School Year 2022–2023
6–8 Sparking Joy in Your Mathematics Classroom: From Start To Finish
This professional development series will connect important mathematical content with best teaching practices. Teachers will dig deep by engaging in mathematical tasks to spark a renewed joy for doing mathematics. Throughout the series teachers will reflect on best teaching practices that can be used to support a variety of student learning. ISBE Professional Development hours will be provided for each session.
(Seven 90-minute virtual sessions)
Participants may select from four virtual session times: 8:30–10:00 am, 10:30 am–12:00 pm, 1:00–2:30 pm, or 4:30–6:00 pm.
| Date | |
| Session 1: Promoting a Culture of Joy in Mathematics | 10/4 |
| We will focus on using numeracy activities for fun and flexible thinking. Learn about ways to support students to build a positive mathematical identity. | |
| Session 2: Hooked on Problem Solving | 11/2 |
| In this session, we’ll look at ways to use non-curricular and non-routine tasks to get students addicted to problem solving and taking risks when they don’t have any memorized “rules.” | |
| Session 3: Proportional Reasoning: The Math That Keeps on Giving | 11/30 |
| Thinking proportionally is truly a life skill, and despite being something we learn in middle grades, is frequently ranked as the #1 missing skill by college math professors. We will engage in proportional reasoning activities that meet students where they are and help them move along this important developmental trajectory. | |
| Session 4: Algebra with Friends | 1/24 |
| When it comes to algebraic reasoning, students’ peers are often their best resource. We will explore a variety of strategies to leverage group structures to support students’ capacity to generalize about patterns. | |
| Session 5: Great Questions to Promote Geometric Reasoning | 2/14 |
| When it comes to geometry and measurement, many students can apply memorized formulas but struggle to truly reason spatially. In this session, we will try on various questioning techniques to get students to deepen their understanding. | |
| Session 6: Using Statistics to Highlight Student Thinking | 3/9 |
| How do we pull together students’ strategies and help them harvest their learning after exploring a task? In this session, we will use statistics as a context to analyze ways to make learning stick. | |
| Session 7: Look What We Know: Reflection | 5/2 |
| Reflect on what you tried this year. Collaborate with your peers as you think about next year. We will share some fun end-of-year games and activities for you to try before the end of the year. |
Registration is now closed on Eventbrite. Please contact Jean Sutow-Goldrich (sutow@uic.edu) for registration processing.
6–8: http://mcmi68.eventbrite.com
Registration costs are listed in EventBrite. For districts participating in the MCMI PD Consortium, registration costs are covered by the terms of the contract.
Please contact Jean Sutow-Goldrich (sutow@uic.edu) with questions about your district’s status for the 2022–2023 school year or for additional information about Consortium benefits.