Efficient Polynomial Multiplication, Division, Factoring, and Completing the Square

While multiplying binomials, factoring, completing the square, and polynomial division are important skills, belaboring these skills can interfere with students’ broader vision of algebra. In this session, you will practice each skill using algebra tiles and area models in ways that are both efficient and promote student understanding

A Learning Progression for Multiplying, Dividing, and Factoring Polynomials

While multiplying binomials, factoring, completing the square, and polynomial division are important skills, belaboring these skills can interfere with students' broader vision of algebra. In this session, we will explore a learning trajectory involving the area model and its derivatives in ways that promote student proficiency and understanding

Math Wars: The Politics of Curriculum

This paper is my undergraduate senior thesis, completed as a requirement of the Presidential Scholars Program at the University of Northern Iowa. It was defended before members of the Presidential Scholars board and members of the mathematics education faculty on December 9, 1999

Aligning Mathematical Tasks to the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice

How do algebra teachers align mathematical tasks to the CCSSM Standards of Mathematical Practice? Using methods of design-based implementation research, we identified difficulties of alignment to practices and developed strategies identifying high-quality tasks

Math Teachers and Social Media: Professional Collaboration or Support Group?

This presentation looked not at how social media helps individual teachers, but the implications social media use by math teachers might have on teaching as a profession. Using a framework from Shulman (1998), affordances and constraints of social media for teaching are explored.<div><br></div><div>Presentation given at the Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, New Orleans, LA, April 11, 2014.</div

What's the Probability of Teaching Statistics?

<div>How do middle school mathematics teachers' experiences and beliefs, social teaching norms, and immediate classroom situations affect the potential adoption of the statistics content of the Common Core State Standards?</div

Statistical Reasoning in the Middle School

The Common Core State Standards call for more statistics content in the middle grades. In this session, participants will explore informal and pre-formal tasks designed to support student understanding, and incorporate them into a learning progression leading to the formal statistics students will use in high school and beyond

Making Sense of Algebra with Realistic Mathematics Education

Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) is a philosophy of math education that has guided The Netherlands to two top-5 PISA rankings in the past 10 years. Participants in this session will learn about RME and explore a series of informal, preformal, and formal tasks designed to support student understanding of algebra

Supporting Algebra 1 Teachers’ Implementation of the CCSS: A Research + Practice Partnership

<p>Inquiry Hub is a research + practice partnership involving Denver Public Schools, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research. As part of continuing cooperation to co-design and study the adaptation and implementation of STEM curricula, the partnership focused on helping high school Algebra 1 teachers adapt their curriculum to align with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The work primarily focused on selecting and implementing mathematical tasks, and this presentation highlights the resources used and designed during two years of the project.</p><p>This presentation was given at the Annual Conference of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, Boston, MA, April 14, 2015.</p

Better Teaching Through Online Collaboration: Twitter, Blogs, and the Web

Using tools like Twitter and blogs, math teachers around Colorado, the U.S., and the world are connecting in exciting new ways. These online collaborations are inspiring teachers to engage their students in richer, more exciting mathematics, and helping teachers feel they are an integral part of a more collegial, supportive profession. At this session we will explore some of the ways we can use Twitter and other tools to share resources, collaborate around common problems, and support each others' personalized professional growth.<div><br></div><div>Presentation given at the Annual Conference of the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Denver, CO, September 25, 2015.</div