Thursday, July 23rd

8:30 9:00 am

Registration

9:00 9:25 am

Opening Session

9:30 11:30 am

Morning Sessions

Middle School - John Mahlstedt and Hedge

Do middle school students have the math skills to survive an apocalypse?
Do YOU?
Algebra 1 - Anna Blinstein and Max Ray
Geometry - Lisa Bejarano and Jim Doherty
Comings and Goings: Building a Shared Understanding of Math Education from Kinder through Calculus Jennifer Bell, Tina Cardone, Brian Stockus, (Remote: Michael Pershan)
Are you an elementary or middle school teacher who has wondered, Why do my students need to know
this?
Are you a middle or high school teacher who has wondered, Didnt they learn anything about this in earlier
years?
In teaching its crucial to know both where our students are coming from and where they are going. But the
people who teach young kids and older students often dont even work in the same building. How can we help
struggling high school students, and what matters most in the elementary years? In this session well bring
math teachers for students of all ages together to build deep knowledge about the math that our students are
learning.
In each day of this three-day session well look at a different topic that cuts across the curriculum. Topics may
include: proportional reasoning, the distributive property and area. Our goal is for every participant to leave
this session with some new questions and serious food for thought. Come draw connections across grade
levels, deepen your curricular understanding, better understand the CCSS, write great problems for students
of all ages and be part of a one-of-a-kind conversation.
Activity-Based Teaching (grades 7-12) - Alex Overwijk and Mary Bourassa
How can we create a dynamic classroom where students are engaged and motivated to learn? Adding more
activities is one solution. This series of morning sessions will allow you to try a variety of activities designed for
courses from middle school through precalculus. The activities provide an entry point for all students, help
them connect to the mathematics they are learning and deepen their understanding of mathematical
concepts. You will then get to team up to create your own activities which will be shared and improved in true
MTBoS fashion. We will discuss the advantages of teaching through activities, how to set up your classroom as
well as how teaching with activities links to the SMPs. Come learn, share and have fun doing math!

9:30 11:30 am

Morning Sessions

Going deeper with Desmos - Jedidiah Butler, Michael Fenton, Bob Lochel, Glenn Waddell, Jr.
With a guest appearance by: Eli Luberoff
The sessions will address:
Basic, intermediate, and advanced skills in Desmos
Pre-made Desmos lessons and community-created lessons/activities
A focus on pedagogy, including decisions behind lesson design, as well as how things play out in the
classroom
Opportunities to work in grade-level teams to create new lessons/activities

Creating a Culture of Exploratory Talk Chris Luzniak and Elizabeth Statmore

Exploratory talk is the greatest single predictor of whether your students group work will be rich and effective
or not, yet most symmetrical classroom talk (peer talk among students) remains stubbornly cumulative
(positive but uncritical) or disputational (merely trading uncritical disagreements back and forth). It is also
incredibly difficult to connect with meaningful resources that can help you to deepen and improve the quality
of student talk during group work.
In this morning working group, we will explore the foundations of improving student talk through various
modalities such as Talking Points, debating math, and mistake analysis.
Over the course of our time together in this working group, we will immerse ourselves in a culture of
exploratory talk. We will also move back and forth between the perspective of learners and the perspective of
teachers. During immersive math-doing segments, we will explore sequences of problem-based
mathematics and investigate ways in which we can make student talk in these processes more effective.
. Immersive segments will be followed by reflective, master class segments in which we will analyze the
techniques and ideas weve just experienced. Problem sequences and tasks will be challenging but accessible
to all participants, and will be drawn from a variety of accessible sources including the Phillips Exeter math
curriculum, Park School of Baltimore Math curriculum, PCMI problem sets, and of course from the many
sources in the MTBoS.
All levels of math teachers and learners are welcome in this session, and the mathematics we will actually do
during the workshop will be accessible to everyone who wishes to participate.
The math you missed (or the joy of Geometry) - Edmund Harriss and Peg Cagle
Two concepts lie at the heart of higher mathematics, the rigorous formality structures of logical proof and an
extravagant play with ideas. In play we have space for confusion and mistakes. We will aim to provoke both in
these sessions, as we have a lot of fun with toys, models and ideas. There is just so much material we could
cover in this vein from the mysteries of infinity, to geometry, to some of the classic proofs (to me (EH) the
equal as artworks to anything humans have achieved). In fact if you let your guard down I am liable to start
talking about those sorts of things at a moments notice. Given my best models, however and the fact that Peg
Cagle has agreed to help out, geometry is a great source of inspiration. We will begin with shapes in the plane
and see how these fold up into 3 dimensional objects, we will then break the rules in a different way to
glimpse the geometry of Eschers Circle limit images and hyperbolic geometry before heading off into the
fourth dimension and beyond.
One goal will be to get ourselves confused and work through that to understanding. This is a great way to gain
empathy for our students who often need to do exactly that. Once a mathematical idea has set it often
becomes obvious, so we need to seek out new ideas to remember that feeling.

9:30 11:30 am

Morning Sessions

Math Games - James Cleveland and John Golden

When we read about cool math games, often one of the first reactions is often "But how can I really use this in
class - I have curriculum to teach!" We believe in game use and development in the math classroom - not just
review games, which can be great - but games that explore or practice particular content. We also think deep
mathematical thinking can be found when students create their own games around mathematical concepts and so these sessions will be two-fold. We'll walk through the process of facilitating the creation of math
games with students and then participants will take on the student role, working to generate possible games
for specific content.
Rough schedule of days:
1. Participants will try a couple of our favorite math games and well discuss some of the guiding principles of
good (classroom) game design. Well brainstorm content areas for game development on the next two days.
2. Game design groups will collaborate on initial ideas with community feedback, and support and ideas from
James and John.
3. Playtesting day, when well try games out and gather ideas for classroom implementation.
Formative Assessment and Feedback in Math (General K-12 session) - John Scammell
This three day workshop will examine the nature of useful feedback (formative assessment) in mathematics
classes. After three days, participants will leave with numerous ideas and samples of quality formative
assessment tools.
Day 1 - What is Feedback and Why is it Important?
Participants will examine relevant literature into the effects of feedback. We will explore what makes good
feedback and its effect on teaching and learning. We will look specifically at embedded formative assessment
(Dylan William) and quality feedback (Susan Brookhart). Other authors and researchers may be cited.
Day 2 - Practical Examples of Feedback
Participants will explore different methods of embedding feedback seamlessly into their math lessons.
Strategies will be shared and modeled that facilitate peer feedback, teacher feedback, and self-reflection, as a
means of feedback.
Day 3 - Building and Creating
Based on our explorations on Day 1 and Day 2, participants will collaborate to build examples of feedback
tools that we can share on the TMC wiki.

11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm

Lunch

Afternoon My Favorites

1:30 2:30 pm

Keynote

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Using Scratch to Explore Geometry - Dan Anderson

(Geometry)
Through the use of Scratch (free, web based, drag and drop programming environment) we will see how
students can informally explore many different Geometry topics, including regular polygons and their
properties, the coordinate plane, transformations, etc... Explore the Geometry on your own and have fun! No
prior knowledge of programming necessary (just like your students!). **Please bring your own laptop to this
session.
Formative Assessment & Feedback at Scale - Peg Cagle
(assessment; grades 7-12)
We know that assessment and evaluation are not synonymous, but faced with multiple preparations, teaching
loads in excess of 200 students per day, and onerous district grading policies, it is daunting to craft ways to be
sure that we are gathering valid and reliable information about student thinking and make use of that thinking
to guide instruction.
Join with others working to make productive, on-going use of formative assessments to inform instructional
choices, without being buried in paperwork or being seduced into corrupting the formative nature of these
measures by assigning marks or scores to meet district requirements. Rethink old favorites like exit tickets to
see ways of better leveraging what we can learn from them. Look at ways to help students use continual
meta-cognition about their own learning to provide us with real time information. Design methods for building
formative components into graded assignments to manage your workload without compromising instructional
integrity. Examine processes that support giving meaningful and specific feedback to students without getting
overwhelmed.
Nix the Tricks - Tina Cardone
(All Levels)
Being a mathematics student is about critical thinking, justification and using tools of past experiences to solve
new problems. Students who approach every topic as a series of steps to memorize are not learning math. In
this session we will explore how to replace some popular tricks with teaching for understanding. Come
prepared to think - we will balance an overview of existing resources with time to work on ideas for your own
classroom (ex: how to un-teach tricks kids know, replace a trick you currently use or build deeper
understanding on a topic you only touch the surface of).
A Truly "Hands-On" Approach to Teaching the Distributive Property for Understanding - Dave Chamberlain
(Common Core; Grades 3-Algebra 1)
An understanding of the distributive property is foundational to a student's math success. Learn a simple and
fun method to teach students the distributive property for understanding using only their hands while
addressing ALL EIGHT of the Common Core Eight Math Practices at the same time! We will begin the session
by demonstrating a method to easily multiply two two-digit numbers without using pencil-and-paper. This
same method will then be used to multiply any two binomials. Students will no longer need to learn FOIL or
use a diamond/box method, both of which are just shortcuts to "answer getting" without understanding.
Finally, learn how students can quickly and easily factor trinomials using just their hands. You will be amazed
at how quickly your students will understand and apply the distributive property after learning this method.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Hinge Questions: Theory Session - Nik Doran

(Formative Assessment, All Levels)
Hinge, or diagnostic, questions are a powerful method to formatively assess students, gauge understanding
and expose misconceptions, all within about 3 minutes of lesson time. In the time available we will look at the
theory behind the questions, examine examples and discuss how we might write them. Hinge questions are
suitable for use across all grade levels and subjects and are built on the research findings of Dylan Wiliam.
Cookies included.
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Video Games - Matt Lane
(High School, video games, games, probability, statistics, physics, number theory)
Today, millions of people have powerful gaming machines in their pockets and on-hand 24 hours a day. With
such easy access, theres a renewed push for so-called educational games. But theres rich mathematical
thinking to be gleaned from games in general, not just ones that bill themselves as being educational. What's
more, mathematical conversations structured around popular games -- or at least well-designed ones -- are
more likely to be successful than those built around games-in-name-only.
In this session, we'll play some games, talk about some others, and explore examples of rich mathematics in
games that don't typically come to mind when thinking about education. Theres a lot of mathematics under
the surface of some of our most popular video games, if youre willing to look. Beautiful mathematics doesnt
discriminate. And neither should we.
More than Mistakes! - Nicole Paris
(Middle School, Math Practices)
Constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others can be the springboard for so many
fantastic classroom activities. Learn (and share!) some strategies for using math practice #3 for concept
development, class discussions, formative assessment, and more While the activities shared will focus on
middle school content, the strategies are easily modified for any level of instruction.
Planning Units using the MTBoS - Bree Pickford-Murray
(6-12, Planning)
I want to talk about the iterative cycle of planning a unit--and how the MTBoS has made this process easier,
faster and awesomer!
Accepting Our Powerlessness in the Classroom - Megan Schmidt
(All Levels)
As educators, it's natural for us to demand as much control as possible in our classrooms: student interactions,
lesson outcomes, use of electronic devices, time on task. We hope that this "control" will result in high levels
of student achievement and a love of math for all. Unfortunately, there are many nuances of student
dynamics over which we have no control and which directly affect our day-to-day influence on these students.
Let's take some time to discuss
1. Our inherent desire to have "control" in our classrooms.
2. What's worth having controlling
3. And what we are powerless to control and what things of which we need to let go.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Polygon Angles and Logical Reasoning, These Are a Few of my Favorite Things! - Sam Shah, Julie Reulbach,
Brendan Kinnell
(High School Geometry, Building Curriculum)
In this past year, a number of MTBoS teachers taught geometry for the first time. ACK! Who knew Geometry
was so challenging! In this more relaxed workshop, we will briefly reflect on the process of writing a
curriculum from scratch, and share our most successful geometry activities from our year. (And if there is
time, we may actually do a couple of these activities.) However, we want participants to be involved also -- so
we ask yall attending to bring your favorite geometry activities, no matter how big or small, to informally
share with us. At the end of the session, we will collect these activities electronically, and post them in a
virtual resource for everyone to access. We want you to leave with a great set of things to try in your
classroom. This session will be a my favorites + geometry + building a new curriculum mashup, and will be a
great way to connect (and commiserate) with other geometry teachers!
If you are planning on coming and are willing to share something with us (big or small, seriously!), it would be
super helpful if you could just fill out this 2 minute form with what your my favorite is and a little blurb
about it for the website were creating: http://goo.gl/forms/wsr3giPuwD (And if you have already blogged
about it, awesome! You should still share it!) If you decide to join us and want to share something, it would be
helpful for our planning if you could do it sooner rather than later.
Math Coaches Round Table - Chris Shore
(Leadership)
Calling all Math Coaches & Specialists of all types. Let's share ideas and learn from each other.
Math Mistakes and Error Analysis: Diamonds in the Rough - Andrew Stadel
(grades 6-8, Mathematical Practice 3, Formative assessment)
Attendees will participate in error-analysis activities by using strategies to make better sense of mathematical
concepts and strengthen students analytical skills. Explore ways to use common student mistakes as a means
to artfully teach difficult concepts. In addition, teachers will explore ways to effectively use exit tickets in order
to formatively assess students and their mistakes in order to better inform teacher instruction the next day.
Numberless Word Problems - Brian Stockus
(All Levels, Problem Solving)
They just add all the numbers! It doesnt matter what the problem says.
They dont stop to think! They just start computing as soon as theyre done reading the problem.
They dont even realize this is exactly the same type of situation as the problem we did yesterday!"
Have you ever caught yourself thinking or saying frustrations like these? Then you might be interested in
trying out Numberless Word Problems with your students. Numberless? you say. Come to this session and
all will be revealed as we work together to address the following guiding question: How can we scaffold our
work with students to allow them the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the underlying
structures of word problems?

4:00 4:30 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Socratic Seminars in Math Class - Matt Baker

(Classroom Discussion)
Socratic seminars provide a structured conversation so that participants are better able to achieve a deeper
understanding of big ideas in a text. This workshop aims to introduce the idea of Socratic Seminars in the math
class through examples that my school has used in the past and review structures and norms that have been
successful at my school across disciplines. Teachers will then have some time to brainstorm different seminar
ideas that could be used in the future.
Integers - Now THIS makes sense! - Deborah Boden
(Grades 6-8, Common Core)
Why are kids still making mistakes with integers after you've taught them all the rules? Come learn a
progression for teaching integers where students write phrases/sentences that make sense to them, then
translate the English into Math using integers to represent their words. Teachers in my district are using this
and tell me their kids really get it! Can you translate "the opposite" from English to Math?
Half Hour of Cool - Sadie Estrella
(Love of teaching, Why do I do this job?)
Come join us for an informal chat session about the cool and amazing things that teachers experience in this
profession. Get reminded of why you choose this profession and what keeps you coming back to it year after
year.
Why Number Talks in Elementary Classes? - Chris Harris
(grades k-5, SMP#3)
TMC 2015 SESSION
Come and participate in a Number Talk. Discuss what can be gained by adding this simple routine to your daily
schedule. Well talk about using hand signals, building students confidence, building vocabulary and speaking
skills and implementing the Standards for Mathematical Practice (particularly #3, #6, #7, #8)
Number Talks can be used at any level, well be focusing on K-5 classrooms.
THE BACKGROUND
As a Math coach in a low-performing elementary school district in North San Diego County the task was to
change the way teachers were teaching in order to implement CCSSM especially the Practice Standards. And
Number Talks was where we started!
A Number Talk is a short (5-15 minute) daily routine that helps students build computational fluency in mental
math. Its not about speed but rather it is about students discovering and sharing strategies that allow them to
be flexible with numbers i.e. Number Sense.
So the math coaches demonstrated Number talks in hundreds of classrooms. Students were engaged and
teachers were amazed to hear what their students were thinking. Were on a roll!!
Learning Math, Learning English, or Learning Both? - Heather Kohn
(English Language Learners, strategies, all levels)
English Language Learners are studying a new language while being expected to learn new math content. You
will learn teaching strategies and easy-to-implement classroom activities that benefit not only high needs
students, but all students. During this session, you will gain a greater sense of the needs of English Language
Learners and you will learn to adapt your own lessons so they include all four domains that are essential for
learning language. Everyone will be reading, writing, speaking, listening and doing math at the same time, in
no time.

4:00 4:30 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Debate That! An Introduction to Debate in Math Class - Chris Luzniak

(All levels)
Want to get your students more engaged in a classroom project/presentation? Want to increase their literacy
and reasoning?! Debate has often been a staple in the humanities classroom, and now you can learn how to
make it an integral part of your math or science class. Join Chris Luzniak (@pispeak) as he introduces several
techniques for creating a healthy math-debating classroom. This is an introductory session for teachers who
have no experience with these structures.
Creating a Family Math Night - Sarah Martin
(All Levels)
Would you like to incorporate a Family Math Night for your class or school? If so, then this is the session for
you. I will talk about how to get started, different ways you can organize the event, show you a few of our
popular games, and send you off with a few make it and take it games.
Head Over Heels: Adventures in Flipping a Classroom - Sandra Miller
(Grades 7-12, Classroom Organization, Flipped Class, Flipped Learning)
In the flipped class model, direct instruction doesn't have to mean a teacher standing in front of the whole
class, lecturing. Instead, the direct instruction and/or notetaking takes place outside of class, and classtime is
used for guided and independent practice. The flipped class model is garnering a lot of talk in education
circles, so what is it and how does it work in practice? This session will focus on logistics, procedures, and how
to handle the kid who doesn't have internet at home.
Organizing the Math Twitter Blogosphere (MTBoS) - Eric Milou
(All Levels)
With so much amazing, innovative, and creative content in the MTBoS, is an organization effort of such
worthwhile? Come see one attempt to do so and add your content to the effort.
Linking Algebra and Geometry - Jasmine Walker
(Geometry, Algebra, Connection, Curriculum Map)
Geometry is often presented as a whole new idea to students coming out of Algebra 1. How can we rearrange
the topics in the geometry curriculum to show the interconnections between these critical branches of math?
I will bring my algebra/geometry links and curriculum map and welcome others to do the same as we search
for connections and intersections beyond labeling sides of figures with algebraic expressions.
Feedback Quizzes: Using Detailed, Written Formative Assessment to Promote Low-Stress Learning - Julie
Wright
(formative assessment, grading, middle school)
Research has shown the value of formative assessments that provide students with specific feedback without
scores or grades. However, giving detailed, written feedback to more than a hundred students is a daunting
task, and requires a lot of teacher time that no longer results in scores for grades. Come hear about strategies
I used this year for balancing "feedback quizzes" with regular end-of-unit tests and giving detailed written
comments efficiently with technology. I will also share what I learned about how non-graded quizzes and
detailed feedback affected my students' learning and attitude about math assessments.

4:30 5:00 pm

Speed Dating

Friday, July 24th

9:00 9:30 am

Morning Announcements and My Favorites

9:30 11:30 am

Morning Sessions (same as Thursday)

11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm

Lunch (on your own)

Afternoon My Favorites

1:30 2:30 pm
2:45 3:45 pm

Keynote

Afternoon Sessions

Planning: A Year, A Unit, A Lesson - Lisa Bejarano and Heather Kohn

(Planning, Secondary)
How do you organize a school year into engaging, rigorous and manageable units of study while ensuring you
are reaching all the standards? We will look at the year as a big picture, then zoom into a specific unit of study,
and zoom in again to one lesson. Its challenging to find a balance between addressing the content you need
to teach while incorporating a wide variety of resources and maintaining flexibility. Having a plan makes day to
day teaching less stressful so you can focus on the needs of your students.
Organizing your standards into cohesive unit maps with planned timelines enables you to focus on making
your daily lessons and activities great while addressing critical concepts. Strategies on how to organize units of
study and lessons from a variety of resources, including the MathTwitterBlogoSphere, will be shared. Specific
examples will include snapshots of a year, unit, and lesson in Algebra 1 and Geometry, though the strategies
can be applied to all content areas. You are encouraged to bring your own ideas, calendars, resources and
plans for discussion.
Function Transformations Without Tears - Meg Craig
(High School)
Does trying to graph y = -2 (3x 4) + 5 or y = 3 sin (x + ) strike fear in your students (or you)? Then you
need to transform how you think about transformations with this easy three-step process. Step 1: Plant the
seed early by translating lines. Step 2: Journey with students through a discovery of why the changes occur to
a graph, including the (no-longer) mysterious f(x) stretching the graph. Step 3: Introduce the Susan Spencer
Method of Graphing Transformations. This method, named after the master teacher who taught it to me, has
been providing students with painless graphing for over 25 years. After this session, you and your students will
also be able to graph transformations easily, efficiently, and, most importantly, with no tears.
Supporting Small Group Instruction with Math Workstations - Sadie Estrella
(K-12 Small group instruction, math workstations)
Math workstations and how to implement, manage and maintain them to support small group instruction
during math block and/or math workshop time. Learn how to integrate math workstations with core programs
to foster peer to peer questioning and support student growth in mathematics.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Better Questions: Ours/Our Students - Rachel Kernodle

(all levels, questioning)
Whats the best question you asked a student today? Whats the best question a student asked you today?
As teachers we know that asking good questions is a fundamental part of creating a dynamic and engaging
classroom. But the ability to facilitate lessons peppered with the kinds of questions that get students thinking
deeply takes both planning and practice. And how often do we encourage our students to formulate their own
questions? By giving our students deliberate opportunities to learn and practice this skill we invite greater
participation and interest/engagement in our content.
In this session we will explore effective questioning techniques, with an emphasis on questions that stimulate
student thinking. We will brainstorm ways to intentionally incorporate a focus on questioning into our lesson
planning and reflection during the upcoming school year. Well also share some of the MTBoSs best resources
and techniques for encouraging students to ask their own questions.
Lets make it a daily habit to ask better questions.
What do You Think and Why? Supporting Students in Sharing their Ideas - Ilana Horn
(classroom discussions)
Most of us are convinced that students learn best when they have a chance to talk about mathematical ideas.
However, not all students are willing or able to participate in class discussions. This session offers a framework
for thinking about the social and intellectual challenges of sharing mathematical thinking and using it as a basis
for instruction. I offer some ideas and examples about designing classrooms that support this activity. After
presenting the framework, I will present examples from #MTBoS teachers classrooms about strategies for
increasing student participation.
A Full Scale Math Debate: Using a Debate as a Summative Assessment- Chris Luzniak
(Algebra, Debate, All Levels)
Want to experience a full-scale real-world debate that involves algebra?! Come to this session to learn about,
attempt, and debrief a full-scale debate in your math classroom. We will be working through a highly
accessible Algebra 1 debate, exploring the topic, the structure and the roles. Be ready to argue, scowl and
show off your systems of equations in this fun debate workshop!
Exploring Advocacy and Stewardship as Professional Obligations - Levi Patrick
(All Levels, Professionalism, Policy)
Teachers don't need to be a voice at the table--it's already their table. My experience as the Director of
Secondary Math Education for the state of Oklahoma has given me insight into the politics and issues that
surround math education. It is abundantly evident that passionate and reflective math educators must engage
in our profession as advocates and stewards. How do we protect (or revitalize) the nature of our profession?
How do we promote our vision for math education? Join this introductory conversation about the opportunity
to influence policy discussions in your school, district, state, and beyond. If these ideas feel unfamiliar, scary,
or outside your comfort zone, don't worry! Join us and we'll learn together!

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Practical Formative Assessment Strategies - John Scammell

(Formative Assessment, All Levels, Feedback)
This rapid fire session will count off more than 90 practical formative assessment strategies that are easy to
implement. This session is mostly a repeat of "60 in 60" from last year at TMC, but has grown to 90 in 60 for
this year.
Unanswerable Questions: The Key to Building Statistical Thinkers - Denis Sheeran
(Statistics, Common Core, Middle School, High School, Google)
Statistics has become significantly more prevalent in 6-12 math standards under the Common Core, moving
far beyond mean, median and mode and Line of Best Fit. This workshop will present how to use Unanswerable
Questions to develop statistical thinking in students, and will connect the statistical thinking from middle
school through Algebra 2 into the AP Statistics program.
Tools for Building Number Sense and Problem Solving - Andrew Stadel and Norma Gordon
(All grades, problem solving, number sense)
Use a range of tools to engage students and foster strong number sense as a habit of mind in students.
Explore the following: 1) Estimation 180, 2) Effective tools such as CueThink to support students and problem
solving, and 3) Brainstorming action: K-16!
***Bring your iPad
A New Experiment: Sports Research for CCSS - William Thill
(9-12 Stats/ Data CC)
Does distracting a free throw shooter work? Let's conduct a real experiment to find out! As a result, we'll learn
about the role of random assignment and how to make/use simulations to judge whether an experimental
treatment is effective. Discussion about the challenges / caveats of making "cool" activities meaningful and
effective tools to improve students learning. Focused on CCSS Data Stats topics in grades 9/12.
Making Videos for the Classroom - Paula Torres
(All levels; flipped classroom, video creating)
I make lessons for my flipped classroom and plan to have participants make their first video. I have used
TouchCast, Doceri and Camtasia. I have also had students make their own videos and use them as a test
correction device. I find this to be a valuable tool that gives great insight into what students know. (Easiest if
participants have a tablet device to write on for creating their own video.)
Math in a Box, for Upper Elementary Students: Engaging and Expanding Student Problem-Solving Through
Box Design - Peter Wilson
(Upper Elementary)
Upper elementary students are asked to become well-versed in finding perimeter, area, surface area and also
work with various polygons and their formulas. Taking those topics and making them relevant and useful to
students can be a challenge. Starting with cubes and then moving on to more complex designs, the Math in a
Box project creates a unique and challenging math room, where students can't wait to do more, all while
improving their visual literacy. In this session, participants will learn how to create the Math in a Box project in
their classrooms, to help students with visual-spatial skills, problem-solving and geometric reasoning through
creative design of boxes from flat "nets."

4:00 5:00 pm

Afternoon Sessions

The Mandelbrot Set Viewed through Precalculus - Dan Anderson

(High School)
Have you marveled at the beauty of the Mandelbrot set but never understood how it is created? Have you
wondered where complex numbers, binomial expansion, polar form, and DeMoivres theorem all combine to
simply create the Mandelbrot set? We investigate how the fractal is interactively drawn in the Processing.org
computer language.
Understanding Our World Beyond the Numbers: Insights of Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice - Rachel
Bates
(Social Justice, All levels, alternative mathematics pedagogies, teaching mathematics for social justice)
Despite the various forms of research that has highlighted cognitive understanding of how mathematical
knowledge is acquired and utilized, students typically experience mathematics through years of fragmented
encounters leading them to believe that mathematics is comprised of meaningless symbols, inflexible
formulae and procedures, and exercises far removed from their own interests and the world they encounter.
This presentation will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the importance of quantitative
reasoning and understanding through a variety of social justice topics. Ideas presented can be applied to fit
middle school - college level mathematics courses.
Writing a Book: Why? and How? - Katherine Bryant
(all levels)
Have you ever considered writing a book? You may wonder why youd want to do that when theres so much
sharing going on in the MTBoS (a fair question!), and what it actually takes to put your ideas into book form.
What does a book even mean anymore? Lets discuss! Im happy to share my perspective, as an editor, on
why and how you might go about writing a book: what the value is, what the process looks like, and how not
to drive yourself (or your editor) crazy in the process. If youve written or are writing a book, Id love to have
you come share your experiences too.
Leading Without Leaving- Peg Cagle
(all levels; advocacy)
As a career changer, I routinely say I came to education late but got pissed-off early, entering the classroom at
the dawn of the math wars in California. That meant that no matter how competent I might become in my
classroom, it was not sufficient- my students also needed me to speak on their behalf beyond our classroom
walls, because those outside forces profoundly impacted the learning opportunities I was supported in
providing to my students.
In this session, we will explore the range of ways to craft advocacy and leadership opportunities grounded in
being a practicing classroom teacher. Come and learn about existing structures that seek the input of engaged
math educators at local, state and national levels. Help brainstorm ways to build additional avenues for
advocacy on behalf of high-quality teaching and learning of math for all, and amplify your voice on behalf of
yourself, your students and your profession. We will examine a broad range of leadership arenas including
how to impact curriculum, keep the m from being silent in STEM programs, inform policy decisions and
regulatory language, participate in the funding of research efforts and shaping the future of our profession.

4:00 5:00 pm

Afternoon Sessions.

Young Mathematicians and The Thrill of Mathematical Discovery - Federico Chialvo

(grades K-8, Mathematical Practices)
What kinds of mathematical contexts can provide elementary school students the thrill of mathematical
discovery, and how can this fit into our curriculum? We will explore a few "low floor, high ceiling"
mathematical investigations that will get your students noticing patterns and wondering why. We will discuss
ways to facilitate these kinds of mathematical tasks and discussions with young students, and how these tasks
can give students experience with mathematical practices as well as with core skills. I will share a list of
investigations I have found effective, as well as resources I have used as inspiration.
Modified Flipped Math Classroom (High School) - Princess Choi
(High School Math, Flipped Classroom, More time to teach, grit)
Do you get excited over the concept of a flipped classroom where students learn at home and come to you
where you help them at their level individually? Do you want class time to be fun project time relating math to
the real world since your students worked on basics at home? Well, what if the majority of your students lack
the motivation to work at home? What if your students lacked the pre, pre, pre-requisite skills needed to be
successful in your class? Should we dump the flipped classroom model? Let's NOT! Pointers and strategies
from a high school math teacher in a 1:1 device school district.
* Use of Google Classroom
* Student created tutorials
* Math dance
* Encouragement
* Different versions of tests-no more than 4
Improve Your Questioning Skills to Formatively Assess Student Understanding - Robert Kaplinsky
(questioning, formative assessment, MP3, MP6)
Asking students questions that encourage elaborate responses allows teachers to formatively assess their
students in real time. Unfortunately, many teachers need support and practice to improve their questioning.
Participants will engage in an activity that helps refine questioning skills and can easily be replicated.
Talk Back to NCTM! - Matt Larson
(All Levels, NCTM)
Have you ever wished NCTM would make changes to better meet teachers needs? How can the NCTM
conference experience be improved? How can resources be improved? What about publications? What would
make NCTM a must join organization? This is your chance to have your voice heard by NCTM PresidentElect, Matt Larson. You can also suggest additional topics in advance of the conference, @mlarson_math
Agree or Disagree? Starting a Fight In Your Math Class - Tim McCaffrey
(Grades 6-12, MP.3)
Who is the best NFL team? Has technology made students smarter? What should we do about the American
debt crisis? These are all questions that inevitably create controversy. This workshop focuses on doing just
that...start a mathematical fight. Learn how to put your students in a place to "fighting" mathematically with
one another in your classroom.

4:00 5:00 pm

Afternoon Sessions.

Planning and Assess-Respond-Instruct Cycle in Mathematics - Michelle Naidu

(All Levels, Planning)
Differentiation is hard. Crazy hard even, especially if you're trying to do it as you go and/or be everything to
everyone. During this session we'll go through how to plan using the Assess-Respond-Instruct cycle to identify
student gaps, remediate them and have more students engaging at grade level mathematics. During the hour
you'll get to experience and participate in an extremely condensed version of planning, as well discuss what a
typical planning cycle looks like and possible differentiation for your own teaching and planning situation. The
Assess-Respond-Instruct cycle can be used for any topic and is especially conducive to group planning. Full
disclosure - this planning process is time commitment heavy up front. The investment pays off when you are
appropriately prepared to differentiate and provide interventions for your students as well as be much more
present in your teaching as your only scrambling will involve the broken photocopier (or those pesky
recommendation letters)!
Barbie Bungee - Fawn Nguyen and Matt Vaudrey
(Grades 8-10, linear regression, Desmos, collaborative group work)
This activity is the capstone to a unit on linear and proportional relationships, and the connections to other
mathematical ideas are clear, varied, and easy for students to grasp. Prepare to experience abstraction,
problem-solving, inference, modeling, and a bitchin Desmos graph. Ideal for middle-school, these activities
can be done low-tech, high-tech, and anything in between. (Bring any device to get online)
Participants will gather data (as students), plot points, and construct a line of best fit, all while discussing
reasoning, conjecture, and precision found in the 8 SMPs.
Everyone leaves with digital resources. Hopefully, the brainpower in the room creates some great extension
activities.
SBG for Beginners and Beyond - David Petersen (@calcdave), Anna Hester (@TypeAMathLand), Lisa Soltani
(@lisasolt)
(SBG, formative assessment)
The first half of this session you will hear from three teachers who've implemented standards-based grading in
our classrooms. We will discuss the nuts and bolts including:
- getting started
- settling on what standards to measure
- communicating with and garnering support from students, families and administrators
- managing the work flow with time saving tips
- reassessing
- remediation
- supporting students in tracking their scores
- entering grades and software options
Our intent is to get into the weeds and share our individual experiences. We will tap the expertise of more
experienced participants by asking them to share what has worked and what challenges remain.
For the second half, we will break into smaller groups depending on the number and interests of participants
and have a working session where teachers of all experience levels can collaborate and explore different
aspects of SBG.

4:00 5:00 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Teaching the 8 Practices - Chris Shore

(Common Core, Math Practices)
Learn exactly what the 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice are, and see how they can be explicitly taught.
You don't have to decide between teaching content or thinking. They can both get taught on a daily basis.

Saturday, July 25th

9:00 9:30 am
9:30 11:30 am

Morning Announcements and My Favorites

Morning Sessions (same as Thursday and Friday)

11:30 am 1:00 pm
1:00 1:30 pm

Lunch (on your own)

Afternoon My Favorites

1:30 2:30 pm
2:45 3:45 pm

Keynote

Afternoon Sessions

K-12 Fraction Fun - Jennifer Bell

(All Levels, Common Core)
When do fraction concepts start in the CCSS? How do fraction concepts and rational number operations build
K-12? Come build bridges from early elementary school models to high school equations so you can support
your students. Research shows that success with fractions (and long division) predict success in Algebra. We
will examine this research and the progressions of content K-12 while sharing strategies and questions. There's
no need to freak out on fractions!
Transformations: A Visual Understanding - Jedidiah Butler
(Geometry, Common Core, 6-12, hands-on)
Come explore transformations with a visual approach. Tools will include Geogebra, Desmos, Patty Paper,
sheet protectors, paper rolls and flashlights.
First we establish running themes, and key questions to carry our understandings. As visual intuitions are built,
we'll see how vocabulary naturally rises from these. Then we shift focus to dilations and proportional
reasoning with scale factor, dimensional analysis, and maybe even a little Non-Euclidean Geometry. The goal
of this session is to help teachers wrap their heads around transformations, and the core concepts the tie it all
together.
Math Design Collaborative - Formative Assessments for Grouping PBLs - Karen Cheng
(Grades 9-12, Formative assessment, real world applications, grouping)
How do you visualize grouping and problem-based learning in the math classroom? Curious about how to
integrate formative assessment in your lessons? Not sure what to do with the feedback? Interested in ways to
promote mathematical discussion and collaborative work in your classroom? This session will share multiple
examples of lessons that can be used in high school math classrooms (Algebra I to PreCalculus). Each of these
lessons tie in great real-world applications while providing the classroom teacher quick and easy ways to
utilize feedback from formative assessments, such as grouping and questioning while encouraging students to
work collaboratively. In addition to sharing example lessons, discussion and sharing of further ideas and
resources, for collaborative learning in high school math.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Hinge Questions: Writing session - Nik Doran

(Formative Assessment, All Levels)
If you came to last summers session or you already know/use/would like to use Hinge Questions and you
would like to write rather than learn the theory then this is the session for you! This is a session for folks to get
together and spend as much of the session as possible working with others to develop questions and discuss
how the information gathered from each could be used. If you do not know what Hinge Questions are, I
suggest attending the earlier session. If you have a buddy who teaches the same course as you, then so much
the better to come along with. Cookies provided.
Arithmetic to Algebra: Key Building Blocks in Abstract Thinking - Dylan Kane
(Grades 6-9, Common Core, Algebraic Thinking)
Many students in elementary and middle school look at math as a set of procedures that produce numerical
answers. While we may try to discourage it, the reality is that most problems students solve before 6th grade
have a single, numerical answer. As students are introduced to algebraic reasoning, they often see these
problems no differently than arithmetic problems -- just with more steps, more calculation, and more chances
to make mistakes. However, by the time students reach high school algebra, they are expected to relate
equations to graphs, see structure in expressions, and analyze and perform operations on functions. Too many
students enter high school algebra with both a mindset and a skill set that leaves them unable to see this
algebraic structure. This session will look at a progression of problems and facilitation techniques that span
from 6th to 9th grade, create meaningful opportunities for students to reason algebraically and abstractly, and
provide durable building blocks for higher algebra and calculus.
We will focus on the Expressions & Equations strand in the Common Core standards, but will also examine the
high school Algebra and Functions strands and Standards for Mathematical Practice 2 and 7. This session is
targeted at middle school and Algebra I educators looking to improve their students algebraic reasoning.
Participants will examine algebraic reasoning strategies, and spend time working with grade-level peers to
develop additional tasks and strategies to use with their students.
Making Math Fun for Elementary Students - Cortni Kemlage
(Elementary)
During this session, I will share some of my favorite manipulatives, websites, hands-on activities, apps, and
ideas for making elementary math engaging, fun, and meaningful. There will also be time for sharing and
brainstorming within the group. Stickers will be given!
Tacking Those Tricky Stats Concepts - Bob Lochel
(High School)
How do we convince students that variances add - even when we subtract distributions? What does a p-value
measure in a hypothesis test, exactly? When do matched-pairs experiments make sense for data collection?
What does "95% Confident" mean, and how does it measure our faith in an estimate? And what the heck is
the "coefficient of determination" for scatterplots, beyond a prepared sentence we are asked to memorize?
We'll use easily accessible scenarios, along with a dash of technology, to build contextual understanding of
tricky statistics topics. Even if you don't teach AP, come build your understanding and join us for the lively
stats conversation.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Building a Collaborative Math Department from Scratch ... Especially with Nervous or "Old School" Teachers
- Marla Mattenson
(All levels, leadership, Common Core)
Are you a math leader at your school? Do you dream of working with a community of passionate, dedicated
math teachers who want to take risks in the classroom to push the boundaries of what students are capable
of, and do it with support and encouragement? This session will walk you through concrete steps for
leadership without hierarchy so you can begin building your dream department, or enhance what you've
already put into motion.
Teaching in a Vertical Classroom - Alex Overwijk
(Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces, Visible Random Groupings)
This session is based on research by Peter Liljedahl at Simon Fraser University on Vertical Non-Permanent
Surfaces and Visible Random Groupings. After two semesters of vertical classrooms, teachers in our school
have learned a great deal about this learning environment. In this session we will look at advantages and
disadvantages of this approach, strategies that make vertical classrooms work and student assessment in this
type of classroom. We will also share personal successes and failures implementing VNPS and VRG.
Getting students out of their desks to work on vertical surfaces has led to increased engagement in the
mathematical processes; critical thinking, accountable talk, making connections, multiple representations, and
collaboration.
An innovative approach that promotes creative solutions among students.

Tiny Bits of Social Justice, How We Are Working Towards More Intentional, Inclusive Safe Spaces- Anne
Schwartz
(All Levels)
How do I make sure every student feels welcome? How do I know if I am advocating for my students? How do
I incorporate social justice in to my classroom? Am I having the important conversations with students when
then need to be had or am I letting things go? Are possibly both of those the right choice? How do I work to
end the school to prison pipeline? What is my school doing to build community? These are just some of the
question that will be discussed in this session. The goal of this conversation is to share best practices that are
happening in our schools. Though we are all math teachers there is more than just math being taught in all of
our classrooms. I hope this session will help to make those teaching choices as intentional as our math
curriculum.
Getting Students to Argue in Class with Number Sense Activities - Andrew Stadel
(Grades 6-8, Mathematical Practices 1 & 3)
Create productive mathematical discourse with students by exploring number sense activities. Support
students in constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others by giving them think time,
sentence frames, and chances to prepare and compare their reasoning. Focus: classroom implementation,
student support, and resources.

2:45 3:45 pm

Afternoon Sessions

Swan-Style Task Factory - Elizabeth Statmore

(Common Core, 6-12, tasks for group work)
Malcolm Swan and the Shell Centre at the University of Nottingham have created a large and growing core of
rich, group-worthy Formative Assessment Lessons and Concept Development Lessons, but what if you need a
specific kind of task right now?
I spent last summer immersed in Swans writing on instructional design and will present a brief overview of his
five task types that encourage concept development. Then we will break into smaller working groups to
begin to apply these design principles to our own needs using problems and/or sequences that address areas
of our own classroom need.
What Do I Do with all this Cool Sh!t? - Matt Vaudrey and John Stevens
(All Levels, Lesson Planning)
An effective 21st-century educator spends 15 minutes on warm-up activities, followed by 30-45 minutes on
basic skills to scaffold students for a 20-minute lesson that engages multiple learning styles and 60 minutes of
guided and independent practice, which leaves 20 minutes for authentic assessment and 120 minutes for a
performance task.
But...
...I only have 55-90 minutes each day to try and do all that with my students.
Let's talk about utilizing time effectively.

4:00 5:00 pm

Flex Sessions, TBD

A place to add sessions as they come up during the week

Sunday, July 26th

9:00 11:00 am

My Favorites and Closing, Presentation Hall, 3rd Floor