HEMS Seminars

Think about the last good conversation you had; the last bad one.  Think about the last “tweet storm” you encountered and think about the effect that has on not just you, but the culture of learners you interact with each day.  Clear communication has never been more important. And it’s not only true in the world outside our classrooms, but in the math setting as well. Rarely do we think of conversation as a way to learn math.  In this workshop, you will look at academic articles, explore different teaching strategies and learn how to incorporate a variety of activities in your own classroom that foster the idea of learning math through dialogue.  Come ready to be a part of the conversation and be inspired to stretch yourself in how you approach teaching in your classroom. This presentation is intended for all high school math teachers with specific examples of activities from Geometry, Algebra, and Statistics.

Presenter: Tori Rios has been a part of Flowing Wells High School since she started as a long term substitute in their math department in 2008 after receiving her degree at the University of Arizona in Probability and Statistics.  Realizing her passion for students, she went back to school to obtain her teaching certificate and has been a full-time teacher since, focusing on Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and most recently, AP Statistics.  In her time in the classroom she has played an integral role in planning the Geometry curriculum for the CCR standards transition for the district. Realizing the importance of hands-on and interactive experiences for students to learn, she was involved in the MESA program on campus for 5 years.  In addition, she frequently seeks out opportunities to further her instruction, most recently participating in Project Compass at the University of Arizona where local math teachers explored the importance of both grasping math content in all its connective pieces and how dialogue can be obtained in the math classroom, pushing students to a higher level of understanding.

This is a two-part series focused on High School Mathematics.  $50 stipends will only be provided to teachers who participate in both sessions. Please only register if you can attend both sessions.  In addition to professional development certificates (9 hours), participants will receive the stipend due to the generosity of Lee and Arthur Herbst.

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Description: The key to helping students understand and successfully solve word problems is to help them visualize and make sense of the problem.  They need to be able to decide the overall “structure” and determine the relationships involved in any given problem. In this two part series, geared for K-5 teachers, participants will learn how to help students close read the word problem, model their thinking, use specific tools such as tape diagrams, the star model, and much more.  Participants will have the opportunity to model problems of various structures using tape diagrams and analyze examples of well-labeled tape diagrams. They will be able to explore new mathematical ideas through the use of problem solving. Participants will use different strategies to make connections with different problem types. They will walk away with additional tools to help their students grow in their problem solving abilities.

Presenters:

Agi Post - Agi Post has worked in education all of her adult life and considers teaching her calling.  She has mostly worked with 4th through 6th graders at various schools. Currently, she is a 4th grade teacher at Tucson Country Day School where she also serves as a math curriculum leader for the K-8 staff.  Her educational background includes a Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona with a minor in Mathematics, and a Masters in English as a Second Language also from the University of Arizona. Her math teaching philosophy and practice had been so inspired and transformed by the first few workshops she attended at the CRR that she was excited to join the IMPACTS program from its very beginning as a presenter of math workshops for K-5 teachers.  She is passionate about sharing useful resources, strategies, and insights with other educators, and about helping all students discover their great potential to be successful mathematicians through meaningful, appropriately challenging, hands-on problem solving tasks.

Nancy Casagrande - Nancy Casagrande has been an elementary teacher for the past 10 years.  Currently, she is a K-5 math interventionist in the Amphitheater School District at Coronado K-8.  She has been part of the IMPACTS program for 4 years and has been presenting professional development with them for the past 3 years.  Her background includes a Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona, Masters in Psychology from the University of Phoenix, and a K-8 math endorsement.  Her passion for teaching stems from a desire to provide a positive, active, and engaging environment where all students will make growth.

This is a two-part series focused on K-5 Mathematics Grade Band.  $50 stipends will only be provided to teachers who participate in both sessions. Please only register if you can attend both sessions.  In addition to professional development certificates (9 hours), participants will receive the stipend due to the generosity of Lee and Arthur Herbst.

Register Here