Chris Ohana, who relocated last August from Iowa State University in Ames, IA to Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, recently traveled to Iowa to attend the celebration she describes below. Thanks, Chris, for the article and photo. Ed.
Glenda Lappan was the featured guest at
a celebration of the achievements of MathCo, an Exxon project in
Des Moines, Iowa. Dr. Lappan was caught in a whirlwind of
teaching first-graders and fourth-graders and speaking with
school board members and administrators. She had the opportunity
to chat with teachers about mathematics teaching, learning, and
standards. Her day was also punctuated by a staple of Iowa
hospitality: generous portions of food.
Dr. Lappan helped us acknowledge four years of hard work toward improving our understanding of mathematics and teaching. The heart of the MathCo project was a collaboration between Iowa State University (ISU) and King and Perkins Elementary schools. It is unfortunate that Exxon has no gas stations in Iowa since we put a lot of money into gas as we routinely drove the forty miles between the university and the schools. Undergraduates in our program underwent an expanded set of courses and conducted almost all of their extensive fieldwork at King and Perkins. Their mentors at King and Perkins also had many opportunities to improve their understanding of mathematics and teaching. We held study groups, workshops, and workgroups. We attended and presented at national meetings and even put on our own mini-conferences. Dr. Janet Sharp conducted a series of mathematics content courses at King-Perkins that led to state endorsements in mathematics for many of our teachers. It was a busy four years.
The legacy of MathCo will continue as our new teachers begin their careers. Two were hired by King and Perkins. The others are scattered from Iowa to Texas, Idaho and New Mexico. Our King and Perkins teachers have access to an enriched set of resources and knowledge as they pursue their careers. The collaboration of ISU with the schools is sustained in a new form, TechCo, through a focus on technology and teaching. It will build on the successes of MathCo as it blazes its own trail.
At the evening reception, Dr. Lappan quipped that she did not realize that she had been invited to a love-in. Perhaps that is the greatest achievement of MathCo. Participants from the schools and universities worked together as colleagues and grew in their understanding of our joint commitment to improving education. It was a staggering effort from faculties at King, Perkins, ISU, our students, and the extended Exxon family. Thanks to all.
The two articles below were contributed by Marilyn Prettyman, principal of Liberty Elementary School in Murray, UT, and by Teri Brown, a teacher in Albuquerque, NM. They tell about the collaboration and networking between their two projects over the past two years. Thanks to both! Ed.
Three years ago, Liberty Elementary School in Murray, UT, and Dr. Robert Speiser and Dr. Charles Walter from the department of mathematics at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, began a math collaboration. We decided to apply for an Exxon grant to help us in our quest to better learn and teach mathematics. Pat Hess worked closely with us as we began our planning year. One of her suggestions was to develop a partnership with Albuquerque because of the many things they had accomplished in the Exxon Study Groups. We will always be grateful for Pat's suggestion because it led us to learn many things from our colleagues in Albuquerque.
Through the grant, we were able to visit a few of the schools in the Albuquerque Public School system and talk with teachers. Our first visit was just what we needed. We were able to see the teachers and students interact, and that made us more thoughtful about our own teaching. It also helped us to see how much teachers and students everywhere have in common—especially how much children can think and understand when questioned by a supportive teacher. Teachers shared with us their rubrics for assessment and their ideas for involving other schools in our district when we began to share our excitement about mathematics.
There was a surprising aspect of the first visit which none of us expected. We realized how much we were already doing back in our own classes. The visit also gave us the time to really discuss (without worrying about students) where we wanted to go over the next few years. I don't think we realized our own strengths until that time. The whole thing was very empowering and got us very excited about what was possible ahead.
We all agree that having someone to see and talk to during the first little while when a study group is trying to establish its direction and goals is very helpful. We would like to express our thanks to all the teachers who let us visit their classrooms and especially to Teri Brown and those who coordinated our visits. We plan to stay in touch and continue to share ideas and successes with one another.
Collaboration between two schools—especially from different cities—is a winner for everyone. Exxon allowed that to happen over the last two years between educators at Liberty Elementary School in Murray, UT and a collection of teachers from the Albuquerque Public School (APS) system in Albuquerque.
The intent of the program was primarily to assist the educators at Liberty in furthering their interests in math reform. They visited the Albuquerque group in the fall of 1998, and observed several study groups, classrooms, a study group leader's meeting and a curriculum development meeting. It gave them the support they needed to step out and the confidence to know that they were headed in the right direction.
The teachers from Albuquerque looked forward to working with the group from Liberty because they had an element that was missing from the APS model. Their study group was begun and nurtured by two math education professors from Brigham Young University, Chuck Walter and Bob Speiser. Their unique approach to teaching mathematics educators extends the reform philosophy to the collegiate level.
Teachers from Albuquerque sat in on a class during their visit to Utah. Comments such as, "I've never looked at math this way before," and "This seems like a fun way to teach math," were heard from the students.
Albuquerque teachers also participated in a two-day summer workshop with several study groups in Utah. Authentic assessment and student-directed learning were explored while teachers were becoming familiar with a newly adopted program. Several new study groups were created as a result.
The teachers and principal, Marilyn Prettyman, are well on their way to becoming confident reform educators. Their experiences and contacts have given them opportunities to share with other teachers at Liberty and nearby schools. "The collaboration gave us a focus and provided support when we needed it," said Dr. Prettyman. "Now we can develop our own focus of study and proceed as we see the needs."
Albuquerque teachers realized what a powerful element it is to have a collegiate connection, and, as a result, began work with several math educators at the University of New Mexico. They are included in the study group leaders' meetings. Their input has provided valuable perspective, and interest increases in developing a course for pre-service teachers built upon the reform philosophy and NCTM Standards.
Many thanks to Paul Trafton, University of Northern Iowa, for contributing the article below. Ed.
In many of our classrooms, children regularly solve problems using their own strategies and then spend great amounts of time sharing their strategies with their peers. We listen to their thinking and build discussions around their ideas. We watch concepts emerge and link naturally to skills.
We sometimes wonder at the fact it is even happening and continue to be impressed with how powerful our children—all of our children —are becoming as mathematical thinkers and problem solvers. We see traditional ideas, such as place value, emerging in the context of invented algorithms.
We know what happens and we are excited. But, beneath it all we are frustrated, asking, "How do we communicate this to our administrators, fellow teachers, and parents? How do we help them see what they really can't see?"
As I've had time to read the Pre-K-2 Standards, my overwhelming impression has been, "Yes! They did it! They really captured our classrooms and children in print!" No longer is what we do done in isolation, it is now out in the full light of day.
Putting the content of what is said aside for the moment, let me focus on some things that were exciting to me:
Shifting momentarily to a content piece, I also was pleased with the discussion of the third standard dealing with number, "Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates." While some may not be initially pleased with all aspects of it, I hope the clarity of the case and the quality of the discussion has the potential to heal our internal "math wars" about skills and computation. My own sense is that what is said is where the research and classroom evidence lies. The discussion does not say a whole lot different than was said in 1989. But many chose to ignore that part of the original Standards. Here, the discussion is very carefully developed and the gap can be closed between invented and standard algorithms and between discovering and thoughtful practice if we are willing to work through our position again.
Three cheers for these Standards writers. They "done right" by us.
Betty Erickson, mathematics coordinator for the Kearsarge Regional School District in New Hampshire, and an appointed member of NCTM's Regional Service Committee for The Eastern I Division, is the recipient of not one—but two—recent distinguished awards.
For her proposal to visit the school in Japan where the TIMSS video was filmed in order to share her observations and research with her colleagues and others in the mathematics community, Betty received a fellowship from the Fulbright Memorial Fund to study in Japan.
Betty was also selected as one of the recipients of "Toyota's Investment in Mathematics Excellence" (TIME) grants. TIME grants, of up to $10,000 each, are geared toward improving mathematics education by giving kindergarten through twelfth-grade teachers the support they need to develop and implement innovative mathematics projects. Selected from more than 300 other applicants, Betty is one of only 35 teachers across the country to receive the award.
"Toyota TIME teachers represent the apex of innovative thought in the classroom," said Richard Chitty, Toyota Motor Sales vice president.
Betty's project, entitled "Creating Mathematically Rich Classrooms Through Teacher Training," focuses on the creation of college courses featuring substantive mathematical content. The new Principles and Standards for School Mathematics will serve as the textbook for the courses which will be delivered by the district and taught to a team of middle-school mathematics teachers at the school site. After taking the courses, the teachers will be supported and coached in the classroom by the district's resident mathematics experts.
The combination of course offerings and follow-up coaching provided by colleagues is designed to equip the middle-school math teachers with the tools necessary to provide students with a mathematically rich culture.
Congratulations, Betty! Ed.
Last month's Intersection announced the dates and place for the ExxonMobil Foundation/NCTM Twelfth Annual Meeting of the K-3 Mathematics Program Teacher-Leaders: Thursday PM, September 21 through Sunday at noon, September 24. The meeting will be held at the ExxonMobil Downstream Headquarters in Fairfax, VA. Pre-sessions are scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM on Thursday for those who can arrange to attend.
Because the number of participants has to be limited, attendance at the meeting is by invitation only. Invitations are on their way.
ICME-9
Jerry Becker at Southern Illinois University tacked up this announcement in cyberspace. Many thanks. Ed.
Every few years, mathematics educators from around the world gather to share ideas, compare experiences, and talk about the latest ideas. The next gathering, the Ninth International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-9), will be held in Makuhari, Japan, 31 July - 6 August. You can experience the Congress online.
With apologies to the Beatles, I would like your help. Please send me your success stories. It's time to "brag on yourselves," as we say here in Texas, and submit an article about your project, students, or colleagues. Upcoming deadlines: For the June issue, it's Wednesday, June 14; for the July/August issue, it's Wednesday, July 12. Please submit articles to Jean Ehnebuske, 105 Hideaway Cove, Georgetown, TX 78628; phone, (512) 869-1580, fax, (512) 869-8477; e-mail, jean@intersectionlive.org.
I appreciate the folks who took the time and made the effort to contribute articles for this issue. You're the people who make my job such fun. Thank you!
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