Join us at one of our upcoming free, virtual #ILMathCom events:

Multiple people have asked for us to talk about Formative Assessment, so here is our chance. Cheryl Tobey, Maine Math Content Specialist, has been working on using state assessments to create formative assessments to help teachers guide their instruction to provide information about how well the students know the state standards. Illinois is in the process of similar work, and we want you to the first to hear about it.
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January 10 3:30-4:30 CST
Formative Assessment Part 1
During Part 1 of our series, we will talk about how to find, create, and/or edit formative assessment tasks. We will share examples of how we are using PARCC released items to create formative tasks that allow us to actually see the students' thinking. If you are planning on coming back for Part 2 we will ask you to try some of these tasks our in your classroom.
Register here: http://bit.ly/Jan10ILMathCom

January 31 3:30-4:30 CST
Formative Assessment Part 2
During Part 2 of our series, we will discuss how to use results of formative assessments. After using the tasks we created in Part 1 in your classroom, we can see what misunderstandings the students had and what they tells us about the students' understanding. Then we will discuss next steps of instruction.
Register here: http://bit.ly/Jan31ILMathCom

*We are hoping to have participants register for both Formative Assessment events, but you are allowed to attend just one.


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February 7 3:30-4:30 CST
Student Choice
Registration information will be posted soon!

#ILMathCom

Archives:

Fluency Without Fear: Past participants expressed an interest in a discussion about fluency, so this discussion explored what works and what doesn't as we all work towards helping our students achieve fluency in mathematics. Access the slide deck here. Please take this post survey to help us measure our impact.

Equity and Access: Eli Luberoff, CEO of Desmos, and Kevin McClure, ISBE Learning Supports Specialist, shared about their role in equitable mathematics education and provided resources to support equity and access. We also shared our new Resource Guide for Framing Inclusive Conversations for all subject areas.

Problem Based Learning: Lisa Matthews, an Illustrative Mathematics Certified Professional Learning Facilitator, and Rae Hughart, a 6th-grade math teacher at Evans Junior High, Unit 5 School District and Director of Training and Development for the Teach Better Team, shared resources and talked about their experiences with Problem Based Learning in the math classroom.

​Differentiation: Thursday, October 4 we discussed effective differentiation strategies. Glennah McMahon, from Hawthorn Middle School North, and Dana Cartier, independent consultant and former high school math teacher, shared some of their favorite differentiation strategies alongside other amazing Illinois educators.

CTE: Geometry in Construction: Tuesday, September 18 we discussed the the hands-on course “Geometry in Construction.” Dr. Brad Christiansen, Illinois State University STEM Instructional Designer, and Neal Kaufman, Project Coordinator at Three Rivers Education for Employment System, set the stage for us by sharing out some great resources and supports available for teachers and districts as well as describing the need for rich, contextualized math instruction. Our Feature Teachers,  Luke Sikora and Meghan Carlson, from CHSD 218, and Brian Collier, from Ridgewood High School Dist. 234, did an exemplary job of sharing out their experiences facilitating this program in their schools. We concluded with an engaging discussion between our participants and featured guests.

​Transitional Math: Thursday, September 6 we discussed the Transitional Math Courses. Kathleen Almy, the Illinois Director for Transitional Math from Northern Illinois University, shared a little background information about the PWR Act and Transitional Math Courses and Anji Garza, Director of Professional Learning at ROE #47, shared information about the work that has been done so far and why these programs are so important for our high school students. We also discussed opportunities for Illinois Educators to be involved in the development and piloting of materials to support these courses. We concluded the meeting with time for some Q and A. Access the slides from Kathy Almy's presentation here.

Lesson Study: Thursday, August 30 we explored lesson study as an empowering, collaborative professional learning option. Lesson Study expert, Dr. Akihiko Takahashi from DePaul University, shared some of his insights and experiences and a few past participants of our Illinois Virtual Lesson Study spoke about their experiences as well. Our community of math educators asked lots of questions and learned how to become involved in upcoming lesson study opportunities.

Standards-Based Reporting: Thursday, June 7th 3:30-4:30 we looked at how Standards-based Reporting increases student engagement by targeting student learning needs. By separating out achievement from behavior, SBR gives a clearer, more accurate assessment of the student's subject knowledge. Teachers experienced in SBR (Renu Anne Massa from Waukegan High School, Kimberly Malone from Abingdon-Avon High School, Becky Wood from Lake Zurich Middle School North, and Sue Mainville formerly an elementary math coordinator) shared their insights in transitioning to SBR, what successes they have had as well as challenges.  After sharing their brief overview, the discussion opened up to participants' questions.

Social Emotional Learning: Thursday, May 31st 3:30-4:30 we discussed SEL in the Math Classroom. Building relationships in the classroom increases trust and academic success. What strategies do you use to build relationships in your classroom? Engaging students in cooperative group activities not only builds trust between peers but also encourages group problem-solving, conflict resolution and supports all the Illinois SEL Standards. Learn about ISBE Collaborative resources and and hear from Greg Hobbs, a first-grade teacher at Kreitner Elementary in Collinsville,  and Lisa Ward, an ISBE Learning Supports Specialist.

Tech in Math: Thursday, May 24th, 3:30-4:30 #ILMathCom focused on using technology to enhance math education. Lisa Ward, an ISBE Learning Supports specialist, shared some of her favorite applets from Illuminations.nctm.org and Mike Reiners, an educator from Minnesota and Software developer for Casio, will shared some of the awesome things ClassPad.net can do. Be sure to check out these resources! Let us know what cool tech things you are doing in your math class by posting in the forum above.

#BlackKidsDoMath with Dr. Berry: Thursday, May 17, 3:30pm #ILMathCom meeting number 3 featured guest speaker Dr. Robert Q. Berry, NCTM President, who discussed #BlackKidsDoMath. Successful black boys in school mathematics receive little attention in the research literature, but the counter narrative is prevalent. Black boys’ mathematics identities are shaped by culture, community, and experiences with mathematics. The development of a positive mathematics identity is essential toward helping black boys sustain an interest in mathematics and develop persistence with mathematics. Examining the perceptions of successful black boys is critical to identifying the strengths, skills and significant factors that promote their success.

Student Engagement: Thursday, May 10th, 3:30pm our second meeting of #ILMathCom discussed how to keep students actively engaged in May, when it is beautiful outside and we are all doing the end of the year countdown.  We will heard from Jackie Weinstein (Hawthorn Elementary South in Vernon Hills) and Laura Kaplan (Chicago Academy for the Arts), and a few others shared out their ideas and strategies. 

​​Community in the Math Classroom: Thursday, May 3rd, 3:30pm we held an open discussion on establishing a positive community in your math classroom.  How do you get your students engaged in mathematical discourse and at the same time create an equitable classroom?Rebecca Stowell (Westmoor Elementary in Northbrook), Kathy Felt, (Sherrard Junior High School), and Jeff Harding (Mundelein High School) shared ideas they use, and then participants had the opportunity to share as well. The video shows the elementary grade-band room during the breakouts.