Just after spring break, in the middle of STAAR testing season, I received an email about registering for AP Summer Institute. As I scrolled through the email, I saw that this was a district requirement for those teaching PAP classes, but the more exciting part was that classes were being offered at TCU! I jumped on the opportunity and quickly submitted my registration.
As the weeks inched closer to summer vacation, I was asked to teach STAAR Summer Academy, in addition to take a PBL course with my fellow STEM teachers. My summer began to fill up with "work." Work of preparing our learners for STAAR and work of preparing the NRMS teaching staff for the world of problem-based learning; it was all work that had meaning.
During the third week of June, I found myself just as excited about going to professional learning as I was when I first set foot on the campus of TCU. My class was held in the same building that I spent countless hours in, learning about higher level mathematics, as well as learning the type of teacher I would become! As I walked into the building, I found myself reminiscing about being in college and the dream of becoming a teacher. I'll never forget the sense of accomplishment I had in the classrooms of Winton-Scott as I achieved what I felt was the impossible; the success of understanding higher level mathematics....after all I was taking courses with an engineering focus, while I was earning my Bachelor's of Science in elementary mathematics!
Walking down the halls of Winton-Scott was like having flashback to college, especially as I walked into our classroom and was met with 30 other educators, who were there for the same purpose; the purpose to learn about mathematics.
During our first day together, we began our time together by creating a Coat of Arms, similar to a coordinate plane. We each chose a color of paper we wanted that had our template on it. I, of course, chose purple! As we went around our classroom and introduced ourselves, I was amazed at how fixed we as educators were in our responses. For example, many focused on having the worst school year, or students not having pencils in class. Teaching accomplishments focused on test scores, rather than growth and opportunity. Based on this one 30 minute discussion, I knew this week would be filled with many learning opportunities!
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Quadrant I: Something Others Don't Know about You
Quadrant II: Something You Enjoy Doing in Your Spare Time
Quadrant III: Teaching Accomplishments
Quadrant IV: Biggest Pet Peeve
Ribbon: Quote/Favorite Motto |
As we moved throughout our first morning together, we discussed the value and importance of vertical teaming within our departments. Honestly, I was shocked by the number of teachers who didn't do this on their campus. Most talked about "not having enough time," which I believe to be an excuse. As an educator, it is our job to know where our learners are coming from and where they are headed in the world of mathematics. Looking at our standards and knowing how to scaffold up or down to meet the needs of our learners is vital to their growth as mathematicians. I knew in my heart that this week would serve as an opportunity to share about my experience with vertical teaming and the impact it has had on my instruction as well as my learners' success!
In table groups, we were given a strand of the equity and access. Our table group, later named as The Fun Bunch, focused on communication as the key to confirming student thinking. We drew an iphone and then had multiple folders on the home screen that contained vital information, such as a folder of apps, where kids could access any information they needed and the messaging icon so communication was open between all stake holders.
We continued moving through the "why" piece of AP classes, as each group presented their strand of equity and access. Several discussions evolved regarding the benefits of vertical teaming and how it benefits all learners. Vertical Teaming moves educators from the phrase of "my kids" to "our kids" which I believe ensures success for all of our learners!
As a group, we kept coming back to the universal idea of backwards design. Starting with our end goal and discussing what prior knowledge our learners brought with them from the previous grade and how we could bridge them to our grade level standards.
We began with this problem, which blew most classmates out of the water! As we talked amongst our table groups, it was evident that we were already teaching standards at the middle school level that would enable our learners to be successful with an "AP Calculus AB" problem! Some of these concepts included: rate of change, multiplicative multiplier, inequalities, area of rectangles (integral), d=rt, midpoints, linear equations, multiple representations, and coordinate planes. In fact all of these skills lead to "understanding" calculus! I must admit I was quite impressed with The Fun Bunch as we talked through the solution to this problem :)
Discussions continued about how we can no longer teach in isolation, or as I like to call it, textbook teaching. We must build upon the experiences that other teachers are providing and help create connections for our learners.
After our discussions, or about every 45 minutes, we took a "brain break." These are mini-lessons or activities that promote a different type of thinking. Our first brain break involved a rubber band, string and red solo cups. Our goal was to work together and stack the cups. It definitely wasn't as easy as we thought it would be!
This activity showed commitment. We did not give up, even when a cup was dropped. We continued to encourage each other by communicating and supporting, rather than ridiculing. We proved that by being committed, we were showing that equity and excellence is a goal for all learners!
Our discussions continued on the benefits of collegiality and collaboration. By being collegial, we are helping each other process the alignment of our curriculum, which in turn meets the needs of our learners. It's very similar to the idea of of when another voice says something and the lightbulb clicks. We need to continue modeling this behavior with our students!
As we approached the lunch hour, we were given another brain break activity. These were some of my favorites! We were given this statement: # : S in US. The solution was 50 states in the United States.
11 statements were put up on the board and we were given time to find the solution. At first I was skeptical about the task but as the minutes ticked by, I found I was completely hooked! We repeated this 3 times, with various problems, which became more and more challenging.
See if you can solve some!
90: D in a RA
200 : D for PG in M
# : P on a RT
# : FG
88: PK
13: S on the AF
32: DF at WF
Upon coming back from lunch, we began to "do" math! I love how our instructor modeled instructional strategies as well as taught us "math." Our first activity focused on placing graphs around the room. She would read a scenario and we would walk to the graph we felt matched the scenario. Again, great discussions evolved, which brought clarity for those not teaching a higher grade level. We quickly moved into using the area of a figure to determine the area under the curve.
We were given the problem: Anna wants to plant a flower garden this summer. She has an extra large yard that gives her lots of possibilities for the shape of her garden. She knows she wants to use a rectangle and has enough room to make her garden have a perimeter of 24 feet. You are going to draw a sketch of the possible gardens Anna can have and help her make some conclusions about the garden that will be best for her.
As a table group, we worked through finding the solutions, using multiple representations. The moment where it all came together for me, was when we graphed our solutions.
Using three different colors allowed us to graph the base (orange), height (green) and area (blue). This visual allowed our entire group to understand the relationship between the base and the height and the impact on the area of the garden. I love how a challenging problem was simplified for all learners to be successful!
Our day concluded with the discussion of how we were able to be successful with a challenging problem, tying it back to vertical alignment. When a child says they aren't good at higher level math, we must take it back to the foundational skills and build forward. Day 1 provided the reassurance that we are moving in the right direction as a math team. We must continue to collaborate and encourage each other, as we all bring strengths to the table. I loved leaving campus today feeling like we had accomplished so much!
As I walked to my car, after our first day of learning, I was excited about what we had done and what all we would accomplish during the next few days together!
We were excited with their enthusiasm, but wanted for each participate to experience a Socratic seminar from a learners' perspective. It's vital that we understand how our learners' feel when it comes to implementing new instructional strategies. 
