2013-2014 Mathematics Workshops

Date: A Three Day Summer Program offered in two Sections:
Section 1: June 24-26, 2014
Section 2: August 5-7, 2014
Presenter: Deborah Ives
Fee: $495

The first two days of the program focus on instructional strategies in algebra (that is, key areas in CCSS Algebra and Functions) and the third day focuses on assessment in algebra, although both instruction and assessment are discussed on all three days.  More specifically, the focus of the three days are:

• Day 1:  Instructional Strategies for Teaching Algebraic Concepts and Math Practices
• Day 2:  Instructional Strategies for Teaching ALL Learners
• Day 3:  Strategies for Assessment: Important Transitions to PARCC

Geometer’s Sketchpad for Middle School Teachers

Date: Monday, January 13, 2014 (Code: W-01-13-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Anita Schuloff
Audience: Grade 6-8 Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors

This workshop will be useful for middle school teachers who would appreciate a clever and interesting way to teach the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Geometer’s Sketchpad is a powerful program that will delight and involve your students with its colorful graphics, ability to present geometric shapes and coordinate axes for algebraic topics and for its wonderful animation property. You will learn the basic keystrokes and menu functions so that you can start using Sketchpad as soon as you get back to your classroom. Please bring your laptop (with mouse) with you to the workshop so that you can start using this powerful program right away.

Grades 3-6 Common Core Content and Practices: What's Up with Fractions?!

Date: Monday, January 6, 2014 (Code: W-01-06-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Deborah Ives, Assistant Professor, Montclair State University
Audience: Grade 3-6 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

Participants will engage in an across-the-grades look at the CCSS Domain of “Number and Operations – Fractions” that will include changes from prior NJ Standards.  Ready-to-use, hands-on lessons and instructional strategies, differentiation and accommodations, and the use of multiple assessment and questioning techniques will be emphasized.

Grades 5-8 Common Core Content and Practices: Look at What's New!

Date: Thursday, January 9, 2014 (Code: W-01-09-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Deborah Ives, Assistant Professor, Montclair State University
Audience: Grade 5-8 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

Come and participate in active learning about the CCSS middle grades math, with a focus on an across-the-grades look during a hands-on session.  Using a balanced approach for all students, a link between Instructional Strategies, Grade Level Curriculum Expectations and Assessment will be addressed using online simulations, performance tasks, and real world applications.

How Do I Use All This Data?

Date: Friday, December 6, 2013 (Code: W-12-06-13)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: June Kelley
Audience: Grade 6-8 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

Numbers, polls, statistics, results, predictions… Everywhere we go, we are bombarded with data. What is the best way to use this data? How can we teach our students to use and organize this data? Learn hands-on and practical ways to optimize and to integrate the information we are given in the curriculum core standards to help students reach their potential.

Inspiring K-8 Students to Love Math

Date: Friday, February 7, 2014 (Code: W-02-07-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: June Kelley
Audience: Grade K-8 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

Do you hear groans when math is mentioned? Do your students seem to have ALL been absent the day you taught certain lessons? We’ve all experienced this lack of attention, enthusiasm, and dismay, but it does not have to be this way. This workshop focuses on ways to bring back the natural fun and wonder of math. Not only will your students enjoy mathematics, they will have more success with the strategies learned and used in this workshop.

Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013 (Code: W-12-05-13)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Deborah Ives, Assistant Professor, Montclair University
Audience: Grade 7-10 Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors

Come learn the new CCSS by engaging in a hands-on look at lessons and performance tasks with instructional strategies that focus on algebraic reasoning and sense making for middle and high school students.  Real world applications, including Hip Hop Music, Fashion Design, Videogaming, Special Effects, Restaurants, and Basketball will be provided through PBS/WNET fully-funded and Emmy Nominated multimedia resources that help students and teachers meet the new Common Core State Standards and Assessment expectations.

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2013 (Code: W-11-21-13)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Robin Schwartz, Adjunct Prof, College of Mt St Vincent; Founder, Math Confidence
Audience: Grade 6-12 Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors

Asking questions such as “Is that your final answer?”, “How do you know?”  and “Easy, Medium, Hard?” encourages students to increase their self-awareness along with their math confidence, performance, and comprehension.  This workshop will include CCSS Standards especially #1 (make sense of problems and persevere in solving them) and #6 (attend to precision).  We will design and demo inquiries using PARCC samples and other released items to inspire classroom dialogue, lesson plans and student learning.

Date: Monday, January 27, 2014 (Code: W-01-27-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Angelo DeMattia, Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement (RIISA) Consultant
Audience: Grades 8-12 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

Mathematics is about ideas and not just juggling numbers and letters.  Statistics should pursue that same intent.  This workshop will allow teachers and students to shift the typical emphasis from following number recipes to a focus on statistical concepts.  The bridge to those concepts will use real data, experiments, and simulations.  The embedded ideas will be explained – with pictures and words.  Ample hands-on lessons and activities will highlight the process that helps students attain a higher level of achievement on NJASK and other related assessments and helps teachers experience a new connection to the Common Core Standards.  Appropriate technology and software also will be used. Bring your graphing calculator!

Math & Technology: Perfect Together – Integrating the New Standards Using Technology, Grades 6-8

Date: Monday, February 10, 2014 (Code: W-02-10-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: June Kelley
Audience: Grade 6-8 Mathematics Teachers and Supervisors

There is more to technology than video games. When students are challenged to use mathematics in meaningful ways, they develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills and come to realize the potential usefulness of mathematics in their lives. Integrating technology and mathematics in the classroom is important when trying to provide students with experiences that promotes 21st century learning. This workshop is a hands-on, interactive workshop that will provide participants with activities to use immediately in their classrooms. This workshop is geared to the standards set for middle school students in the new core curriculum standards.

Strategies to Prepare Special Education Students for the State's High School Math Assessments

Date: Friday, November 22, 2013 (Code: W-11-22-13)
also given on Friday, January 24, 2014 (Code: W-01-24-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Karen Egan
Audience: Grade 8-12 Mathematics Teachers, High School Special Education Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors

Special education teachers sometimes are faced with enormous challenges when it comes to preparing their special needs students for the mathematics portion of the state assessments. This workshop presents ideas to help your students boost their performance on these assessments. Participants will learn strategies to make students comfortable with the vocabulary on the tests and increase their critical thinking skills through the use of open-ended questions. Activities will include differentiated instruction, cooperative games, and using a variety of manipulatives. Participants will take home a packet of all the workshop’s activities, as well as sample lessons that can be implemented immediately in their own classrooms.

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013 (Code: W-12-12-13)
also given Thursday, February 6, 2014 (Code: W-02-06-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Angelo DeMattia, Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement (RIISA) Consultant
Audience: Grade 6-10 Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors, Special Education Teachers

Too few students can demonstrate a deep conceptual understanding of algebraic relationships. This workshop will help teachers develop a more visually based lesson format. This will help students – including SE & ELL – make an effective transition from the concrete/visual to the abstract. The emphasis will be on applying the PAW process: P is for Pictures, A is for Algebra, and W is for words.  Ample hands-on lessons will highlight the process that helps students attain a higher level of achievement on NJASK and Algebra Assessments and helps teachers experience a new connection to the Common Core Standards.

Date: Friday, January 31, 2014 (Code: W-01-31-14)
also given on Thursday, February 20, 2014 (Code: W-02-20-14)
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Presenter: Angelo DeMattia, Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement (RIISA) Consultant
Audience: Grade 6-10 Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Supervisors, Special Education Teachers

Too few students attain a deep conceptual understanding of geometric relationships.
This workshop will help teachers understand this difficulty and develop a more visually based lesson format. This will help students, including SE & ELL – make an effective transition from the concrete/visual to the abstract. The emphasis will be on applying the PAW process: P is for Pictures, A is for Abstract, and W is for words. Ample hands-on lessons will highlight the process that helps students attain a higher level of achievement on future NJASK and Geometry Assessments and helps teachers experience the new connection to the Common Core Standards.