This Week at the Global Math Department / Global Math Department

Edited By Nate Goza @thegozaway

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Online Professional Development Sessions

Necessary Conditions: Ingredients for Successful Math Classrooms

Presented by Geoff Krall

Take a look at pieces of Geoff Krall’s book on Secondary Math. He’ll share the inspirations for the book as well as a framework for pedagogy for secondary math teachers. You’ll see excerpts from the book as well as printables to advance your practice.

To join us at 9:00 PM EST for this webinar click here!

Next week at Global Math NCTM President Robert Barry will be here with an overview of “Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations.” You can register ahead of time here!

You can always check out past Global Math Department webinars. Click here for the archives or get the webinars in podcast form!

Approaching the New Year

The Year Progress Twitter account is amusing. It only tweets an old-fashioned looking “loading” bar showing, well, the progress of the year towards the end.

It may well be that you feel like “Teacher New Year” (for many, people, the day after Labor Day is the “real” New Year) was yesterday, and you have barely made progress in reaching your goals. I assure you, you have. That bone weary feeling you have right now means that you have worked hard, and need a rest. Take some time to pause, reflect, and think on what goals you have for the “other” New Year. Humans love patterns, we are good at perceiving them, and we love the sweet feeling of “starting over”.

If 2019 is a blank slate, what do you want to accomplish? What goals will you continue to work towards? Is there anything new you want to try?

It could be a time for new habits, new goals. I recently read “The Power of Habit”, and it powerfully describes how, set in our ways though we often are, we have the power to change our habits.

Perhaps you want to consistently get your students in a reasoning routine, like Fraction Talks, or Would You Rather. Build the habit. Perhaps you want to use #VNPS (or little white boards, or whiteboard paint on desks). Create a new routine for yourself. Maybe you want to read more research. Start with one good article. Maybe then you could put it into your calendar or agenda on a regular basis. Habits will form. (You could start with the Boaler curated journal special issue “Dispelling Myths About Mathematics.”

Be kind to yourself though – maybe pick one good goal for yourself in your practice, and find the steps you will need to take to achieve that goal.

All best wishes for the holiday break, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy New Year! 2019 will be great!

Written by Matthew Oldridge (@MatthewOldridge)

I was fortunate enough to attend CMC-North Math conference at the beginning of December. I saw Howie Hua playing piano in the lodge. He has shifted my teaching with small transformations toward a more humanitarian classroom. One thing that gets lots of attention is his method of allowing students some processing time before a test. This, being my first year at High School (giving finals), I saw students respond with positivity when I allowed them time to prepare a “one page” prior to the exam. Given that we have block periods (and it is against most progressive research to ask kids to sit for two hours), I had them take a “one rule” break mid-exam. Flip there tests upside down, take your one page, STAND-UP and collaborate to add more to your notes. There was active discussion; and the process of a “final exam” felt more humane.

Adding to this theme; I was fortunate enough to attend a talk by @BeckyNftP titled: “Warm up to Mathematical Freedom.” She landed on this idea from an aside in Jo Boaler’s talk last year and has since been grappling with the meaning. This question posing session had me considering my “tent poles” or the structures that support the rest of your teaching practice.

When have we felt “mathematically free”? When do our students feel free? Should we consider as Jo Boaler says both Organizational and Mathematical freedom? Should we lean toward Tracy Zager’s ideas of Mathematicians as Rebels?

Next topic: Teaching is a Political Act; follow @BadAssTeachersA to keep up to date and enter into the realm. If you are fortunate enough to be at a school with a teacher’s union; show up for their events: everyone benefits when public schools thrive.

Other quick tweets that caught my eye this month from people I enjoy having on my feed: pictures are linked so you can have them too 🙂

Enjoy your holiday break; as @MatthewOldridge said, “take care of yourself.”

Written by Diana McClean (@teachMcClean)

GMD is Looking for Presenters!

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At Global Math we are proud of our Webinars! We appreciate all of our presenters and look forward to bringing you the best “PD Iin Your Pajamas” on the internet. We’re always on the lookout for fresh faces and new ideas.

Please use this recommendation form to let us know who/what should be shared next! We will take your recommendations and reach out to try to make it happen!