Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine
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Prompt 6: Taking Action

22 Feb 2015 1:56 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

Select one or two actions from the section that applies to you. Name the action you selected, describe your action, and tell what happened as a result.

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  • 26 Feb 2015 2:50 PM | Deleted user
    The action I took from the list for coaches is "Provide professional development and training that makes the implementation of the Mathematics Teaching Practices a priority". The HS where I work is changing the schedule next year to 8 blocks, 4 each day, alternating, year long. The reason for the added block is to provide a block for intervention. I started some PD for math teachers on how to break down the class time of 85 min. into meaningful chunks. The three teaching practices that apply the most to the extended time block are: Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving; Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding; and Support productive struggle in learning mathematics. This was just the beginning of the work to help teachers create a learning environment that encourages students to be actively engaged in their learning. (The perceived difficulty right now is not seeing students every day - will need to work on strategies for this too.) Teachers left feeling pretty positive but acknowledge there is work to do in the areas of curriculum & instruction.
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  • 15 Mar 2015 3:42 PM | Anonymous member
    1. Join and participate in local, state, or national professional organizations:
    I have joined ATOMIM, and plan to join NCTM. I also joined the Maine chapter of MAMLE.

    2. Engage in dialogue with colleagues who teach other mathematics grade levels:
    I spent a half day working with the K-4 teachers as they developed a plan to change the way they teach our mathematics program. As I stated in a previous post, they will teach the regular program 3 days per week using flexible grouping and teach CCSS modules the other two days. They were receptive to my input since their students will ultimately come to the 5-8 program. We looked at ways that that transition could become more smooth. I am hoping to include my 5th grade in this new plan pending administrative approval and schedule.
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  • 20 Apr 2015 5:57 PM | Anonymous member
    This year in my teaching I have focused on the tools and technology principle by planning lessons which use GeoGebra to further student understanding of the concepts. In my Geometry class this has been very successful and the students have been able to implement the technology in a critical manner and compare the use of the technology with paper/pencil techniques. In my Pre-Algebra classes, I have a ways to go in designing lessons which promote critical thinking about the mathematical concepts and not just use GeoGebra applications to simplify the skills and computations. I will certainly continue with this action in the years to come.
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  • 12 May 2015 9:33 PM | Deleted user
    I am teaching at a new school this year. We have collected a large amount of data that I plan to study. I want to use the data to address weaknesses and to drive the curriculum for next year. I hope to streamline some lessons and expand others according to what the data exhibits. I also plan to begin the school year with an in-class structure that may help to individualize instruction right from the beginning of the year. I want to present regular lessons three days a week and then plan two days of instructional plans that address student needs to either remediate or accelerate. I hope to meet more needs in a more timely fashion. I will discuss ideas with my colleagues, but I am not expecting that they would voluntarily opt to combine students and work together. This has "never been done that way" so unless Admin drives the change, my experience is that people don't change unless there is a directive. We'll see.

    Another action that I took this year was to study the teacher's manual carefully. I will do this again. This has made a big difference for me this year.....teaching a new program.....it has been the "coaching" required in order to bring the program to life in the classroom as it was meant to be, and as the authors intended. There is a lot of background information that helps answer questions about the mathematics that then drives a more clearly presented lesson. I have also appreciated the teaching of multiple strategies for problem solving. This was new to me....being so intentional....and I saw a big impact on student learning. The advanced students enjoyed seeing how different approaches resulted in the same results. Students who had difficulty with one strategy found a different one to be more accessible. They were more engaged, seeing that there was more than one way to solve a problem. They liked having choices, and choosing for themselves. It is up to the teacher to teach all three, however.....no shortcuts!

    The manual is always a resource, but it is not always used to its full potential. This is another way that a coach can make an impact on classroom instruction. Be intentional in presenting the curriculum true to the program you are using.

    The last action I tried to be true to was having students show and discuss their problem solving and decision-making steps in front of the class. Providing them an opportunity to "teach" the class or "share their knowledge", so all of us could learn from each other was an important goal. We also used the language of math accurately and consistently.
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