doe.in.gov
Website: doe.in.gov
Location: Indiana Department of Education
Phone: (317)-233-6098
Twitter: @RobinLConti
Beau Scott
Email: jscott3@doe.in.us
Website: doe.in.gov
Location: Indiana Department of Education, West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: (317)-232-9142
Twitter: @NerdCoreTeacher