Spread Joy Through Math Walks
- Find sidewalk chalk
- Pick a math resource or strategy (I know, impossible)
- Draw or write the problem on the sidewalk
- Watch your neighbors stop, think, and do math
- Feel good
Check out more #mathwalk ideas here! Try one, create one, then tag @MrsBruning and @RobinLConti on Twitter so we can share in your joy!
Learning is Happening All Around Us...
Robert Kaplinsky
Robert Kaplinsky has been an educator since 2003 as a classroom teacher, teacher specialist for Downey Unified School District, instructor for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and presenter at conferences around the world. He co-founded the website Open Middle, has been published in Edutopia and Education Week, is the author of Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student Thinking, and created the #ObserveMe movement.
We're Better Together
Not that long ago, I would have laughed at the thought that I would be using social media to talk about math education. Nowadays, I can still recall that feeling but my perspective has changed so much that I can’t imagine being an effective educator without support from the community of math educators in the #MTBoS and #iteachmath community.
You may be unfamiliar with the MTBoS, but if you’re reading this, then you’re a part of it. The MathTwitterBlogosphere is the collection of people and content about math education. Some people create content. Some use it. Some do a combination of both. Every role is needed!
In July 2015, my family took a trip to Yosemite and discovered what appeared to be a semi-hidden area on a hike. All around were hundreds of stacks of rocks of varying complexity. Some were tall and had over 10 rocks. Some were smaller and had 3 or 4 rocks. They were all so beautiful and were there for everyone’s enjoyment. What was really amazing to me though were the unstated social norms an area like this required. For this art to exist, people had to:
Not take rocks from other piles
Not knock down other piles.
Not build on other piles.
Think about it, there were literally no rules or structure, yet everyone worked together for the greater good. Together the group made something better than any one person could have done on his or her own… and everyone benefited.
These rock sculptures are a metaphor for the new realities of math education. We have to work together or we will burn out trying to keep up. It is not realistic to expect that we can make all these changes by ourselves. Fortunately, many people and organizations have created resources and shared pedagogy… and they are out there online for us to explore and use.
Like with the piles of stones, these resources are shared with no expectations. Most people view and use the resources without adding their own. However, you also have the option of contributing your own work to the community.
Another benefit comes from the reality that I don’t have time to explore the amazing ideas out there and the MTBoS helps do it for me. It is similar to how I use Amazon to crowdsource my purchases. Rather than read through all the products, I find the one that has the best reviews and buy it. It saves me time and almost always helps me pick a better item than I would have chosen on my own if there were no reviews.
That is how I use the MTBoS. I simply can’t check out every link that comes my way. Instead, I pay attention to trends. We do better together than any one of us could have done on our own.
This is an adapted excerpt. Read the full post here.
Sunil Singh
Sunil Singh is the author of Pi of Life: The Hidden Happiness of Mathematics, Math Recess: Playful Learning in an Age of Disruption, and Chasing Rabbits: A Curious Guide to a Lifetime of Mathematical Wellness(2021). He also speaks to the humanity in learning mathematics. He is the President of the Board of Directors of the Human Restoration Project and works as a Mathematics Consultant for Amplify, an educational resource company located in Brooklyn, New York, where he is helping build history/storytelling into their math platform. He will be appearing in the 2020 film documentary, Gatekeeper: Math in America. Before he embarked on a career in writing and speaking, he was a math and physics teacher for 19 years.
As we navigate the pandemic crisis, we need to be mindful of our physical, mental, and emotional health before we embark on this sudden journey into remote learning. It can be overwhelming. Managing our own families and job responsibilities, and still trying to find the best resources as a math teacher is already proving challenging. As a parent of two middle-school children, my primary focus is on them feeling safe and happy and allowing them, as much as possible, to be the architects of their own learning. However, there are definitely free online resources that I go to consistently for not only my kids, but myself as well.
The first resource is one that was just recently curated for the difficulties presented by distant learning. Many digital platform companies came together, and under one umbrella, www.wideopenschool.org, have offered their resources for free to teachers and parents. I know it can be daunting trying to sift through all these resources and using your precious time to find ones that would most benefit the grades you teach, so I am going to list my favorite free math resources to support remote learning, including grade appropriateness.
www.happynumbers.com (K to 5)
This is my favorite site for elementary mathematics. The founder of Happy Numbers has a degree in mathematics and physics, and the platform was built with the consultation of child psychologists.
www.mathigon.com (6 to 12)
This is a relatively new resource, and many of its elements are currently being built. I will be writing future courses for Mathigon, which bills itself as the "Textbook of the Future". Considering it has won many prestigious awards, it is well on its way to living up to that title. Very interactive and very engaging.
www.plus.maths.org (10 to 12)
One of the oldest sites around, but still one of the best. Primarily because of being topical and sharing stories and applications that are of interest to many people. It also has a wonderful puzzle section, which will become a great resource for problems.
www.nrichmaths.org (K to 12)
A wonderful K to 12 resource in terms of broad appeal and having a large reservoir of problems catering to all levels of learners. Detailed solutions to these problems are also available.
www.bovinemath.com (5 to 12)
If you are looking for a resource that builds an organic bridge from arithmetic thinking to algebraic thinking, then this resource is for you. Made by Peter Harrison, a retired math educator in Toronto, Canada, the problems presented here are meant to think about algebra in ways that are a balance of both traditional and non-traditional methods. I was fortunate enough to teach with Peter for several years, so I am quite familiar with the power of his unique creation.
Do you have a minute? It might seem that on many days, this is all that you have. This is a wonderfully addictive game where you have sort prime numbers and composites. It is a fun way to build and recall math facts. Students will want to keep playing to beat their previous scores!
I hope these resources will not only spark the curiosity of your students but for you as well! It is important that the mathematics we communicate during this time be buoyant, light, and personally engaging. We want our students and ourselves to continue to see mathematics through a human lens, and all these resources succeed in revealing mathematics as a playful adventure--for all of us!
Olivia Miller
Olivia Miller is a 2nd-grade teacher at South Ripley Elementary School in Versailles, IN. Previously she taught as a primary interventionist (3 years) and 4th grade (2 years) in Connersville, IN. Olivia is a Google Level 1 Certified Educator and Wakelet Community Member. South Ripley is a 1-1 device district managed by Five-Star Technology Solutions. Follow me @mrslc_m @SR_Raiders
Tips for Remote Learning
According to Google trends, searches for virtual learning, eLearning, remote learning, distance learning and other terms related to our current situation skyrocketed in March 2020 nationally. With these terms being searched by many, it can be overwhelming to be a teacher right now. Here are a few tips that I have been using to manage the switch to teaching virtually versus going into the classroom.
- Emotional support: Check-in on your students, not just their academic work, but their mental health. You might be feeling stressed, overwhelmed and helpless right now, this doesn’t just apply to you. Our students are also feeling stressed, overwhelmed and helpless. You can utilize tools like Google Forms and Mentimeter to reach out to students.
- Set boundaries: Google Meet and Zoom are wonderful tools to let you continue to interact with students during this uncertain time, but it can’t be all the time. You need to set boundaries or office hours for students to contact you for lessons or assistance. You need to continue to take time for you and your family as well. By leaving “away messages” or using the vacation setting on your email, you can let students know when you will be stepping away and that you will be available at another time.
- Don't reinvent the wheel: Chances are, if your email is like mine, you have 100+ new, free resources available to you during this time. Pick and choose from these! Be prepared to use tools that are familiar to your students more frequently than tools that are just now available to you. If you begin to push out online tools to students that they have never used before, chances are they won’t be able to troubleshoot problems independently. This may be very stressful for them and you!
- Grades: I know this is a hot topic right now. You may see lots of different opinions about grading assignments during this time. The truth is, you will need to look to your district for guidance here. One thing is for certain, whether you are grading assignments or not, valuable feedback is essential for students to succeed. Platforms like Google Classroom and Seesaw allow teachers and students to comment, give feedback and return assignments.
The district that I teach in is a 1-1 device district and we have been using eLearning days for inclement weather and professional development for two years. During this time, I felt prepared to take on this new challenge of remote learning for the remainder of the year. However, that doesn’t mean that it comes without its day to day challenges! We are all in this together, whether you felt prepared or are just beginning your journey. Hopefully, a few of these tips that I have learned in my district are helpful!
Ella Hereth
Using Desmos Remotely During School Closures
Like so many of us, this pandemic has really reinforced my belief that online learning IS NOT ideal for most students. Math is something that needs to be talked about and explored in collaboration with other people. When we are together in classrooms, Desmos helps provide all of those opportunities. While I think that Desmos in person is always better, using Desmos remotely can definitely bring some joy back into this process. I hope this will help you think about how you can use Desmos during this extended School Closure and when we get back to the classroom. One thing I want to plug right away is that all of the resources here are FREE and Desmos is committed to the idea that everything that is free now WILL ALWAYS BE FREE. They are also pretty clear that the best way to use Desmos is with a math teacher in a classroom.
You may not have tried the Desmos Activity Builder, but most of us are familiar with the Desmos calculator. Even the calculator allows students some amazing opportunities to explore math ideas. Desmos Art is using the graphing calculator to create images and animations. So much is possible for students at higher levels, but even students in Algebra I can graph lines to create art. For example, see the pet house project created by one of my Algebra I students. This project has also been adapted for a sixth-grade class by a teacher who helped students learn how to graph lines by connecting points in a table. Consider assigning a Desmos Art Project (you can also build this into the Activity Builder). If you want something to motivate your students they can submit entries to the Desmos Art Contest (or hold your own school-wide contest if the deadline has passed.) This is a great end of the year activity when motivation is waning.
Desmos would still be pretty cool if they only offered the graphing calculator, but they have also created the amazing Desmos Activity Builder. Activity Builder allows us to build activities using Desmos tools that engage students in deep thinking in multiple ways. If you are newer to Activity Builder, Desmos has created collections of activities that might work for you during the pandemic. Check out the Distance Learning Collections by Grade Level (about halfway down the page).
To support us in these times, Desmos has added awesome new features for distance learning:
The ability to give feedback inside an activity.
The ability to add a co-teacher to also access the teacher dashboard.
Starter Screens so that you can check in with your students.
Also please check out the work of two Desmos Fellows who have been creating and cataloging self-checking activities to help students practice on their own:
Julie’s Blog on Self Checking Desmos Activities
Jenny’s Blog on Self Checking Desmos Activities
If you are ready to delve into building your own activities--please reach out. The Desmos Team literally has THE NICEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. They will answer your questions and help you serve your students. You can schedule appointments to work on activities with Desmos staff. As a Fellow, I would love to help you think through what you want to make happen with Desmos or help you find activities. Please reach out on twitter @MsHereth or email me at herethe@myips.org.
I was excited to present a workshop locally this May but unfortunately, we have had to cancel it. I would really encourage you to check out the Desmos PD available via their website. Please stay posted for local opportunities coming up in the future.
Kyle Kline
Kyle Kline is in his fifth year as the Math Curriculum and Technology Integration Specialist at Delphi Community School Corporation. Previously he spent 13 years teaching mathematics at the high school level. He regularly integrated Twitter (@MrKline_EdTech), flipped lessons, blended learning, and many other web tools into his daily lessons. Currently, Kyle is a Google Certified Trainer and a board member of the Indiana Connected Educators and the Indiana Council Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM).
How to Survive Remote Learning in Math
The Explore-Explain-Apply model has always been a go-to format when designing lesson plans for mathematics. Typically, these are done with a teacher facilitating the learning in a classroom setting. The “Explore” piece usually has students working as an individual, or in groups, to see what patterns they “Notice” and “Wonder” about a specific image, equation, or expression. This is a great time for the teacher to walk around and listen to the math discussions students are having with one another. The “Explain” portion of the lesson will typically consist of a set of examples for the students to follow along and copy down in their notebooks as the teacher leads the discussion from a whiteboard, blackboard, or interactive whiteboard. Finally, the “Apply” component ends up being the homework for the day. This homework can consist of worksheets or problems from a textbook.
This is how most people (parents, students, some teachers, and community members) envision a traditional math classroom lesson plan to look. However, COVID-19 has changed most teacher’s lesson planning and how their class routine will look on a normal day. This has been a sudden change that most teachers were not prepared for, and has made most of them worried about how students can ever learn math without a teacher in front of the classroom going over numerous examples until the students get hand cramps. Enter the wonderful world of technology!
Technology has the ability to improve the Explore-Explain-Apply model and engage students like never before. Let’s look at a couple of options for each of these three techniques. As with how most lesson plans should be designed, let’s work backward. The “Apply” practice should be the easiest. And no, it is not because it is so simple to copy-and-paste our textbook’s worksheet into our learning management system (LMS). Teachers can use websites such as Quizizz or Edulastic for students to show what they know. These assessments can easily be shared via a link or with Google Classroom integration. These tools are wonderful for giving students a short assessment of the new content that they just learned. And they are FREE!
Next is our “Explain” portion of the assignment. The most obvious choice would be to first search within YouTube, LearnZillion, or Khan Academy libraries. There is so much wonderful content on these three websites that cover all math topics from Kindergarten through college courses. If you would like to create your own videos for your students (they will like this better, trust me) then just use your smartphone or tablet and create your own videos. One of my teachers purchased a gooseneck cell phone holder for home from Amazon. He has become a pro at making his own videos and the students LOVE it!
Finally, we get to my favorite part--the “Explore” component! I always want students to be engaged in the lesson plan, no matter what the topic is for that day. This is where I get to “Hook” them. My favorite go-tos come from many different sources but are all FREE. I love using Which One Doesn’t Belong?, Estimation180, Desmos Activities, 3-Act Math tasks, and Steve Wyborney’s Esti-Mysteries. These are ways we can excite our kids about math! Especially during this time when it is so difficult to get kids engaged in a remote learning environment.
In conclusion, we can still use the Explore-Explain-Apply model to teach our kids--it just looks a little different..but I think it is for the better. Your students will thank you.
What's Math Got to Do With It?: How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success by Jo Boaler
What's Math Got to Do with It? shares Bolaer's work on ways to teach mathematics for a "growth mindset" and includes a range of advice to inspire teachers and parents to give their students the best mathematical experience possible.
Read more about this book here.
How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why it Happens by Benedict Carey
In the tradition of The Power of Habit and Thinking, Fast and Slow comes a practical, playful, and endlessly fascinating guide to what we really know about learning and memory today - and how we can apply it to our own lives.
Read more about this book here.
Necessary Conditions: Teaching Secondary Mathematics with Academic Safety, Quality Tasks, and Effective Facilitation by Geoff Krall
Students do not experience math in a vacuum. The curriculum, the students' social and emotional well-being, and the teacher's expertise as a facilitator must all be attended to, and each interacts with the others. -Geoff Krall
Read more about this book here.
Teaching K-12 Coding, Robotics, and Math Online with C-STEM Curriculum and RoboBlockly Part 1
Twig Science Talks
100 Days of Professional Learning
Join NCTM as they celebrate their Centennial with 100 Days of Professional Learning with live 60-minute webinars presented by selected speakers from the NCTM Centennial Annual Meeting and Exposition program that was to take place in Chicago. Each webinar will be held at 7 p.m. ET on 100 selected days from April 1 leading up to the October NCTM 2020 Annual Meeting & Exposition in St. Louis. Click here to register for one today!
Six Counter-intuitive Lessons Learned About Online Workshops
Remote Learning STEM Forum
Zoom Meetings for Education
Project-Based Learning Math Summer Workshops
You will leave with a draft of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit you can use in your own classroom next year, sample PBL units, free NCTM/PBL book, access to free digital manipulatives/simulations, new ideas for your teaching toolbox, and a PGP certificate.
Elementary PBL Workshop
When: Monday, June 8 - 12, 2020, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Lunch provided)
Where: University of Indianapolis
Secondary PBL Workshop
When: Monday, June 15 - 19, 2020, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Lunch provided)
Where: University of Indianapolis
Click here for more information.
Nominate a Colleague!
- A certificate signed by the President of the United States;
- A paid trip to Washinton, D.C. to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities;
- A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, and
- An opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.
You may nominate through the following link: https://www.paemst.org/
The STEM Kitchen
Participants will leave with:
- Drafts of lesson plans & new ideas & strategies to ignite passion, purpose & play
- Free STEM KITS
- Access to 1st Makerspace Lesson Plans & Challenges on CANVAS
- Certificate of PGP hours
For more information and to apply, click here.
John Ulbright
As an instructional coach, John consistently supports students and teachers by providing avenues and opportunities to explore the "hows" and "whys" of a mathematical concept or skill. Acting as a facilitator of thinking, John guides students and teachers through engaging experiences, which are flexible and fluid, apt in meeting the demands and curiosities of those he is engaging in the mathematical exploration with. His extensive content knowledge allows him to develop tasks of appropriate rigor, supported by proper scaffolding, and dynamic tools (most of which he has created through GeoGebra) which supplement the understanding of the conceptual workings of a math concept. The technical ability and mathematical knowledge is only surpassed by the passion he brings into the classroom when facilitating math thinking, conversing with students, and diving deep into the concepts and skills when co-planning math experiences with teachers. Matt Molitor, John's nominator for the educator spolight, said John, " encourages me to appreciate the content in a different way, pushes my thinking forward, and has made me a more effective teacher".
Robin Conti
Email: rconti@doe.in.gov
Website: doe.in.gov
Location: Indiana Department of Education
Phone: (317)-233-6098
Twitter: @RobinLConti
Emily Bruning
Email: ebruning@doe.in.gov
Website: doe.in.gov
Location: Indiana Department of Education, West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: (317)-232-9142
Twitter: @MrsBruning