Christopher Kribs-Zaleta,Arlington, TX
Thanks to all who contributed the reflections that follow about NCTM's 78th Annual Meeting. Ed.
Christopher Kribs-Zaleta,All of us who have attended conferences like the NCTM meeting know that one of the most important things that happen at such events is the partnerships that grow out of networking and meeting people with common ideas and interests. This year I was interested to see a number of talks and presentations that showed just how fruitful partnerships can be in our work, including Miriam Leiva's work with teachers and Cindy Chapman and Craig Gates's joint presentation on their joint teaching and research. At its heart, the NCTM depends on cooperation and collaboration, and as someone personally interested in cross- institutional partnerships, I was glad to see some strong examples of the power of this kind of collaboration.
I went to many great sessions, however, there are three that "stick-out" in my mind. One was by Nancy Mumaw. Her session was titled "Taking Charge of Your Own Professional Development." As a result of the exercises that Nancy put us through, we all developed a plan for focusing our own professional development. (Now I only have to find time to carry out my plan.) During the sharing of the plans, a gentleman from the Spencer Foundation told us that his organization awards "Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Grants." These grants are intended to build the research expertise of teacher- researchers and to support strong communities of inquiry around teacher-research.
The other session that impressed me
greatly was an opportunity to take a tour of the Principles
and Standards for School Mathematics Outreach Kit. Now
there's a bargain! The cost of the kit from NCTM is $25 and I
believe that is before a members' discount. (She's correct.
Members pay only $20. Ed.) Within the kit is a copy of the
videotape Glenda used in the unveiling of the PSSM. The
kit also includes a CD- ROM (compatible with both Windows and
Macintosh). On the CD-ROM you will find outlines for talks
tailored for a variety of audiences (teachers, administrators,
parents, general public), overhead transparencies, speaking
points and lots of handouts and background information to share
with those various audiences. If you are comfortable with
powerpoint presentations, the CD- ROM has preset presentations
for various audiences as well as grade-band focuses! The other
really neat thing is that the presentations aren't
"locked." In other words, you can customize your
presentation using the already prepared powerpoint slides to met
your needs. Also, it is really easy to use! I'm using my
copy to do a presentation for a PreK-2 audience this weekend.
This kit is a prime resource for anyone who is working with
teachers, parents or others about the PSSM. No! I don't
get any monetary reward for selling these kits! Visit www.nctm.org for more information.
And of course the most wonderful session was the ExxonMobil reception. It was wonderful to see many friends, but also to recognize and thank Bob for his contribution to our growth as mathematics educators. We also had an opportunity to welcome Joe!
One of the gems I carried away with me from the NCTM meeting
in Chicago was another way to look at assessment, thanks to a
session led by Marilyn Burns. Genuine assessment is one of the
most complex issues in teaching for me right now. During her
talk, Marilyn discussed three roles of assessment: assessing
school and district effectiveness, evaluating classroom
instructional decisions, and monitoring and reporting individual
student progress. While teachers have no control over the high
stakes assessment, they do have control and ability to undertake
the last two roles in assessment. These roles helped simplify the
ideas I have about assessment into more manageable
"chunks" and through her talk, and conversations
afterward, I was able to see more clearly the role that
assessment plays in 
decision-making
for teachers.
Anne shared her reflection on the listserv, inquiring whether anyone else had attended the same session. Her inquiry sparked a lively discussion about assessment issues among many listserv folks. Such conversations are just one more reason to subscribe! Ed.
Sitting in the over-packed ballroom on April 12 at 5:45 PM with the various hi-tech equipment sitting around and the revolving spotlights continually playing across the stage, you could feel the excitement of NCTM members as they anticipated the unveiling of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, the updated version of the banner under which we have marched for the past 11 years.
As the "production" began, you caught a sense of what this moment meant to NCTM members since, for the past decade, the Standards have energized their teaching, given them a new direction, and made them feel proud to be math teachers. And it felt good to be part of it all. It was even better as I had a chance to get inside the document and see the splendid job the writing group had done.
Editor's note: Space constraints in this issue did not allow the publication of a fine tribute Paul wrote to the Pre-K-2 PSSM writers. Please look for it in next month's issue.
Chicago—a city for everyone, a conglomerate city—New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore rolled into one. Chicago, unique in its own right, was the perfect location for NCTM's 78th Annual Meeting, "Mathematics: Everyone's Future." From Glenda Lappan's eloquent and poised unveiling of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics to the closing day of sessions and exhibits, the meeting held promise of a new future where students can learn and do mathematics and where teachers, parents, and all those interested in the future of children work collaboratively.
Having attended many sessions on the Principles and Standards and their impact on the various grade bands, I came away with a sense of the power of this document to elicit change in the way people view mathematics education. The panel sessions emphasized a shared vision where stronger, but more globally defined understanding of the basics is encouraged, and where computational fluency, as well as thinking, reasoning, and flexibility are requirements.
Implementation of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics was another thread echoed by the panel members, and constructively developed in the twelve-plus sessions I attended. Speakers such as Dr. James Hiebert and Deborah Patonai brought the reality and the creativity of the Principles and Standards to life. They discussed two recently completed guides that describe processes for bringing all stakeholders together to better understand the implications of TIMSS, and how these messages can enhance efforts for school, classroom, and district-wide improvement of mathematics learning—opening up new perspectives to think about and act upon. Their presentation emphasized the need for collaboration, open dialogue, and communication of all parties as evidenced in the creation of PSSM.
Three thought-provoking, fast-paced sessions presented by Dr. Francis (Skip) Fennell, Marci Cook, and Marilyn Burns extended my thinking about "teacher friendly" ideas for the facilitation and assessment of student learning. Standards topics such as bolder basics, computational fluency, and understanding number relationships came to life by way of examples of activities that encourage all students to become actively involved through wondering, questioning, exploring, and communicating mathematically. They demonstrated strategies for developing a positive environment where mistakes are allowable, and quick answers are not the only answers. They provided multiple examples of questioning techniques that allow for critical thinking and for teacher judgment of what students are learning.
In his humorous presentation, John Scieszka, author of Math Curse, brought to reality the perspective that mathematics is both a science and an art, that it is both thought-provoking and entertaining. For those who worry that the teaching of language and mathematics are not compatible, but rather in competition for our time and energy as teachers, John Scieszka's many books and writings are evidence that the two subjects are complimentary. Used together, they can give students and adults an understanding of, a joy in, and a love for learning.
Successful use of Standards ideas were brought to life in yet another session I attended—"Student-Led Conferences:; Sharing Responsibility for the Future," presented by Carol Midgett and Tom Gorski. They discussed a method by which parents, teachers, and students share responsibility for developing a shared vision of learning needs and assessing learning outcomes of the student. By using an integrated process including discussion of portfolios, rubrics, and expectations, the criteria for evaluation of learning are established; reflection on learning events is enhanced; and parent, student and teacher build an understanding of how the child learns. The biggest plus: the student comes away with a sense of responsibility for his or her own learning. Creating this view of learning and assessment is part of the challenge presented by Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.
In summary, here is what I learned by participating in "Mathematics: Everyone's Future."
Glenda Lappan introduced Felix Browder, President of the American Mathematics Society at his presentation, "Where is Mathematics Going, and Why?" She remarked that her hope was to have present at NCTM's Annual Meeting the presidents of the all of the math counterpoint organizations. Also in the audience was Tom Banchoff, President of the Mathematical Association of America, and many distinguished men and women whom I did not recognize.
The presentation was elementary (at least I understood most of it). The subject was a survey of much of mathematics from elementary to the frontiers, with the speaker's special insight evident. When Felix reached the frontier, I was surprised and thrilled that he proceeded to summarize and explain the problems and procedures of advanced math in an elementary way. After the presentation, Felix agreed to send me his talk to be published in the Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal that is supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation and sent without cost to all who request it. Please contact Alvin if you'd like to receive this journal. Ed.
NCTM in Chicago? Five star restaurants, professional discussions, invaluable information and support. I found myself continually "fine-tuning" my practice and gently letting go of less effective beliefs because of the consistency of thought. Thanks!