News

Please see the attached flyer announcing a new professional development group based in Connecticut, Math Teachers’ Circle 4 Social Justice. MTC4SJ is part of the national Math Teachers' Circles network. Our goal is to provide a platform for math teachers to engage in problem solving that displays the power of mathematics in promoting critical conversations.

If you or your colleagues are interested, please visit our website and fill out our registration and interest form. This summer we will host two virtual workshops. If you cannot make our summer workshops, but would like information on future events, please fill out the form as well.

Please share with colleagues and contact us with any questions!

Email: mtc4socialjustice@gmail.com

The Connecticut State Department of Education is committed to supporting districts during Covid-19.  There have been three volumes of resources.  The latest resource is around student data privacy, grading practices, assessment, professional learning, and additional content resources to support remote learning.  Please access these resources at https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/COVID19/COVID-19-Resources-for-Families-and-Educators 

We invite you to join us for this special 2020 NCSM virtual opportunity on Monday and Tuesday, March 30-31, starting at 10 a.m. Central / 11 a.m. Eastern. 

To REGISTER, click HERE.

After you register for the virtual conference, you may attend any of the sessions. We have listed the title and speakers for each offered session below.  More detailed descriptions for each session are included on our website.  

If you have a friend who would like to join, ask them to register using the link on our website.  

 

Session  Information  

Monday Session 1:  11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT

• Building Capacity In Statistics And Mathematical Modeling, Rachel Levy

• See It, Move It, Grasp It: Math With Virtual Manipulatives, Christine Newell

• Utilizing Math History To Embrace Equity, Failure, and Authentic Problem Solving In Leadership Communities, Sunil Singh

• 6 Actions For Productive Struggle In The Mathematics Classroom, John SanGiovanni

 

Monday Session 2: 12:30 - 1:30 pm EDT

• Using A Variety Of Media To Lead Courageous Conversations Among Mathematics Education Stakeholders, Marilyn Strutchens

• Supporting Professionals To Counteract Racism and Oppression in the Discretionary Spaces Of Their Work, Deborah Ball

• Be Both Author And Illustrator Of Mathematical Understanding, Jill Gough

• Creating Interesting Ways For Students To Be Right and Wrong, Eli Luberoff

 

Monday Session 3: 2:30 - 3:30 pm EDT

• How Mathematicians Play: Creating A Culture Of Ownership, Rigor, and Joy In Math Class, Daniel Finkel

• Secondary and Postsecondary Mathematics Alignment At Scale—It’s A Big Job and Someone Has To Do It!, Katey Arrington & Ted Coe

• Teaching Mathematics For Social Justice, Kris Childs

• Why Aren’t We There Yet?, Cathy Seeley

 

Monday Session 4: 4:00 - 5:00 pm EDT

• Starting With Me: Transforming Mathematics Education From The Inside Out, Michelle Reinhart

• Where Am I In My Equity Walk? Where Will You Be In 2025?, John Staley & Julia Aguirre

• The Five Practices In Practice: Successfully Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions In Your High School Classroom, Michael Steele, Peg Smith & Miriam Sherin

• Leading With Kindness, Mary Kemper

 

Tuesday Session 1: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT  

• Mathematize It! Building A Systemic Plan To Encourage Early Problem-Solving and Mathematical Modeling Capacity Across Grades K-8, Sara Moore & Kimberly Morrow-Leong

• Why Be A Lucky Coach, When You Can Be A Great Coach?, Courtney Baker & Melinda Knapp

• Ross Taylor/Glenn Gilbert Speaker Series: Why Teach Mathematics? How Do We Help Teachers Convince Students That Learning Mathematics Is Important?, Gail Burrill

• The Power Of Ideas: Letting Students’ Thinking Take Center Stage, Annie Fetter

 

Tuesday Session 2: 12:30 - 1:30 pm  EDT

• The New Culture Code: Simplifying The Complex Rules Of Change!, Tim Kanold

• Changing Mathematical Mindsets With High School Number Talks: A Story Of Our Research, Jackie Palmquist, Alyssa Schneider, and Pat Baltzley

• Transitioning Our Teaching, Coaching, and Professional Learning To Online Environments, Mike Flynn

• Delete Deficit Thinking; Why “Low Kids” And “High Kids” Is Inaccurate, Ineffective, Unethical, And Counterproductive, Rachel Lambert

 

Tuesday Session 3: 2:30 - 3:30 pm EDT

• Relating Decimals, Fractions, And Ratios For Deeper Understanding: How Are They Alike and How Are They Different?, Karen Fuson

• What Is Mathematics?, Jo Boaler

• Blunt Observations And Practical Strategies For Orchestrating Far More Impactful PD In Mathematics, Steve Leinwand

• Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions: Overcoming The Challenges, Peg Smith

 

Tuesday Session 4: 4:00 - 5:00 pm EDT

• The Beauty Of Movement: Increasing Discourse In Mathematics Classrooms, Sara VanDerWerf & Chris Luzniak

• The Math Shark Tank: Entrepreneurial Challenges For Middle Grades, Michael Belcher, Jere Confrey and Erin Krupa

• Talk Number 2 Me: Mathematics & Mindfulness, Christina Lincoln-Moore

• Cultivating Agency, Mathematical Understanding, and Conversation Through Mathematical Language Routines, Jen Wilson

We hope to see you virtually next Monday and Tuesday!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019, 12:30 a.m. – 3:00 Trumbull Marriott, Trumbull, CT
OR
Wednesday, December 4, 2019, 12:30 a.m. – 3:00 ITBD, New Britain, CT
Participants must preregister.  To register, go to https://www.trumba.com/calendars/connecticut-state-department-of-education-sde-events-calendar. 

The half-day workshop explores the fundamentals of the Quantile Framework for Mathematics. This workshop provides an overview of how to use Quantile measures in schools and classrooms to successfully manage mathematics instructional programs and resources. We explore the fundamentals of the Quantile Framework for Mathematics and how to use Quantile measures in the classroom. It also includes an overview of the tools found in the Hub at https://hub.lexile.com/ (best in Google Chrome).

The State Department of Education recently posted a new professional development series:

Principal Workshop Series: A Focus on Mathematics

•        Shifting Math Instruction – Rigor in the Classroom

•        Math Practice Standards – Classroom Evidence

•        Instructional Coaching – Making the Most Out of Math Coaches

This year, the Commissioner's Summer Math Challenge: A Journey Through Mathematics had over 23,000 students participating.  The Connecticut State Department of Education would like to recognize those schools that were top participators. As a result, they are asking all schools to have a designee compile the summer math logs and complete the School Reporting Form: https://sdect.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ey5HArhVG5MqurP by September 30, 2019.  The reporting form is similar to the Governor's Summer Reading reporting which schools have been doing for quite some time.  A recognition ceremony is currently planned for early November.

The Connecticut State Department of Education is excited to continue the tradition of supporting summer learning for Connecticut's students.  The Governor's Reading Challenge and The Commissioners Math Challenge provide a great opportunity for students to avoid summer learning loss. All of the information needed to participate in these challenges and a NEW promotional video can be accessed at https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Academic-Office/Academic-Office-Home-Page/Summer-Learning.