Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements (3 of 3)

This is the third in a series of three blog posts on what we believe about mathematics instruction in Coppell ISD.  Each of the posts will address one of the Guiding Principles and associated Belief Statements.

Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements


Philosophy

High quality mathematics curriculum and instruction engages hands, minds, and intellect through authentic, active learning that supports each student to achieve personal success.  These learning experiences, assessed through a variety of methods, bridge the concrete and abstract by applying critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies in meaningful and relevant situations.  Through the understanding of mathematical concepts and reasoning, every student will be prepared to communicate effectively using the language of mathematics as a tool to meet future challenges.

Guiding Principle (and Belief Statements) Number 3:

Mathematics prepares students to be life-long global learners

• Students understand the power of mathematics and utilize it to be:
• Problem solvers
• Communicators
• Collaborators
• Users of technology
• Self-reflective thinkers

Consider this infographic from http://www.edudemic.com/27-ways-to-be-a-21st-century-teacher/.  

With the above Guiding Principle in mind, in what ways can you morph the opportunities you provide and, as a result, better prepare your students to be life-long global learners?

Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements (2 of 3)

This is the second in a series of three blog posts on what we believe about mathematics instruction in Coppell ISD.  Each of the posts will address one of the Guiding Principles and associated Belief Statements.

Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements


Philosophy

High quality mathematics curriculum and instruction engages hands, minds, and intellect through authentic, active learning that supports each student to achieve personal success.  These learning experiences, assessed through a variety of methods, bridge the concrete and abstract by applying critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies in meaningful and relevant situations.  Through the understanding of mathematical concepts and reasoning, every student will be prepared to communicate effectively using the language of mathematics as a tool to meet future challenges.

Guiding Principle (and Belief Statements) Number 2:

Mathematics curriculum and instruction must be rigorous and relevant in order to develop conceptual understanding and skills

• Mathematics relates to other content areas.
• Strands in mathematics are connected.
• Vertical and horizontal alignment is crucial when developing mathematical literacy.
• Mathematics develops higher level thinking.
• Teaching methods include multiple strategies such as: inquiry-based instruction, learner-centered instruction, multiple resources, and hands-on learning.
• Students and teachers use technology as instructional tools.

I recommend that we consider what NCTM President Linda M. Gojak shared in her President's Corner article What's All This Talk about Rigor?  

Within the article, a clarification of learning experiences that do (and do not) involve rigor is shared and compared in the chart below.

Learning experiences that involve rigor …	Experiences that do not involve rigor …
challenge students	are more “difficult,” with no purpose (for example, adding 7ths and 15ths without a real context)
require effort and tenacity by students	require minimal effort
focus on quality (rich tasks)	focus on quantity (more pages to do)
include entry points and extensions for all students	are offered only to gifted students
are not always tidy, and can have multiple paths to possible solutions	are scripted, with a neat path to a solution
provide connections among mathematical ideas	do not connect to other mathematical ideas
contain rich mathematics that is relevant to students	contain routine procedures with little relevance
develop strategic and flexible thinking	follow a rote procedure
encourage reasoning and sense making	require memorization of rules and procedures without understanding
expect students to be actively involved in their own learning	often involve teachers doing the work while students watch

Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements (1 of 3)

This is the first in a series of three blog posts on what we believe about mathematics instruction in Coppell ISD.  Each of the posts will address one of the Guiding Principles and associated Belief Statements.

The following document was drafted and unanimously agreed upon by a committee of mathematics educators in our district for the purpose of improving and ensuring best practices in the classroom.  

Mathematics in CISD: Philosophy, Guiding Principles, Belief Statements


Philosophy

High quality mathematics curriculum and instruction engages hands, minds, and intellect through authentic, active learning that supports each student to achieve personal success.  These learning experiences, assessed through a variety of methods, bridge the concrete and abstract by applying critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies in meaningful and relevant situations.  Through the understanding of mathematical concepts and reasoning, every student will be prepared to communicate effectively using the language of mathematics as a tool to meet future challenges.

Guiding Principle (and Belief Statement) Number 1:

Mathematics instruction is driven by data gained from valid and reliable research-based tools.

Through analysis of a variety of formal and informal assessments, educators develop short and long term goals for learner growth based on patterns in the data.

What this means:

• Educators intentionally assess learners formally and informally for the purpose of gaining information about learners' understanding.
• Educators believe all learners can grow in understanding of mathematics.
• Educators develop short and long term goals for learner growth.
• Educators consider data gained from formal and informal assessments.

What this does not mean:

• Educators plan every day of instruction without consideration of learners' understanding.
• Educators only utilize summative assessment strategies.
• Educators only utilize one method of assessment.

Upcoming Professional Learning

Elementary 

Registration is now open in Eduphoria for the first Stop, Collaborate, and Listen! 

Open to all interested educators!

Date: October 2, 2014
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm 
Location: Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Educators: Grades 3, 4, 5: http://eduphoria.coppellisd.com/wshop/default.aspx?cid=6372
Topic: TEKS, Curriculum, and Resources for 2nd Nine Weeks in Grades 3, 4, 5


Date: October 9, 2014
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm 
Location: Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Educators: Grades K, 1, 2: http://eduphoria.coppellisd.com/wshop/default.aspx?cid=6246
Topic: TEKS, Curriculum, and Resources for 2nd Nine Weeks in Grades K, 1, 2



Registration is now open in Eduphoria for the first Elementary Math Educator Academy of this school year.

Educators should communicate with their campus administrators about attendance since substitutes will be needed.

Date: October 15, 2014
Time: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Location: Brock Center
Educators: K-2 & 3-5
Topic: Fluency (accuracy, efficiency, flexibility) with numbers.  Educators will have an opportunity to learn about Number Talks as well.




Secondary


Casio PRIZM Online Training is now being offered through the Casio Education website.

From http://www.casioeducation.com/educators/online_training:

See for yourself how PRIZM's revolutionary, patented technology can promote student learning and change the way we look at mathematics education. As you work through this free and self-paced set of modules, you will discover:

• Navigation of the intuitive menu-driven interface is quick and easy
• The "Modify" feature is a powerful discovery tool to foster deeper understanding of mathematical concepts
• The "Picture Plot" application can help students explore mathematics in concrete settings and whether it's for advanced placement curriculum or for basic mathematics, the PRIZM™ is an easy-to-use and flexible educational tool.
• All U.S. educators who complete this course will receive a free copy of our fx-CG/PRIZMTM Manager Plus software for use on your personal computer (while supplies last).

Mathematics Textbooks

Elementary

K-5 math educators now have online access to our digital textbook resources!  Educators will navigate to: http://www-k6.thinkcentral.com and log in with the username and password they received in an email from Think Central.  Contact Mary Kemper, Ashley Minton, or Diana Saylak if you are having trouble accessing this resource.

Spanish Resources

Digital resources in Spanish are now available.  When accessing Think Central, choose Language: Spanish from the drop down menu.  

Middle School

6-8 math educators now have online access to our digital textbook resources!  Educators will navigate to: https://my.hrw.com and register using the steps they received in an email from the campus department chair or math coach.  Contact Mary Kemper or your department chair/math coach if you are having trouble accessing this resource.

High School

The State Board of Education (SBOE) issued Proclamation 2015 in April 2013. The adoption of materials under Proclamation 2015 is scheduled to occur in November 2014. The adopted materials are scheduled to be available for use beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.  Proclamation 2015 calls for instructional materials for high school mathematics courses including: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Precalculus, Mathematical Models with Application, Advanced Quantitative Reasoning, and Statistics and Risk Management.

A committee of educators will be formed to evaluate the instructional materials available for adoption and purchase. Committee work will begin late fall and will conclude during the spring semester.  More information to come!

TASA on iTunes U Expansion

On March 5, 2013, the Texas Association of School Administrators announced the launch of TASA on iTunes U to help transform Texas teaching and learning by providing course content for classroom teachers in the four core subject areas of mathematics, science, social studies and English language arts. This initial debut included 18 high school courses on iTunes U, the world's largest free repository of education content with more than 1 billion downloads to date.

Then, on May 7, 2014, TASA announced the release of the House Bill 5 College Prep Resources on iTunes U, including one each for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Readiness Courses in English and Mathematics were aligned to the TEKS and released on iTunes U on August 21, 2014.

Most recently, on September 2, 2014, TASA announced the expansion of courses on iTunes U including middle school and additional high school resources.  Most exciting is the release of the Grade 6 Math course aligned to the Revised (2012) Mathematics TEKS!

These resources were curated by Texas Educators and made possible through the support of TASA.

**By clicking on the links in this post on an iPad, these resources will be available to you on your iTunes U bookshelf in the iTunes U app.