Powerful Moments in Math Class: Why Certain Experiences Stand Out for Students and How to Create More of Them

Powerful Moments in Math Class: Why Certain Experiences Stand Out for Students and How to Create More of Them

Date: April 26, 2022

As teachers, we want our lessons to leave a long-lasting impression on students. When we understand the psychology behind our memories, we can use that knowledge to design powerful moments for our students. According to Heath and Heath (2018) memorable positive experiences contain one or more of the following elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. We will learn how to leverage each of these elements in math class to create meaningful and memorable experiences for all students.

Presenter: Mike Flynn

Recommended Grade Level: General Audience

Hosted by: Leigh Nataro

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/Powerful-Moments-in-Math-Class-Why-Certain-Experience-Stand-Out-for-Students-and-How-to-Create-More-of-Them

Reigniting our passion: Ten tips to thrive post-pandemic (are we there yet…?)

Reigniting our passion: Ten tips to thrive post-pandemic (are we there yet…?)

Date: April 5, 2022

Here we are, still perpetually caught in a purgatory none of us saw coming. Let’s talk about what really happens in classrooms, help each other to re-center our efforts, and explore actionable steps to embrace math, value every student, and advocate for your classroom while staying true to and rediscovering your passion for mathematics in a (hopefully soon) post-pandemic era. We will discuss 10 strategies and mindsets no one has told you – but they should have! Whether it is your 1st or 41st year of teaching, come learn how to embrace your passion for teaching. Topics include knowing your why, thriving with any colleague or administrator, and advocating for students via voice and choice. Leave with actionable steps to help take care of yourself, your colleagues, and your students while using your personal stories to learn how to do and be better together.

Presenter: Sean Nank

Recommended Grade Level: K – 12

Hosted by: Leigh Nataro

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/Reigniting-our-passion-Ten-tips-to-thrive-post-pandemic-are-we-there-yet

GMD Newsletter – April 5, 2022

Curated By Nate Goza @thegozaway
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Online Professional Development Sessions

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST

Reigniting our passion: Ten tips to thrive post-pandemic (are we there yet…?)

Presented by Sean Nank

Here we are, still perpetually caught in a purgatory none of us saw coming. Let’s talk about what really happens in classrooms, help each other to re-center our efforts, and explore actionable steps to embrace math, value every student, and advocate for your classroom while staying true to and rediscovering your passion for mathematics in a (hopefully soon) post-pandemic era. We will discuss 10 strategies and mindsets no one has told you – but they should have! Whether it is your 1st or 41st year of teaching, come learn how to embrace your passion for teaching. Topics include knowing your why, thriving with any colleague or administrator, and advocating for students via voice and choice. Leave with actionable steps to help take care of yourself, your colleagues, and your students while using your personal stories to learn how to do and be better together.

Click here to register for this webinar!

Coming Up on 4/19

Powerful Moments in Math Class: Why Certain Experience Stand Out for Students and How to Create More of Them

Presented by Mike Flynn

As teachers, we want our lessons to leave a long-lasting impression on students. When we understand the psychology behind our memories, we can use that knowledge to design powerful moments for our students. According to Heath and Heath (2018) memorable positive experiences contain one or more of the following elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. We will learn how to leverage each of these elements in math class to create meaningful and memorable experiences for all students.

#GMDWrites

#GMDReflects Part 4: Resisting Inertia 

This is the fourth and final part of the year-long #GMDReflects series. Before I jump into today’s reflection, here is a brief summary of what we’ve discussed so far.

  • Part 1 (linked here) introduced the practice of Self Study as a tool to help guide our actions as math educators to better reflect our values as human beings.
  • Part 2 (linked here) summarized some details about my personal findings and linked to research on how socioeconomic class affects our behaviour in academic classrooms.
  • Part 3 (linked here) presented the idea of looking outside of ourselves — to artifacts of our work to trusted colleagues — in order to learn things about ourselves that we might not be able to see through introspection and observation.
  • From the beginning I extended the invitation for you all to join in a Self Study project of your own and share your reflection on Twitter with the hashtag #GMDReflects.

My journey in self-study began when I read a research paper on Ontario classrooms (like my own) which found that (1) teachers talk to boys more than girls, (2) teachers discipline Black boys most often, and (3) White, middle-class boys get more positive contact with a teacher than any other group. I wanted to see if the same dynamic existed in my classrooms, and sadly some version of it did. Even as I received positive feedback from girls and from Black, brown, and immigrant students and their families, I was dismayed that boys (often white, often affluent) and students from affluent backgrounds were claiming a disproportionate amount of my time in the classroom.

This realization led me to the most important lesson that I have learned through studying myself: when we join a system, the inertia of the system implicates us all. If inequity is built into a system then we, as agents of that system, will be the agents of inequity. It is not enough to have good intentions, the right values, or even belong to marginalized groups.  Nor is it enough to make cosmetic changes – when inequity is systemic and baked into the culture of an institution, change only happens when we are intentional. We will be agents of inequity unless and until we intentionally and actively push back.

What I have shared in this series is not a guide to systemic change, it is just a tool to begin to see ourselves within a system. How and where are our actions fortifying inequities? How are we perpetuating larger trends that lead to marginalization and pushout? Where can we individually make changes to radically disrupt the power and resource imbalances in our classrooms?

There is lots of learning to be done about how to teach in more just, equitable, and less oppressive ways; ongoing introspection and honest self-evaluation are a critical part of that learning. Books and webinars will not change us unless we want to change, learning about injustice will not change us unless we believe that we need to change.

Above all else, if you have been following the series I hope that you take this message with you: systemic issues live within us and changing a system starts with changing ourselves.

Wishing you strength and fortitude in your journey – Idil (@idil_a_)

Grading Policies that Work for Kids
Last summer our district was challenged to read the book “Grading From the Inside Out” (GFIO) written by Tom Schimmer. It was a comprehensive look at how standards-based grading can “establish a new mindset, followed by new practices that will alter the grading and reporting realities within any classroom.”  Archaic practices are explored with updated and relevant practices explained. My biggest take away from this book is the notion that we should be “using assessment in service of learning rather than exclusively for evaluation.”

As with many districts, our grading policies are very clearly defined so that all stakeholders can understand what is expected:

  • Grades should reflect a student‘s relative mastery of the curriculum and should provide feedback on student progress. Students will be able to receive credit for evidence of increased mastery for major grades 84 and below for a maximum score of an 85.  Students scoring an 85 or above on the original major grade will not have an opportunity to reassess for a higher grade.  
  • Students will have a window of five school days after the grade is returned to re-assess.  (Remediation and reassessment must be completed by the end of the five-day window.)
  • Reassessment may be targeted to areas not mastered on the original assessment.
  • Requirements to reassess, such as attending tutoring sessions and/or completing remedial assignments, will be determined by campus guidelines.
  • Minor/Major Grades that are completed on time, but students didn’t demonstrate mastery:
  • Minor grades can be reassessed/corrected up to a 70%.  
  • For minor grades, students should have at least two or more opportunities to show mastery (up to a 70%).
  • Major grades can be reassessed/corrected up to an 85%.  
  • For major grades, students should have at least one more opportunity after the original assessment to show mastery (up to an 85%).

Does this look familiar? So deeply rooted in policy. I posit: Shouldn’t our grading policies be deeply rooted in student SEL, future ready skills, and a general desire to teach students to love the learning processes?

Changing grading policies is not a task designed to be tackled quickly nor without deep consideration of student needs. I dug into the process a little this year and am excited to share what I have discovered.

The first discovery I made when I moved past the 5 day required time limit and allowed students to set the time for their retesting was that students took more ownership of their learning. Not all students, but a majority. This came with heavy modeling and explanations at the onset. Our team developed a tutorial tile on Canvas (our LMS). On this link were videos, practice websites, worksheets, as well as our classroom resources that students could access at any time to review, rehearse, reconsider. Putting the responsibility back on the student to access the materials, practice, develop their own questions for the teacher, and arrange a tutorial time for follow up led to a more meaningful learning process. Let’s be honest, chasing down students and demanding they learn on MY time just doesn’t work for any of the parties involved and is a vibe kill to a positive learning environment. But when students come prepared with questions and ideas to share developed on their own, the learning process becomes a celebration and takes on a new frame of mind.  In these tutorial and reassessment sessions I had students explain to me how their learning had grown and what their thoughts were about what hadn’t worked the first time around. The metacognition piece has helped my students grow in their learning capacity this year and their trust in themselves.

Allowing students the time to take responsibility for their own learning is a necessary part of SEL as well as many of our core character traits (grit, perseverance, attitude…). My students have adapted to a growth mindset this year thanks to my adapted grading policy of retesting until they show mastery. They know that one test grade does not dictate the end product. They have learned to think through what they understand and what they don’t. They’ve learned to seek out activities on the tutorial site that will further their learning on concepts they don’t have mastered yet. The retest until mastery concept allows students to focus on their specific needs. This is a brilliant concept that I love using in my classroom. It’s taken the pressure off of students to perform on demand. A challenge I have faced is the mindset that we are not preparing students for the real world. I truly get that, but my 6th graders are not at all ready for the real world, nor should they be. These small steps I’m taking are developing their future ready skills and when adult life comes I know they will be prepared to tackle the challenges.

Beth Collins, a science coordinator in my district put it this way: If one student learns to ride a bike and one student takes a couple more weeks to get it down, didn’t they both learn to ride a bike? So why does one student get the mastery score, and the other receives a reduced score only because their learning was delayed? Archaic thinking. But I understand why this mindset exists:

  • Students won’t learn to study and do it right the first time. 
  • We are giving students a free pass to be mediocre.
  • I have to create so many different assessments.
  • How do I keep track of who mastered what and when?

There’s lot of barriers that prevent teachers from jumping in with both feet to this concept. The archaic grading policies are still posted, and it’s been a challenge to change minds on my team. I hope to be a leader for change in my district to see the principles in GFIO become our norm. I encourage you to check out “Grading From the Inside Out” and see how it can guide you to making your grading practices more meaningful for students, yourself, and all stakeholders. I love teaching students to love the learning process and I’d love to share more if you’re interested in learning together. You can find me on Twitter.

Written by Casey Gordon (@mscaseygordon)

We Want Your Voices!

We’d love to share this space with teachers and their students who feel compelled to share with our community!

Please reach out on Twitter or send an email to globalmathdepartment@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved or contribute an article (or articles).

Check Out the Webinar Archives

Click here for the archives, get the webinars in podcast form, or visit our YouTube Channel to find videos of past sessions and related content.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter
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Halt 8 Thinking Thieves

Halt 8 Thinking Theives

Date: March 22, 2022

How do we unintentionally limit student thinking? What should we do instead? Come engage in an interactive session on how to combat 8 thinking thieves and learn how the 8 effective teaching practices champion student thinking!

Presenter: Traci Jackson

Recommended Grade Level: K – 12

Hosted by: Jill Bemis

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/Halt-8-Thinking-Thieves

If You Let Your Students Surprise You, They Will

If You Let Your Students Surprise You, They Will

Date: March 8, 2022

For many students, math class embodies the opposite of surprise: getting the right answer and using the right way to get to that answer. But the most joyful learning-and teaching!-happens when we relish ambiguity, invite the unexpected, and let students surprise us with their varied brilliance.

Presenters: Eli Luberoff

Recommended Grade Level: 6 – 12

Hosted by: Leigh Nataro

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/If-You-Let-Your-Students-Surprise-You-They-Will

GMD Newsletter – March 8, 2022

Curated By Nate Goza @thegozaway
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Online Professional Development Sessions

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST

If You Let Your Students Surprise You, They Will

Presented by Eli Luberoff

For many students, math class embodies the opposite of surprise: getting the right answer and using the right way to get to that answer. But the most joyful learning-and teaching!-happens when we relish ambiguity, invite the unexpected, and let students surprise us with their varied brilliance.

Click here to register for this webinar!

Coming Up on 3/22

Halt 8 Thinking Thieves

Presented by Traci Jackson

How do we unintentionally limit student thinking? What should we do instead? Come engage in an interactive session on how to combat 8 thinking thieves and learn how the 8 effective teaching practices champion student thinking!

#GMDWrites

To say it’s been a tough year for educators is a gross understatement. Here at the Newsletter, we’ve done our best to keep the content coming, but it hasn’t been easy. Which was why it was especially nice to receive this letter from Neil Hamilton, a maths teacher in Australia earlier this month:

My thanks to the Global Math Department

Maths has always held a fascination for me, the way that ideas can be connected through the use of symbols has a kind of beauty and simplicity that has always appealed.
Out of interest I spend time searching and reading to develop my understanding and try to work out why I want to teach maths in the way I do.  I always felt like an outsider.  Much of the maths content I find comes from overseas.  I have often been inspired by reading the work of mathematicians and wished that I had the resources to travel and hear them present in person.

When my world slowed down through COVID, I happened to find the Global Maths Department’s professional development sessions.  They gave me the chance to interact with a wider range of educators and to hear and think about Maths in a much wider context.  I began to realise that their focus on personal relationships as a part of Maths education was I was subconsciously looking for.  Other educators also started to provide webinars and record the sessions in response to the inability to travel or meet during COVID.  Suddenly Australia didn’t seem so far away from everyone else.

My own experiences with COVID restrictions at school in Australia started me questioning my beliefs about education and where my priorities were.  It was at this time that I read one of Hema Khodai’s contributions to the newsletter.  Her words were the inspiration I needed.  They made concrete the abstract thoughts and feelings floating around in my head.

They were the beginning of a new routine for me. I look forward to reading the newsletter each Wednesday morning, usually while I am sitting at the beach waiting for it to be light enough to swim in the ocean.  It is a highlight of my week.  I read, thinking about maths in a way I haven’t before and let those thoughts work through my brain while I swim.  By the time I get to school I am often changing my daily program to incorporate these.  I tell my students we talk and do maths together, rather than me teach it.  The things I will talk about are affected by the things I read.

As the world and schools start to open up again, we are getting busier and busier, and we spend more time trying to catch up rather than think ahead or reflect I feel it is my turn to write and contribute and give my thanks to those that have inspired me.  Through my interactions with the Global Math Department, I have more self-belief in the way that I teach Maths.  I have come to realise this is what is important to me.

We Want Your Voices!

We’d love to share this space with teachers and their students who feel compelled to share with our community!

Please reach out on Twitter or send an email to globalmathdepartment@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved or contribute an article (or articles).

Check Out the Webinar Archives

Click here for the archives, get the webinars in podcast form, or visit our YouTube Channel to find videos of past sessions and related content.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter
Visit our Website Visit our Website
Copyright © 2022 Global Math Department, All rights reserved.
“Thanks for opting in to receive the weekly newsletter from the Global Math Department.”

Developing Mathematical Literacy through Equitable Teaching Practices

Developing Mathematical Literacy through Equitable Teaching Practices

Date: February 22, 2022

Presenters: Farshid Safi

How do we develop mathematical literacy with our students through equitable teaching practices in order to make sense of an ever changing world? In this interactive session, we will explore intentional ways to effectively engage K-12 and post-secondary students in collaborative practices that leverage their identity, brilliance, and lived experiences. Together we will highlight specific ways in which mathematical reasoning plays a pivotal role in making well-founded decisions to bring about a more just society.

Recommended Grade Level: K – 12, Postsecondary

Hosted by: Leigh Nataro

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/Developing-Mathematical-Literacy-through-Equitable-Teaching-Practices

GMD Newsletter – February 22, 2022

Curated By Nate Goza @thegozaway
View this email in your browser
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Online Professional Development Sessions

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST

Developing Mathematical Literacy through Equitable Teaching Practices

Presented by Farshid Safi

How do we develop mathematical literacy with our students through equitable teaching practices in order to make sense of an ever changing world? In this interactive session, we will explore intentional ways to effectively engage K-12 and post-secondary students in collaborative practices that leverage their identity, brilliance, and lived experiences. Together we will highlight specific ways in which mathematical reasoning plays a pivotal role in making well-founded decisions to bring about a more just society.

Click here to register for this webinar!

Coming Up on 3/8

If You Let Your Students Surprise You, They Will

Presented by Eli Luberoff

For many students, math class embodies the opposite of surprise: getting the right answer and using the right way to get to that answer. But the most joyful learning-and teaching!-happens when we relish ambiguity, invite the unexpected, and let students surprise us with their varied brilliance.

Click here to register in advance for this webinar!

Want to get involved with our Newsletter?

We’d love to hear your voice! Reach out on Twitter or send an email to globalmathdepartment@gmail.com.

Check Out the Webinar Archives

Click here for the archives, get the webinars in podcast form, or visit our YouTube Channel to find videos of past sessions and related content.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter
Visit our Website Visit our Website
Copyright © 2022 Global Math Department, All rights reserved.
“Thanks for opting in to receive the weekly newsletter from the Global Math Department.”

Flexibility Through Facts

Flexibility Through Facts

Date: February 8, 2022

Presenters: Ann Elise Record

Fluency has three aspects: flexibility, efficiency, and accuracy. Let’s explore the heart of the strategic thinking for all 4 operations and discuss how we can begin that conceptual understanding while developing students’ fact fluency. Not only will students develop fluency for their basic facts, but they will be setting a foundation of flexibility that will naturally progress to their grade level content. Together we can create positive math journeys for ALL our students!

Recommended Grade Level: K – 6

Hosted by: Leigh Nataro

Watch the full presentation at: https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/Flexibility-Through-Facts

GMD Newsletter – February 8, 2022

Curated By Nate Goza @thegozaway
View this email in your browser
Tweet
Forward

Online Professional Development Sessions

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST

Flexibility Through Facts

Presented by Ann Elise Record

Fluency has three aspects: flexibility, efficiency, and accuracy. Let’s explore the heart of the strategic thinking for all 4 operations and discuss how we can begin that conceptual understanding while developing students’ fact fluency. Not only will students develop fluency for their basic facts, but they will be setting a foundation of flexibility that will naturally progress to their grade level content. Together we can create positive math journeys for ALL our students!

Click here to register for this webinar!

Coming Up on 2/22

Developing Mathematical Literacy through Equitable Teaching Practices

Presented by Farshid Safi

How do we develop mathematical literacy with our students through equitable teaching practices in order to make sense of an ever changing world? In this interactive session, we will explore intentional ways to effectively engage K-12 and post-secondary students in collaborative practices that leverage their identity, brilliance, and lived experiences. Together we will highlight specific ways in which mathematical reasoning plays a pivotal role in making well-founded decisions to bring about a more just society.

Click here to register in advance for this webinar!

#GMDWrites

#GMDReflects Part 3: Looking Outside of Ourselves
This is Part 3 of the year-long #GMDReflects series. In part 1 (linked here) I introduced the practice of Self Study as a tool to help guide our actions as math educators to better reflect our values as human beings, and in Part 2 (linked here) I shared some details about my findings. I also extended the invitation to join in a Self Study project of your own. In each part of this series I will be sharing prompts to guide your self-study, they will also be shared on Twitter with the hashtag #GMDReflects.

In the introduction of this series I outlined 5 features that any effective self-study should include:

  1. have a clear focus: address 1 specific practice/dynamic
  2. be systematic: observe, reflect, change, reflect, repeat
  3. be honest: you will learn difficult things about yourself, that is precisely the point
  4. include feedback from others and artifacts 
  5. result in professional and personal change
The first three features have been covered in Parts 1 and 2, in this part we will think about artifacts and feedback.

Artifacts

If you, like me, are examining teacher-student communication, take a close and dispassionate look at whatever written communication you have on hand. Review all of your report card comments with a researcher’s eye; see how many and what kinds of emails you’ve sent to parents and administrators about students; assess the tone and details of emails sent directly to students; take another look at the written feedback on your most recent batch of assignments before returning them. What trends and patterns do you see?

We leave a lot of evidence about our (conscious or unconscious) thoughts, beliefs, and values in the artifacts of our work. While we may not be conscious of the different ways in which we communicate to and about students, they are. Students compare assignment feedback, report card comments, and even our email responses or response time with their peers. This kind of audit is a worthwhile activity and, in my experience, it is easier to develop more equitable systems for written communication than it is for other kinds of behaviour.

Include Feedback From Others

Despite the name, collaboration is a critical part of self-study. Once you have determined your focus and spent some time observing your own practice, find a trusted colleague to act as a thought partner in your journey. An outside view can help us gain deeper insight or a new perspective on our work.

Depending on your needs, your thought partner might provide:

  • space for you to process difficult realizations or emotions as they arise;
  • honest feedback on your practice based on their observations;
  • insights or potential actions related to the focus of your self-study.

Some years ago, a friend and colleague asked me about my experience with a student who we will call Maya. I taught Maya the year prior and shared my experience of her as hard working and funny, but not particularly excited about math. My colleague told me that she was having trouble connecting with Maya. Even though she was struggling with the course content, Maya was not receptive to my colleague’s attempts to support her and their relationship was becoming challenging. We have these conversations often as educators — searching for insights into challenging students — but our conversation went deeper. My colleague had come to me after a reflection activity that revealed a concerning pattern. She went through her class rosters to make notes on each student’s progress and found that she was consistently struggling to connect with Black girls (like Maya). After we discussed Maya, she shared this revelation with me. I didn’t have answers for her, but I gave my colleague a non-judgmental space to think aloud, express her feelings, and begin to think of next steps. The conversation has stayed with me for years. I was taken aback by my colleague’s honesty and vulnerability, but I was especially impressed with her resolve to grow. She did not come to me to verify that Maya was, in fact, a difficult child, or in search of some kind of absolution from a Black woman for her challenges with Black girls, she came for information and received it with an open mind.

So I leave you with that advice: as you deepen your reflection and self-study, keep an open mind to the information as it presents itself.

I look forward to connecting with you at #GMDReflects. – Idil Abdulkadir (@idil_a_)

Wanna Quit Teaching? You’re Not Alone. Three Ways to Reclaim and Rekindle Our Professional Flourishment

You don’t need me to tell you how demanding and outright exhausting it is to be a classroom teacher. And given the realities of our professional landscape these days, many of us are more than just exhausted. Every passing day, I hear more stories of teachers who feel defeated, demoralized, and ready to be finished.

What is flourishment and why is it essential to our work?

Think of your best moments as a teacher—moments when you saw all of your students curious and thriving, developing positive identities, and actively engaging in thinking, reasoning, and debating with each other. Professionally speaking, nothing nourishes us quite like those moments, right? We feel validated, enthusiastic, and filled with a desire to flourish. I call that  feeling “flourishment.” It is our most precious resource as imperfect teachers because it’s what keeps us going day to day and year to year and gives us the courage and resolve to remain unfinished and continually striving for betterI think we are all craving—needing—more flourishment, perhaps now more than ever.

Full disclosure, my background is in mathematics education and I primarily work with math educators, so I view and translate my thinking through the lens of math teaching. That said, anything you read here is generalizable. I’m so concerned about our collective sense of efficacy as teacher—especially math teachers—that I wrote a book about it. The Imperfect and Unfinished Math Teacher: A Journey to Reclaim Our Professional Growth outlines a journey we—K-12 classroom math teachers and those who directly support our work—can take together to reclaim control over our professional growth and rekindle our sense of professional flourishment.

Here are three “beacons” that can serve as guiding principles for us on our journey to becoming more fulfilled and nourished teachers. For each of these beacons, I invite you to take a specific action that can nourish your teaching passion and help you discover ways that you can flourish at your craft.

Beacon #1: Flourishment requires a lot of grace because it requires us to break down the silos that divide us.

I want to tell you something: math class doesn’t work for all of my students. Even during those stretches when my flourishment is elevated, I know that some of my students aren’t having enough positive experiences in my classroom. And despite my best efforts, I know that there are always a few students who think less about themselves mathematically when they leave my classroom at the end of every school year. My failures trouble me deeply.

If you’re feeling insecure about your teaching expertise, you are not alone. Each and every one of us feels troubled, perhaps even a twinge of shame, by the outcomes we are experiencing in our classrooms. And if you’re thinking about quitting because you don’t feel like a very good math teacher, I want you to know that you belong, you are capable, you are not alone, and I am honored that you are my colleague.
I tell you this because being an imperfect and unfinished math teacher requires a lot of grace, and it’s something that we must learn to give to each other. The siloing effect of school structures and our teaching schedules normalize the professional act of teaching as a private practice conducted alone behind closed classroom doors. As a result, we often find ourselves without the necessary relationships we need to talk authentically about our teaching struggles and to collaborate together as active partners who support each other’s professional learning.

Action to help us break down the silos that divide us:

Find a teaching “buddy” or two or three. Meet a few times a month after school and talk about the passions that drive you as a teacher. Try to choose moments when you know that you can relax and not have to worry about what’s next.
Here are some questions to help you get started with having authentic conversations.

  • What is your teaching story? Tell each other about your career path and how you came to the position you are in.
  • What is your math story? Tell each other about your experiences in math class as a student. How might your personal relationship with mathematics impact your teaching, for better or worse?
  • What does your ideal math classroom look, sound, and feel like? What “human data” are you striving to achieve with your students? What data are you seeing in your classroom that troubles you the most?
  • What do you want your legacy to be as a teacher? How do you want to be remembered by your students? By your colleagues?

Beacon #2: Flourishment is something we must bring about for ourselves and each other as capable producers of our own professional knowledge.

We work in a system of math education that is designed to serve its own needs, not ours. The current structure of math education is designed to standardize the teaching and learning of mathematics, establish tools of accountability and assessment, enforce compliance to mandates by attaching funding to performance, and to implement these tasks as efficiently as possible in a one-size-fits-all bureaucratic approach. This top-down philosophy extends to professional development where we are positioned as passive consumers of our professional knowledge rather than capable producers of it. And despite decades of research that tells the professional development is underperforming, it has remained relatively unchanged. And it’s time that we do something about it.

Our need for a robust sense of professional flourishment is  uniquely individual. It  requires a teacher-centered, teacher-directed approach to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in the classroom. We must take more ownership over our own professional development and position ourselves as capable partners in each other’s professional growth.

Action to help us direct our own professional learning:

Spend time in each other’s classrooms. Even 20 minutes every other week can be enough to help you shift some thinking. The purpose of these observations is not to evaluate your colleagues. You are there to watch math class from the student perspective and to think about your own math class and your own instructional craft. Even your presence in the classroom has a powerful impact on the students in the room. From their perspective, they learn to see us as life-long learners who are continually striving to improve.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself while you watch:

  • What are students seeing from their perspective?
  • What is being valued most in the classroom? Are students valued for giving the right answers? Or are they valued for their thinking and reasoning behind the answers they give?
  • How is authority shared in the classroom? Are students expecting the teacher to be the answer key or do they turn to each other to see if their answers agree?
  • How is student voice elevated in the room? How are they valued for what they already know from their lived experiences?

After observing, think about your own actions as a teacher in your own classroom. What might you do differently? How can you make math class work for more of your students?

Beacon #3: We find flourishment when we align our practice with our purpose.

In our current culture, we’re incentivized to value test scores as the measure of our success. The constant (and ever increasing) focus on assessment data continually threatens our sense of flourishment. Most of us didn’t become teachers because we wanted to treat our students like they’re test scores that need to be raised. Our teaching hearts are nourished by more noble calls to action such as social justice, equity and fairness, and the emotional well-being and intellectual development of the young people we teach. We want our students to feel capable, to be curious, and to have a math story that is unfinished. And we want to be remembered as loving mentors who challenged them and believed in them.

Action to help you align your purpose with your practice:

Imagine it’s the end of the school year, and you are interviewing your students about their math identity. What do you want your students to say about themselves? What beliefs do you want them to have about their math abilities? How do you want them to feel about themselves in math class next year? How do you want to be remembered by them in the years to come?

Your answers say a lot about your passions as an educator and what motivates you to flourish. With this in mind, collect data from your students that can help you improve in ways that matter to you. Too often, the only evaluative feedback in math class goes from us “down” to them. Find ways to elicit feedback from your students. These can be weekly surveys or “report cards” where students reflect and write about their experiences or they can be done orally as a group.

There are no quick fixes to the formidable obstacles we face. These three beacons may not be  a magical salve for all that ails your teaching spirit, but I hope they help shift some thinking about what you need to be nourished as a teacher. I hope these actions help you find ways that you can grow your craft as a capable teacher passionate about the well-being of the students in your care.

Written by Chase Orton (@mathgeek76)

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