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!

Smarter Balanced: Upcoming call for teachers for summer work

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is committed to teacher involvement in the development of the assessment system.


Michigan's Bureau of Assessment and Accountability (BAA) will soon appoint a state-level “teacher involvement coordinator.” This person will serve as the point of contact for recruiting teachers for development and research opportunities. We should all hear from our newly-appointed teacher involvement coordinator within the next couple of weeks.


Here are the latest highlights of upcoming opportunities for teachers to be involved in the work of Smarter Balanced - THIS summer.  

1. Within the month, the teacher involvement coordinator will begin to recruit teachers for summer work to develop and review assessment items and tasks.
2. Recruited teachers will attend training sessions and work online in small groups to develop items and tasks. 
3. Teachers and other educational experts will then review all of the materials for content, bias and sensitivity, and accessibility. 

All of this work will take place THIS summer.


This fall, designated teachers at participating schools will be trained to administer trial assessments to students in their classrooms as part of Smarter Balanced's detailed analysis of how students interact with new item and task formats. 


Additional opportunities for teachers will be offered through independent item reviews, and this fall teachers will also be able to participate in rigorous item review workshops using their experience and content expertise. 


Finally, this fall Smarter Balanced intends to send out an “all call” to classroom teachers across the Consortium, inviting teachers to volunteer to participate in our pilot testing in spring 2013. 


What can you do to stay in the loop? Stay tuned and subscribe to Minds on Mathematics to get the most current, publicly available information.

Attend the 62nd MCTM Annual Conference in August

CCSS?

Formative Assessment?
Math & Technology?
Ideas for helping ALL students deeply learn mathematics?

You're in the right place!
The 2011 MCTM Annual Conference will be held again at Dakota HS in Macomb, Michigan. You can plan to learn more about the Common Core State Standards, the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, teacher evaluation and the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice, and more!

The pre-conference institutes will be held on Tuesday, August 2, and Wednesday, August 3, 2011 (morning only on Wednesday) and the conference will be held full days on Wednesday, August 3, and Thursday, August 4, 2011.

This year, there are a ton of incentives for first-timers and for bringing along a colleague. Come join fellow math educators to learn more about

• Common Core State Standards for Math
• STEM
• Supporting students struggling in Mathematics: Special Ed and RtI

Check out the schedule, learn more, and register to attend at the 2011 MCTM Conference Information page.

See you there!

GeoGebra Training for Secondary Teachers

GeoGebra is a FREE, dynamic mathematics software that joins geometry, algebra, tables, graphing, statistics and calculus into one easy-to-use package. It has received several educational software awards in Europe and the USA.

June 21, 2011: Algebraic Applications
June 22, 2011: Geometric Applications
Cost: $20 for one day, $30 for both days
Location: C-1-130 Mackinac Hall, GVSU Allendale Campus
Registration: To register, print and complete this brochure.

Grand Valley State University is offering two one-day workshops on the free dynamic software, GeoGebra. Each day the participants will learn to use the dynamic software and find resources for using it in the classroom. The focus for Tuesday, June 21, 2011 will be Algebraic applications; and the focus for Wednesday, June 22, 2011 will be Geometric applications. Additionally, participants will explore how dynamic representation deepens students’ understanding. They
will be introduced to the GeoGebra wiki, which has example lesson plans and resources for GeoGebra users to explore and use. After the introduction to GeoGebra and individual exploration, each participant will work on an activity of their choice with instructors present for support.
For an introduction to GeoGebra, visit www.bit.ly/GGBmh, authored by John Golden.

Illuminations Writing Group & Summer Institute

Apply for the Illuminations Writing Group & Summer Institute, a great opportunity for all teachers grades preK–12! The Illuminations Writing Group is an online opportunity to learn from your peers, grow through professional development, and contribute to Illuminations by developing resources.

Background

Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Illuminations Writing Group & Summer Institute. All participants will have the opportunity to learn from their peers, grow through professional development, and contribute to the Illuminations library. These are two distinct opportunities for teachers. Teachers of grades 6–12 are eligible for the Illuminations Writing Group (IWG). Teachers of grades preK–6 are eligible for the Illuminations Writing Group & Summer Institute (IWGSI), which includes both IWG and the Illuminations Summer Institute.

Apply Now for the Summer 2011 Teacher Academy

Founded in 2005 by the ExxonMobil Foundation and professional golfer Phil Mickelson, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy provides third- through fifth-grade teachers a one-week all-expenses-paid intensive professional development program designed to give them the knowledge and hands-on skills they need to inspire their students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. More than 2,600 U.S. grade-school teachers have attended the Academy since it was founded. The 2011 Academy will take place at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. To learn more about the Academy and to apply online for the program, visit www.sendmyteacher.com. The application deadline is October 31, 2010.
A panel of teachers from the NSTA and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will review the applications and select the 100 teachers who will attend the summer 2011 Academy.
For those who attend, it's an experience they'll never forget. From learning fun, hands-on activities and proven classroom management strategies to networking with other teachers from around the United States, the program prepares them to ignite student passion for math and science. Teachers return to their schools energized, eager to implement the ideas they've learned in their classrooms, and enthusiastic about sharing best practices with their colleagues.