Videos of Doing and Teaching Math

How can videos help us deepen inquiry into teaching math, and student inquiry into learning math? Find out now.

The videos include:

• children inventing methods for doing double-digit arithmetic
• a kid "thinking SO HARD about making change"
• illustrations of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Mathematical Practices
• podcasting combined with virtual manipulatives as a form of one-on-one assessment
• Suzanne, the Forum's Director of Professional Development, problem-solving with middle-school students in Philadelphia

Call for speaker poposals

The Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics is looking for speakers to share their expertise
with colleagues at the 2014 Annual Conference as we focus on
our theme, “Balancing the Transition: Surviving to Thriving.”

• Do you have strategies that help incorporate the Common Core State Standards in your teaching
• Do you have expertise in bringing Smarter Balanced Assessment skills into the classroom?
• Do you use project based learning to teach concepts?
• Are you using assessments in-line with Smarter Balanced?
• How do you support different learners in your classroom?

Focus areas may include:

• Common Core State Standards
• Classroom Instruction
• Interventions
• Use of Technology
• Assessment

Please consider sharing your knowledge and ideas with Michigan teachers this summer in
Holland. The online speaker proposal is now available. Proposals are accepted through February, 14, 2014.
Lead presenters receive a complimentary conference registration. This year, that will include
keynote address by Dr. Karen Karp and a wide variety of break-out sessions and vendor booths
plus evenings at leisure in beautiful Holland, MI.

Apply for a Kalamazoo County Educator Incentive Grant today!

Applications available for 2014 Educator Incentive Grants

from Excellence in Education of Kalamazoo County

Interested? Visit the Excellence in Education page for general information, guidelines, grant writing tips and application forms.

Questions? E-mail Jill Ansel at  or Kristin Flynn

Don’t Wait! Applications are due no later than February 10, 2014.

Standards Based Grading and Formative Assessment: Learn from those who've done it

Registration closes at 5 pm on February 3, 2014
$125 per person MIEM Member/$195 Nonmember

Dansville Schools • 1264 Adams Street, Dansville, MI 48819
February 11, 2014 • 7:45 am-3:30 pm

Learn how to change grading and assessment practices from the traditional methods to standards-based grading with a balanced approach to assessment and why this approach is worth considering. Participants will be able to interact with teachers, students and administrators in exploring each of the following areas:

• HOW to create clear learning targets aligned to the Common Core Standards
• HOW to create a balanced assessment system
• HOW to use tracking and self-assessment in the classroom
• A different approach to grading practices

Recommendations: It would be helpful for participants to read the following work before visiting:

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning–Doing It Right–Using It Well by Rick Stiggins, Judith Arter, Jan Chappuis and Steve Chappuis

Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades: A Repair Kit CANADIAN EDITION, c. 2012 Pearson, Toronto, Ontario

It is strongly encouraged to register in teams with an administrator. Be sure to select a grade level and subject area for classroom visitation.

Register online.

Register by fax.

Illuminations: Resources for teaching math

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recently unveiled its re-designed website of free resources for teaching math Illuminations.
The Illuminations site now sports a right-hand panel for searching its interactive tools and instructional support according to the NCTM Principles and Standards along with Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM).

You can use Illuminations to find lessons and online, interactive math activities. Check it out today!

Illuminations is a project designed by NCTM and supported by the Verizon Foundation. 

G3 Camp Grandparents, Grandkids, Grand Valley!

G3 Camp

Grandparents, Grandkids, Grand Valley!

June 24 - 26, 2014

Grandparents and their grandchildren will be sharing a college experience by attending G3 — Grandparents, Grandkids, Grand Valley — a summer camp at Grand Valley State University (GVSU)  June 24-26, 2014. Families will spend three days and two nights on campus, sleeping in the living center apartments and eating in the common dining halls along with college students and others on campus.

During the three day educational camp, children ages 8-12 and their grandparents will attend hands-on learning activities in areas like art, history, science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and law enforcement, to name a few. Class sessions will be taught by Grand Valley faculty and held during the day in the campus academic buildings. In the evening, families can choose from a variety of activities including swimming, playing volleyball, using the climbing wall, and playing games. 

G3 is sponsored by GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For more information, call the Regional Math and Science Center at (616) 331-2267.  G3 Camp makes a WONDERFUL Christmas present!  Printable gift certificates are available online as well.

Register now!

What is important in early childhood mathematics education programs?

Mathematics in Early Childhood Learning
A Position of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

NCTM Position
Young learners’ future understanding of mathematics requires an early foundation based on a high-quality, challenging, and accessible mathematics education. Young children in every setting should experience mathematics through effective, research-based curricula and teaching practices. Such practices in turn require that teachers have the support of policies, organizational structures, and resources that enable them to succeed in this challenging and important work.

Read the full position paper for more information.

Register for Pilot of Michigan's Interim Assessments

Schools are invited to register to participate in the Spring 2014 Interim Assessment Pilot. Districts may have several schools participate but each school must register with a separate application. 

The ELA and mathematics interim assessments for grades K, 1, and 2 are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The science and social studies interim assessments are aligned to Michigan’s current Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) and High School Content Expectations (HSCEs).

Participation in this State of Michigan authorized pilot test opportunity counts toward satisfying district participation requirement #4 of the 22i Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG).

The assessments available in this pilot include:
English Language Arts - Grades K, 1, and 2
Mathematics - Grades K, 1, and 2
Science - Grades 3-7, Earth Science, HS Biology, HS Chemistry, and HS Physics
Social Studies - Grades 3-8, HS US History & Geography, HS World History & Geography, HS Civics, and HS Economics

Registration deadline: 1/31/2014
Test window: 3/24/2014 through 5/23/2014

Read more and register

Surprising research findings

The most recent issues of The Progress of Education Reform  from ECS presents us with some surprising research findings concerning mathematics education.

Surprise 1: There is predictive power in early mathematics
Mathematical thinking is cognitively foundational, and children’s early knowledge of math strongly predicts their later success in math. More surprising is that preschool mathematics knowledge predicts achievement even into high school. Most surprising is that it also predicts later reading achievement even better than early reading skills. In fact, research shows that doing more mathematics increases oral language abilities, even when measured during the following school year. These include vocabulary, inference, independence, and grammatical complexity. Given the importance of mathematics to academic success in all subjects, all children need a robust knowledge of mathematics in their earliest years.

Surprise 2: Given opportunities to learn, young children possess an informal knowledge of mathematics that is amazingly broad, complex, and sophisticated

Surprise 3: Teachers vastly underestimate what their children know and can learn

Surprise 4: All students need a math intervention

Surprise 5: We know a lot

Read more about the 5 Surprises and corresponding policy implications and recommendations.

Ban "outlaw" words

Do you use any of the following words or phrases with your students?
"Borrow"
"Carry"
"Goes into"
"Altogether"
"Reduce"

In Christine Moynihan's 2013 Fall NCSM Newsletter article "Leadership Tips", she focuses on how “Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.”

Too many words and phrases used in mathematics classrooms promote misconceptions and are barriers to students attaining conceptual understanding. Identifying and eradicating them from use can provide stronger pathways to understanding. Just a few of the offenders include:

• Borrow—When one borrows something, there is an expectation it will be returned; that does not happen when we “borrow” a ten.
• Carry—There is no “carrying” going on in the action of regrouping.
• Add a 0—How many of us were taught that you just add a 0 to the number when you multiply by 10? This flies in the face of 0 being the additive identity—any number with 0 added to it is the same number!
• Multiplying by 10 (or 10^1) is increasing the value by one power of 10.
•  “Guzinta”—You know: 6 “goes into” 24 … instead of, how many 6s are there in 24, or how many are in each of the 6 groups if there are 24?
• Reduce—When something is reduced, it becomes smaller; 2/3 is not smaller than 4/6—it is just in simpler form.
• Altogether, etc.—This and a few others are taught as “key words”—altogether means that the problem should be solved by adding. Providing counterexamples allows students to see that they must analyze a problem carefully: There are 22 students altogether in Mrs. Sullivan’s class. Twelve are girls, how many are boys?
•  Digit, number, numeral—These are often used interchangeably, yet have different meanings.
• Less or fewer—These are also often used interchangeably and should not be; less refers to continuous variables, while fewer indicates things that are discrete.
• Tricks and magic—There are NO tricks nor magic in mathematics! There is a valid reason for everything.
• Yours is not to reason why—just invert and multiply. Of course, we want our students to reason.

Please check out the rest of the article for more ways to support students learning in mathematics with diligence.