Those who were able to attend NCTM's
77th Annual Meeting in San Francisco last month participated in
meaningful professional development and networked with friends
and colleagues in a city that offered ideal weather and countless
possibilities for after-hours dining and sight-seeing.
As in previous years, one of the highlights of the convention was the traditional reception hosted on Thursday evening by the Exxon Education Foundation. Held this year in the social hall of historic St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the annual gathering provided an opportunity for those in Foundation-supported sites and other friends of the Foundation to engage in conversation while enjoying a delectable repast.
After welcoming guests to the reception, Bob Witte introduced our gracious host, Monsignor Fred Bitanga, who acquainted us with the history of the church, its parishioners, and the neighborhood that surrounds it. Set among structures that scrape the sky, the story of St. Patrick's is reminiscent of the tale told in Virginia Lee Burton's children's book, The Little House. Having stood firm through two major earthquakes, it is truly a "survivor." Those who visited the sanctuary were awed by the beauty and simplicity of the interior. We are grateful to Monsignor Bitanga and his deacons and laypeople for their warm hospitality.
A number of conference attendees recorded their reflections about what NCTM's Annual Meeting meant to them personally and professionally. Their thoughts, along with some photos, appear in "A Collection of Reflections," the supplement to this month's Intersection.
Many thanks to those who made time to reflect and share their thoughts with the rest of us. Thanks, also, to my husband, David, for capturing the conference in the photographs that grace these pages. If any of you would like to forward your reflections or photos to me, I would be happy to include them in the June issue. Ed.
The Exxon/NCTM Eleventh Annual Meeting of K-3 Mathematics Specialist Program Teacher-Leaders will be held from Thursday afternoon, September 16, through Sunday morning, September 20 at Exxon's corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas. Helping to plan the conference this year are Nancy Cole, Evelyn Dixon, and Beth Williams.
Unfortunately, because our group has grown so large, the Foundation has to limit the number of attendees. Invitations will be arriving in the mail for those selected to represent the various projects. We regret having to limit the size of the group, and hope you understand why it has to happen.
More details will follow in subsequent issues of Intersection.
"Thanks" from the EditorAt mid-year, I would like to thank all of you who have contributed articles, reviews, reflections, and photos for our newsletter over the last several months. Along with the conversations that take place on the EXXONTNT listserv, the articles you submit keep all of us "in touch" with one another even though we are miles apart.
I appeal to those who have never or rarely contributed articles to let us hear about you. The next deadline is Friday, June 4. Please send contributions to Jean Ehnebuske, 105 Hideaway Cove, Georgetown, TX 78628; phone, (512) 869-1580; fax, (512) 869-8477; e-mail, jehne@ ibm.net.
Are you a subscriber to our listserv? If not, why not? Simply send an e-mail to majordomo@math.byu.edu with these words in the body of the message: subscribe exxontnt. The account from which you send your message will be subscribed to the list. After you subscribe, you'll receive more information.
But here's a warning; it's addictive. Martha LaPointe writes: "I can't stand it any longer. I have been lurking for only a week but I'm already hooked. This listserv is ruining my routine! My day usually begins with a one mile walk around my school building. However, this week I have yet to make that walk. Instead, I find myself spending my time reading the fascinating conversations on here."
Dr. Robert Megginson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan, submitted the article below. Many thanks, Bob. Ed.
Last summer saw the implementation of the first phase of Project ENACT, a two-pronged joint effort of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). With funding from the Exxon Education Foundation and the National Science Foundation, its purpose is to enhance mathematics education in schools and colleges that serve Native American students. ENACT is an acronym for Enhancing Mathematics/Science Faculty at Native American Tribal Colleges in the Use of Calculators and Technology.
I have had the honor and privilege of working with tribal college faculty for about the last decade on projects that directly affect Native American students from middle school through the first two years of college. I know that they tend to be exceptionally dedicated educators with strong ties to the community who are committed to giving their students a high-quality educational experience despite unusually limited resources. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of stretching limited funds to cover direct educational costs is that oftentimes too little is left over for faculty development.
Because of this and the relatively great distances from many tribal colleges to other institutions of higher learning, it is easy for tribal college faculty to become professionally isolated and not be able to keep up with the latest pedagogical advances in their fields. As readers of this newsletter will know, this can be a particular problem for mathematics educators because of the movement in the last decade toward more student-centered teaching that takes into account different learning styles and utilizes modern technology, which is now becoming affordable even for many traditionally underfunded institutions.
The first phase of Project ENACT was designed to introduce tribal college mathematics faculty to modern classroom methods and the use of graphing calculator technology in courses extending from algebra through calculus and statistics. This phase, funded primarily by the NSF, began with a two-week workshop June 7 - 20, 1998 at the University of Colorado in Boulder. It was attended by seventeen mathematics faculty from fourteen of the thirty-two Native American tribal colleges.
We were fortunate to have available for this workshop a stellar staff. Among them was Dr. Martha Aliaga, Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Michigan, an expert in active learning who illustrated its applications in statistics to the participants. Also on hand was Carol Ann Davis (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Vice President of Turtle Mountain Community College, who shared with the participants her thesis work on the importance of involving tribal elders in decisions about the appropriateness of certain teaching methods, particularly those involving distance learning. Also present was Dr. Florence Fasanelli, Director, College-University Resource Institute, who discussed her own extensive work with mathematics teachers of Native Americans.
With us also was Dwight Gourneau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Chairman of the Board of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian and former Chairman of AISES, who coordinated matters with AISES and also worked directly with participants on many logistical matters. Joining us also was Dr. Jerilyn Grignon (Menominee), Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College of the Menominee nation, who presented sessions on the history of Native American education and the importance of cultural relevance in such education. Also present was Dr. Sunil Karnawat, member of the Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Faculty at Turtle Mountain Community College, who is a well-known expert in the use of graphing calculator technology in Native American classrooms. Finally there was myself, who did the sort of things a project director is supposed to do and also helped out with the teaching.
Part of the purpose of this workshop was to recruit and select faculty who would be directly involved in the second phase of the project. That phase, which is receiving a substantial portion of its funding from the Exxon Education Foundation, has as its goal the development of elementary teacher aide certification programs in mathematics at five tribal colleges. Teacher aides play a particularly important role in Native American classrooms for two reasons: they are usually members of the community from the same cultural background as the students and they have a long-term commitment to the community.
Unfortunately, turnover in the teaching staff itself is often very high in schools that serve Native American students. This impacts the quality and sustainability of mathematics teaching in these schools. See, for example, Glenn I. Latham, "Thirteen Most Common Needs of American Indian Education in BIA Schools," Journal of American Indian Education 29 (1989), no. 1, 1-11. Generalizations are dangerous here, as with almost anything else. There are many terrifically dedicated individual teachers in Native American classrooms who have come to the community from outside. However, statistically the problem mentioned above is still there.
We are now in the process of making site visits to the tribal colleges that will be establishing the certification programs. We are hoping that these programs will ultimately lead to a corps of professional teacher aides in Native American elementary classrooms with solid ties and commitments to their communities. We are also hoping that many of these teacher aides will continue beyond these teacher aide certification programs and become part of the next generation of teachers in Native American classrooms, with a solid understanding of mathematics and its pedagogy and equally solid ties to the communities they are serving.
Many thanks to Babs Margolies for contributing the informative article below about the work that Exxon project folks are doing in Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools and beyond. Ed.
Just back from trekking across the country to NCTM's Annual Meeting are Francis (Skip) Fennell, Project Director; Keith Jones; Robyn Silbey; Marci Goldman-Frye; Emily Ware; and Bertram Generlette.
Skip was involved in sessions at the Special Interest Group in Research for Mathematics Education, for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and for NCTM. These included a panel session involving Exxon-supported projects as well as a "Conference within a Conference" involving grants for local systemic change and teacher-leadership supported by the National Science Foundation.
Robyn, Keith, and Marci also presented sessions. This was Marci's first experience as a speaker at a national conference. Rave reviews were heard about the session she and Keith led entitled, "Big Problem? No Problem: Integrate Your Curriculum." They delved into differentiation in a single classroom setting as they modeled a lesson for second grade.
Robyn was the speaker for two informative sessions: "The Mathematics Bridge from School to Home—Technology Leads the Way," and "Hear It, See It, Touch It! Use Interactive Multimedia to Motivate All Students in Mathematics." The first was a "poster session" for Supervisors of Mathematics that provided useful Web Sites and software. The second session presented a content-rich, problem solving-based middle school program that gave teachers exposure to interactive software programming that can be used to motivate students. If you have not done so already, be sure to check out Robyn's article in Teaching Children Mathematics (March 1999), "What Is in the Daily News?"
Back home in Montgomery County, Robyn, Marci, and other project members have been busy using the knowledge and skills obtained while completing their Master's program and attending conferences made possible by their Exxon grant. Cohort members have been involved with professional development, parent education, mentoring of other teachers in their schools, leading workshops, writing articles, while at the same time promoting mathematics learning with their students.
Sharon Fogler, a grade four teacher and project participant, drew her classes' attention to a television commercial about a local hospital. The commercial, which was intended to illustrate the depth of concern the hospital had for its patients' well-being, attempted to make its point by describing a young girl's malaise purportedly being caused by her anxiety over her math class. After holding a sometimes heated discussion, Sharon's class wrote letters to the hospital to persuade them that the commercial should be taken off the air because of its implied negative message about girls and mathematics. Their letters produced quite a stir! Sharon and her class were featured in The Washington Post and on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Another project member, third-grade teacher Evelyn Brewer, wrote her thesis on "Teaching Strategies to Learn Basic Facts." She reports that this has led her to spend more time on Strategy-Based Instruction. Her students have benefited because they feel successful. Her class enjoys practicing basic facts with an activity called "Mad Minutes". They are given a sheet of facts to complete. As a class, they estimate how long this task might take per problem. With the allotted time decided, they challenge themselves to beat the clock and get the problems correct. "This class has reached more mastery than any class I've had before," states Evelyn. Later this year, an article Evelyn wrote on "Geometry and Op Art" will be published in Teaching Children Mathematics .
Other project participants have been busy spreading the word about mathematics teaching and learning. David Chia, who won the 1998 Maryland Teacher of the Year Award and the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award that is sponsored by The Washington Post, has taken opportunities to speak about mathematics reform at various functions. (See Intersection, May 1998). David also wrote an article entitled "Weather Mathematics: Integrating Science and Mathematics" that appeared in Teaching Children Mathematics, September 1999. Kevin Yates has done an inservice for colleagues in his school on "Hands on Equations." Meanwhile, Barbara Pickholtz has tutored school children and taught pre-service teachers, helping both to think positively about mathematics as they explore it. Emily Ware and Babs Margolies are pursuing links to share ideas among various Exxon projects. In an effort to bring Exxon groups from different locales together to explore common needs and goals in mathematics curriculum development, instruction, and professional development, they are exploring the possibility of a mini-regional conference. Educators in Exxon projects in the Richmond,Virginia and Baltimore, MD areas have expressed an interest. The date has not been set, but tentative plans include coordination with the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics Fall 1999 Conference.
On May 3, President Clinton announced the Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The recipients of these awards are selected by the National Science Foundation on the basis of their outstanding teaching, leadership abilities, continuing education activities and dedication.
Two participants in Foundation-sponsored projects have been named as Awardees for Elementary Mathematics. Martha LaPointe, a third grade teacher at Mapleton Elementary School and member of the Central Aroostook Council on Education/Exxon Committee, has been named Maine's Awardee for Elementary Mathematics. New Mexico's Awardee for Elementary Mathematics is Judy Taylor. She is a teacher at Albuquerque's Inez Science and Technology Magnet Elementary School and a member of the Exxon alternative assessment study group.
Martha and Judy will receive a presidential citation at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in early June. Each of their schools will receive a National Science Foundation grant of $7,500 to be used under their direction over a five-year period.
Congratulations to each of you!
As this issue goes to press, Bob Witte has forwarded the news that twenty-one teachers in the MathCo Project will graduate at Iowa State University on May 8.
As newsletter readers will recall, the Exxon-supported MathCo(hort) Project is a collaboration between Iowa State University and the local public schools that creates mathematically-rich learning and sharing opportunities for both pre-service and practicing teachers. Undergraduates selected for the rigorous three-year program establish close ties not only with their peers but also with the university faculty and the practicing teachers who are their mentors. They spend well over 600 hours at their site schools prior to student teaching, and meet regularly to address important issues that they encounter "in the field." (See Intersection, November/December 1997 and April 1998.)
Writing to the students "on behalf of all your friends and colleagues in our K-3 Mathematics Specialist Program," Bob Witte remarked: "You should know that we believe your part in MathCo is an important demonstration of courage that will serve you well. First,... MathCo was a new venture and clearly not for those unwilling to take some risks. You have our gratitude for that. More important, however, the mathematics teaching you have committed yourself to demands that you persist in asking the difficult questions, 'What does it mean for my students to learn mathematics?'" and 'How do I know when they have learned it?' You know that answering those questions is prerequisite to achieving your goals for 'your' children."
Congratulations, all of you! We wish you well!
Ruth Parker sent this little review below. Thanks, Ruth. Ed.
If you haven't yet read Fermat's Enigma, The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem, by Simon Singh (Walker and Company, NY, 1997), it provides a fascinating look at the history of several mathematicians. The description of Andrew Wiles' efforts to solve Fermat's Last Theorem provides many extraordinary glimpses into what it's like to do mathematics. I read several passages from the book to participants in our math courses as part of encouraging their persistence in solving problems. I'm not one to sit down with a math book, but I found this a compelling read.
See also Intersection, May 1998, for a review of this book by Bob Witte. Ed.
Last June's Intersection featured the thoughtful and inspiring commencement address, "Much of What I Needed to Know I Learned by Teaching Mathematics," delivered by Dr. C. Patrick Collier in May 1998 at the University of Wisconsin— Oshkosh. If you'd like to read this piece again, it appears in the May 1999 issue of NCTM's Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, with a nod to Intersection. Ed.
In an article in last month's Intersection, "Sharing Exxon Project Resources," the introduction should have stated that it was Cheryl Brown-Kovacic who received her doctorate this past December. Also, Tad Watanabe's name was inadvertently omitted from the list of session presenters for the Annual Meeting. His session was 1073.
Please accept my apologies for these errors. Ed.
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