As you know by now, Exxon and Mobil, acting on a definitive agreement signed in 1998, merged to form the Exxon Mobil Corporation on November 30, 1999.
As a result of the merger, the Exxon Education Foundation has a new name—the ExxonMobil Foundation. Ed Ahnert, president of the foundation commented: "Despite the name change of both the corporation and the foundation, rest assured that we plan to continue our support of K-3 programs."
Bob Witte remarked: "The fact that 'education' is no longer the Foundation's middle name signals only that the new foundation will also be making grants for other charitable purposes that were previously made by the corporations. Both Exxon and Mobil trace their educational grant-making back to the same Standard Oil Trust and, indeed, to John D. Rockefeller. Education will remain at the center of the new foundation's mission."
To read more about the merger, please visit www.exxon.mobil.com.
After thirty-eight years with Exxon, Bob Witte has chosen to retire at the end of this month. The Foundation has named Joe Gonzales, from the Public Affairs division of Exxon USA, Houston, to be Bob's successor. Newsletter readers who attended the Foundation's Ninth Annual Meeting in Houston in September 1997 will remember meeting Joe there. He has been involved in Exxon's K-12 educational programs in the Houston area for several years.
Those planning to attend the Foundation's traditional reception during NCTM's Annual Meeting in Chicago this April will have the opportunity to visit with both Bob and Joe. Since Joe will begin making site visits early this spring, some of you may have the pleasure of meeting him prior to that conference.
Please find in this issue an essay, "What You Taught Me," in which Bob reflects on his years with project participants. All of us wish you the best, Bob. At the same time, we extend a warm welcome to you, Joe.
Many thanks to Beth Williams for contributing this update on the project she leads in Bedford County, VA. Thanks also to Angela Green, the district's Policy and Activity Coordinator, for forwarding the accompanying photos. Ed.
Exciting things continue to
happen in Bedford County, VA thanks to the sustained support of
the Exxon Education Foundation.
The initial "Our Math Works" K-3 project began at Boonsboro Elementary School in the fall of 1997. As a math specialist, I have helped teachers initiate and implement new programs and activities. Practices such as modeling lessons in the classrooms were implemented to establish confidence in new teaching strategies and questioning techniques. Family Math Nights—where parents, students and teachers work together on math activities in a fun environment—were begun.
A training program for volunteers was established to provide extra support to the classroom mathematics program. These volunteers offered remediation, reinforcement and extension of concepts presented in the classrooms. The use of volunteers resulted in extra planning time for teachers at every grade level to meet and discuss mathematics. This initial project provided an exciting resource for one school and staff development opportunities for many schools in one attendance zone.
Following a change in county administration, Dr. James
Blevins, Superintendent, and the Bedford County School Board
began to develop a program of teacher
leadership. In the spring of
1999, classes were offered to all teachers to expand their own
understanding of mathematics through the University of Virginia.
During the summer of 1999, Math Solutions classes were also
offered. The teachers who have taken these classes are now
meeting in study groups to support each other as they use new
teaching techniques and strategies that promote thinking,
reasoning and problem-solving.
Recognizing that administrative support and encouragement are essential elements needed to successfully implement mathematics reform, the "Our Math Works" project will target principals and assistant principals. In March, Math Solutions leadership training for elementary and middle-school administrators will focus on building teacher interest in improving mathematics instruction, informing parents and school board members about mathematics reform, and planning for on-going support of classroom mathematics teaching.
In June, Math Solutions instructors will return to Bedford County to bring the five-day course to many more teachers. These teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in study groups to support them as they put what they learn into practice.
The response to these many wonderful professional opportunities has been outstanding. We are all very thankful for the Foundation's continued support and encouragement.
Many thanks to Doug Clements, a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, for introducing himself and this newly-funded endeavor in the article below. Welcome! Ed.
Increasing numbers of children attend early care and education programs. Several states are instituting universal preschool education. Various government agencies, federal and state, provide financial support for preschool programs designed to facilitate academic achievement, particularly for low-income children at increased risk of school failure. These trends, along with recent international comparisons of mathematics achievement, have generated much recent interest in, and attention to, the learning of mathematics before elementary school at both the preschool and kindergarten levels. For example, NCTM is revising its standards to include preschoolers in its Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. States such as Texas and New York are beginning to create mathematics standards and curriculum guidelines for preschool and kindergarten children.
As NCTM and the states begin this new enterprise, there are many opportunities to create developmentally appropriate and challenging mathematics education for preschool and kindergarten children. At the same time, there is the danger of a veritable Babel of standards, some of which may be developmentally inappropriate for young children. A lack of consistency across various standards and guidelines may eventually result in incoherent and developmentally inappropriate curricula produced by major publishers.
For these reasons, I was convinced that we needed to talk to one another. My name is Doug Clements. I'm a professor of Early Childhood, Mathematics and Computer Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Previously, I was a kindergarten teacher for five years, and taught preschool (3's and 4's) for one year. I did my dissertation with this later group, investigating the effects of two different approaches to teaching number. Most recently, I have served on the PreK-grade 2 writing team for the revision of the NCTM Standards—NCTM's Standards 2000 project. Finally, with Julie Sarama, we are developing materials for this age range. In our current NSF project, Building Blocks— Foundations for Mathematical Thinking, Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 2: Research- based Materials Development, we will create mathematics software and activities for children from preschoolers to grade 2.
Given my dedication to mathematics education in the early years, I was gratified that both the ExxonMobil Foundation and the National Science Foundation (NSF) agreed to fund a "Conference on Standards for Preschool and Kindergarten Mathematics Education." The goal of the conference is to promote early communication between, and coordination of efforts by, the relevant educational leaders and agencies. We aim to do the following.
We hope to develop a community that shares ideas. The presentation of research and other current work in the field will enhance the knowledge of the participants and will be gathered and published for broader use. The emphasis on content will encourage the synthesis of research on early mathematical thinking with conceptualizations of the foundations of mathematics as a discipline. The final report and recommendations will constitute a set of guidelines that will enable all the standards' writing groups to create consistent and complementary (and, as much as possible, common) standards that are based on current understanding of research, practice, and policy in early childhood mathematics education.
One of the many contributions the ExxonMobil Foundation will be making is sponsoring the attendance of several kindergarten Teacher-Leaders, building on the Foundation's long-standing support of early childhood mathematics. The ExxonMobil Foundation will also be hosting a small follow-up conference, at which the results of the conference will be "pulled together" and put in a report.
You can keep up to date with the conference by visiting our web site at www.gse.buffalo.edu/org/conference/index.htm. We hope to hear from you.
Many thanks to Carne Barnett and Alma Ramirez of the Mathematics Case Methods Project at WestEd for contributing this article that acquaints readers with their recently-funded endeavor. Ed.
The ExxonMobil Foundation has awarded a planning grant to the Mathematics Case Methods Project housed at WestEd in Oakland, California. WestEd is a non-profit agency, with several offices nationwide, that seeks to improve education through research, development and service. The new grant will support the recipients in designing a plan to 1) mentor advanced teacher-leaders; 2) refine the project's leadership materials; 3) outline a series of professional development experiences that could be brokered by the project; and 4) build a self-sustaining infrastructure to disseminate through teacher-leaders. The final product of this grant will be a fully developed plan that addresses each of the four components listed above.
The Mathematics Case Methods Project has spent the past ten years designing experiences and materials that promote teacher-to-teacher learning and leadership development. We have developed considerable expertise about how to help teachers challenge themselves and each other to understand mathematics more deeply, question their decisions and assumptions, and carefully analyze the benefits and drawbacks of various approaches. We also know how to make case discussions intellectually stimulating so that diverse teachers are drawn to the process, regardless of their level of mathematics competence, pedagogical style, or philosophical stance.
We are now at a critical point for the next phase of our work. Teachers, not project staff, need to be at the helm of this professional development process. We believe that teachers are one of the greatest untapped resources for their own professional development, and that the Mathematics Case Methods Project has the expertise to foster leadership. A special emphasis is placed on promoting the leadership potential of minority teachers, as they are often underrepresented in the mathematics education leadership. As this new teacher-leader said:
"When we were approached to be leaders within our district, we saw it as an opportunity to develop our confidence and help us overcome our timidity. I can honestly say that for me, becoming a facilitator and seminar leader has done just that."
The Mathematics Case Methods Project enhances teachers' knowledge of specific topics in mathematics as well as their capacity to review and improve their own teaching practices. Patterned after the case methods successfully used to prepare lawyers and business professionals, mathematics case discussions focus on experiences from practice that promote analytic thought, reflection and inquiry. Beginning in 1987, we have engaged teachers as discussants of cases, case writers, case discussion facilitators, and professional developers in the case method.
Here is what teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District have to say about their experience with case discussions:
"The idea of reflection on our teaching practices is an important aspect of professional development. We have been busy learning and sharing new strategies, but spending little time considering how those strategies do or don't work, or examining student responses to gain insight into their thoughts."
"Excellent tool—a role for teacher as observer and researcher. Also builds peer relationships and professionalism."
Our research documents the considerable benefits of case discussions for teachers and students. Evidence shows that case discussions produce a statistically significant growth in teachers' mathematics knowledge. Likewise, their beliefs about teaching and learning are challenged. As teachers develop, "test out," and refine effective teaching strategies in their classrooms, students benefit from enhanced opportunities to learn mathematics. Our research reveals that the approach is effective when teachers conduct case discussions with their peers, providing for widespread dissemination. Furthermore, teachers who facilitate case discussions learn more, and at a faster rate, than those who only discuss cases. Case discussions, as an integral part of school culture, foster cohesion and commonality, allowing teachers to truly collaborate with each other for ongoing learning.
Seminars are available for teachers, professional developers, principals and teacher educators. Please send your name, address, and phone number to be on our mailing list. You may order a casebook and facilitator's guide, entitled Mathematics Teaching Cases: Fractions, Decimals, Ratios, and Percents, from Heinemann at (800) 541-2086.
An introductory videotape, entitled Enhancing Mathematics Teaching Through Case Discussions, is available through WestEd. To order, send a check ($10 for each tape) to WestEd, Oakland Branch, 300 Lakeside Dr, 18th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. For more information, please contact Carne Barnett by e-mail at cbarnet@WestEd.org; phone, 510-302-4206; fax, 510-302-4354. Cases for primary-grade teachers and cases for students are in development. Research papers are available upon request. Our current funders are the ExxonMobil Foundation, National Science Foundation, Stuart Foundations, and Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Many thanks to Bob Witte for contributing the reflective essay that follows. Best wishes, Bob. Ed.
The first, and perhaps most important,
fact that I learned is that teaching and learning are far more
complex than most Americans believe (or want to believe). All
teaching takes place in an environment which includes an infinite
array of different students and an atmosphere that is
ever-changing. This is the environment in which you do your work
every day. Those who fail to recognize this or do not wish to
understand it cannot help you.
Several years before I came to the Foundation, I was involved in examining the education activities of our domestic oil company. I was fortunate, at that time, to have Scott Miller, then an Exxon Education Foundation Program Officer, as a mentor. Among other things, he demanded that I read Theodore Sizer's 1984 book, Horace's Compromise, the Dilemma of the American High School. I did. Near the end of the book, Dr. Sizer answers the rhetorical question about improving schools: "What if nobody cares?" His answer (and I paraphrase from memory here): "It is true. Too many don't care".The businessman who would not adopt the practices of the typical American high school for his business nor condone the working conditions in most of our schools, sanctimoniously leads pep rallies for the schools. Is this hypocrisy? No. Not really. Just indifference—and the unwillingness to think hard and honestly about the processes of education." When I met the teachers and leaders of the Foundation's K-3 Mathematics Specialist Project, you immediately began to teach me what it meant to "think hard and honestly about the processes of education."
Sizer's challenge has haunted me since I was first confronted by it. I am almost afraid to think about what would have happened to me had you not trusted me enough to share the truth about the complexities of your classroom—and had I not been in a place that would allow my often awkward efforts to "think hard and honestly." But more was needed, and you gave that as well.
What you gave me by your extraordinary example was courage. The Foundation sponsored a conference on the mathematical preparation of teachers several years ago. At that meeting, Glenda Lappan told me, (to paraphrase again), "The scary thing for teachers, when they learn to talk with the children about mathematics, is that the teachers learn that none of the information they covered was learned." It requires a great deal of courage to face that possibility. But when we can accept that kind of truth, then we understand what is meant by the phrase, "the truth that makes you free." So I learned that, if you could do that, we could aspire to do no less.
We don't have classrooms like yours—but we must "talk with our projects" and be willing to learn the truth, even if it means that our work might not always be as successful as we might wish. We had to be willing to learn that what you were doing in your classrooms was more complex than we could capture in a three-line press release, and that we were not ready to "declare victory" in our efforts to advance mathematics instruction. But your trust and willingness to share your stories about how your teaching has changed the lives of your children—your willingness to allow our belief that the K-3 Mathematics Specialist Program really had something to do with your ability to give those great gifts to your children—that has been enormously rewarding for me.
Finally, you have convinced me that you will succeed. We have critics of the pedagogy you prove superior every day in your classrooms, and we always will. From time-to-time the critics even make a point that we should pay attention to. But the critics are not even in the same contest as you, because you are solely motivated by your concern for your children. You are motivated because you have seen the pain inflicted upon children by inept and inappropriate mathematics instruction. You are motivated because you have seen the power and beauty of mathematics reflected in and shining from the eyes of your children. We have schools that function for children because this nation is blessed with many teachers who teach because they care about those children. And you have proven again and again (and allowed me to see this) that politicians and bureaucrats and critics cannot stop you.
Your students know that learning important things is rewarding. It has been for me and I am grateful for the opportunities you have given me.
Please consider taking a few minutes to respond to the request below. It's one more way to let the world know about all the wonderful things going on in your classroom! Ed.
My name is Lauren Jones, and I work at Sunwest Communications, the public relations firm for the ExxonMobil Foundation. I met some of you at the fall conference.
We are trying to collect interesting anecdotes from participants in Foundation-supported programs across the U.S. to use in stories for the media. We want to get the human-interest aspect of the story across to the public, and feel that individual success stories about a method that works well in a classroom, or about a teacher's success using a new method with a student or students, would help get this message across.
It would be great if some of you could send me some of your anecdotes—I know there are a lot of great stories out there! If we use your story for an article, we will contact you with the article and get your approval.
If you send an anecdote, please include your e-mail address and a daytime phone number. You may contact me by phone at (214) 373-1601, or by e-mail at ljones@sunwestpr.com. Thanks so much!
If you subscribe to Kappan, you'll find that January's cover story is by author Susan Ohanian. It will probably appear on Kappan's Web Site, too at www.pdkintl.org. Who would like to read and review it for an upcoming issue? Please let me know. Ed.
Many thanks to Cathy Fosnot for forwarding the information that follows. Ed.
For the first time this year, Mathematics in the City will be holding a two-week summer institute on Mathematics Education PreK-8 that is open to participants outside of the New York City based project. Mathematics in the City is a collaborative project between the Freudenthal Institute in Holland and City College in New York City. With grants from the National Science Foundation and the Exxon Education Foundation, the project has engaged teachers from across five Manhattan school districts in summer institutes and classroom co-teaching and developed ten demonstration sites over the past five years. This year our summer institute is open for national participation. The dates are July 31 - August 11.
Mathematics in the City focuses on helping teachers understand the big ideas, strategies, and models within various mathematical topics and on helping them to implement a constructivist pedagogy grounded in the use of meaningful contexts for children. Particular emphasis is placed on building constraints into contexts as a way to facilitate learning, on using strings and models like the open number line and the open array to develop computation strategies, on using tools like the rekenrek (an arithmetic rack based on fives), and on analyzing the mathematics in children's work and scaffolding "math congresses."
Teachers and staff developers are invited to participate on a beginning level (engaging as a learner in the institute) or on an advanced level (working alongside staff and participating in staff meetings to learn how to offer such institutes in their districts). The cost for the institute is $800. Participants earn three graduate credits. Space is limited. Please contact the Mathematics in the City office for more information at 212-650-6346.
Both Pat Hess and third-grade teacher Martha LaPointe sent reviews of a new Math Solutions title called Developing Number Sense. Many thanks to both!
Is anyone interested in reviewing a Math Solutions title called Getting Your Math Message Out to Parents by Nancy Litton? I'll mail it to you "for keeps" if you review it for Intersection. What a deal! Ed.
Developing Number Sense, Grades 3-6 by Rusty Bresser and Caren Holtzman is a book that would be a well-used resource for any teacher interested in her/his students' development of number sense. The book is designed for Grades 3-6, but the activities could easily be adapted to other levels. Each activity has three components: a concise summary, an extended vignette that describes how these teachers taught the activity in a classroom, and answers to one or more reflective questions.
Here's an example: In the activity "Get to 1,000," there is: an overview, list of materials needed, directions for the game, ideas for extensions, story of how Rusty introduces the activity, description of observation of students, report of a class discussion, description of a writing assignment, examples of student writing, reflections from the author on the purpose of the activity, classroom management, influence of the activity on building number sense, and ideas of adapting the activity to other levels. This is a lot of useful information in an "easy to find" format . The authors use game activities, personal use of number, and direct estimation activities to create an environment where students use mental math and see relationships and connections between numbers and operations. This is a very good book written by two thoughtful classroom teachers.
When I get students in third grade whose only strategy for addition is to start with ones and carry, I pull my hair out unteaching that mindless habit of following procedure. I found Developing Number Sense to have useful ideas to help my students begin to think logically about number. It is a book of activities to help students develop number sense using all the operations. The activities are in game format which gives students lots of computation practice in a context that is fun, too. The activities involve computing mentally in each operation which shifts the emphasis from following lock-step procedures to making sense of numbers and operations. The goal is to help students become flexible thinkers who are comfortable with numbers and who are able to compute accurately and efficiently.
Activities use readily available materials as simple as pencil and paper, dice or a deck of cards. Each activity has an overview, a classroom vignette, suggestions for extension, student's observations and assessment examples. Sometimes a homework suggestion is included. Each activity also includes a question and answer section where the authors respond to teachers' most often asked questions.
After reading through the descriptions, I fully understood the activity and how to introduce it to my class. The vignette descriptions help me to visualize and more fully understand an activity and how it might play out in my classroom. The suggestions for extension are helpful for there are always students who finish earlier or who have shorter attention spans. Included are ways to adapt the activities for different levels. The homework suggestions provide an opportunity to include families in the work that happens in the classroom. I found DNS to be very supportive for a classroom generalist.
When I introduced the first activity with my class, students were receptive and asked to play the game again and again. Once I was sure they understood the rules and were, indeed, using number sense then I used the games when other assignments were completed. The games are motivating for the students.
I recommend DNS to intermediate grade teachers to provide their students practice in using number sense in game format. The activities provide the teacher an opportunity to assess students' number sense through observation and written work while students have fun with math. The activities offer ways to help students learn the basics and at the same time support the development of number sense. I'm anxious to use more of the activities with my class and to share them with other teachers as well.
Hasn't it? With apologies to children's author William Steig—who has brought smiles to thousands in his books CDB? and CDC? —yours truly is asking you to consider how long it's been since you've made a contribution to Intersection. Our four hundred readers— your colleagues and friends—want to know what you've been up to. For February, send them a valentine— your story published here.
Many thanks to those who contributed to this issue. The deadline for the next issue is Monday, February 14. Please send contributions to Jean Ehnebuske, 105 Hideaway Cove, Georgetown, TX 78628; phone, (512) 869-1580; fax, (512) 869-8477; e-mail, jean@intersectionlive.org. Thanks!