MassMATE 2012 Conference
May 23, 2012
at Bridgewater State University

Teacher Leaders Making it Happen:
Bringing the Guiding Principles and Standards for
Mathematical Practice into Mathematics Classrooms

The 2012 MassMATE Symposium was a resounding success with over 260 attendees!
As teacher educators, professional development providers, district math specialists, and consultants, our members are regularly involved in supporting teachers as they work to bring the Common Core State Standards alive in their classrooms and with their students. Through the symposium we will explore strategies and resources for supporting our teachers' work and recognizing excellence in the classrooms.
We thank everyone who worked hard to make it happen!
Talk descriptions and useful links provided by the presenters are below. We would like to express our special gratitude to the authors of the best custom writing service https://bestwritingservice.com/, who were able to quickly and qualitatively prepare all methodical materials. Next time, in such an effective team, we will make new information booklets that are necessary for holding any conference, especially of an international level. It is important to trust only true professionals when organizing such events.

Keynote Speaker:
Steve Leinwand
American Institutes for Research
& Past President of National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM)

The Common Core State Standards For Mathematics: Hopes, Fears And Challenges As We Enter This Brave New World
This up-beat, fast-paced, example-laden presentation will overview the significant hopes and potential benefits of the broad implementation of the exciting new Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.В  We'll examine a range of fears about these standards becoming just another short-term fad and address a number of key challenges we all face as we enter an unprecedented era of common, higher-quality mathematics standards.

Life Legeros
Mass Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Patty Emmons
Bridgewater State University

Making Sense Through Saturation: The Standards For Mathematical Practice As The Marinade Of Mathematics Teaching And Learning (PreK - 5)
This session will look at the importance to professional developers, teacher educators, teachers, and ultimately students of infusing the Standards for Mathematical Practice (MPs) throughout mathematics teaching and learning. We will do a math task together and reflect on how the task provides opportunities to engage with one of the MPs and then share some resources that help engage with the MPs.

Juliana Belding
Harvard University

Making Sense Of The Standards For Mathematical Practice (Grades 6 - 8)
Many teachers want or need experience identifying and articulating the Standards for Mathematical Practice in the context of their own mathematical investigations before they can implement them effectively with their students. In this session, we'll open with an activity designed to provide teachers with such an experience. We’ll then focus on practices 1-3 and 6-8, unpacking the paragraph which follows each and looking for evidence of these practices in our own work and in samples of middle and high school teachers' work on this activity. We’ll conclude by talking about how the practices relate to each other and to those with which teachers may already be familiar (such as the NCTM process standards). The end goal is to better make sense of and articulate the practices with fellow teachers and ultimately students.

Bowen Kerins
Education Development Center

Helping Teachers Transition To
The New Standards For Mathematical Practice
(Grades 9 - 12)
At first glance, the Standards for Mathematical Practice appear to add to the breadth of material that students and teachers will need to cover in high school. The reality is that these standards can and should be the center of a coherent curriculum. This talk will look at these 8 important standards, exploring ways to make bread-and-butter high school topics simpler to teach, with the Practices forming the common thread between very different topics.

Mary Elizabeth Matthews
Boston University

Recognizing Effective Implementation Of Standards For Mathematical Practice: Task Choice, Classroom Practices, And Teacher Questions (Grades 9 - 12)
This session will connect the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) to the cognitive demands of classroom tasks and teacher practices during task implementation, in particular teacher questioning. We will discuss types of questions that are associated with SMPs and strategies to notice those questions in the classroom. We will combine understanding task demands with attending to teacher practices as a valid way to determine if SMPs are being used and if they are being used effectively.

Dona Apple
Mathematics Education Consulting

Helping Teachers Transition To The New Standards For Mathematical Practice
(Grades PreK - 5)
Increasing pedagogical content knowledge and facilitating rich student discourse are two powerful ways to help teachers transition to the new Standards for Mathematical Practice. This presentation will focus on 3 often overlooked and equally powerful ways that teachers can be supported in this transition: analysis of student's written work, analysis of coherent content, and task analysis and writing.

Nancy Anderson
Boston University

Helping Teachers Transition To The Standards For Mathematical Practice (Grades 6 - 8)
This session will focus on the third practice standard, "Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others." Participants will learn about specific strategies that teacher leaders can use to help classroom teachers implement this practice in their classrooms. Video clips from actual classrooms and sample tasks that support the productive use of math talk will also be provided and discussed.

Kevin Andriolo
Lowell Public Schools
Rachel Slipp
Lowell Public Schools

Developing Habits To Support The Standards For Mathematical Practice (Grades PreK - 5)
Teachers at the Murkland Elementary School engage in professional development to build habits that are supported by the Mathematical Practice.  During this session, participants will observe teachers weaving practices into daily lessons as part of the school’s habit-building culture.  The evidence of Mathematical Practices will be seen through student output, student discourse, and the use of problem structures.  Links between these habits and the Mathematical Practices will be explored. 

Recognizing Effective Implementation Of Standards (Grades 6 - 8)
Participants will explore the intent of the common core standards and how, if they are implemented as intended, they might look in the classroom. We will explore the inclusion of the mathematical practices and how they, together with formative assessment strategies, will change the way in which teachers engage students in learning the mathematics content standards.

Supporting And Recognizing Strategic Use Of Technology In The Classroom (Grades 6 - 12)
This session will be an interactive exchange of ideas of the role of technology in the high school and middle school mathematics classroom.

Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching:
Helping Teachers Develop Meaningful Transitions From Arithmetic To Algebraic Reasoning (Grades 3 - 12)
The transition from arithmetic to algebra requires a fundamental change from purely numerical thinking in numbers and operations, from arithmetic conventions and arithmetic abstractions to a much more sophisticated analytical thinking about generalizing patterns, functional relationship and algebraic abstractions. This transition represents a significant cognitive obstacle that students encounter when symbolizing word problems, solving equations and inequalities. Some of the learning difficulties related to algebra, can be ascribed to substantial differences between the languages customary used in arithmetic and algebra.

Ivy Le
EVIRX -- Evidence, Interpretation, Solutions

Video Reflection 2.0: How Video Analysis Tools Differ From Video And Reflection Papers Or Even In-Class Observation
This year, teacher quality is dominating the national conversation, and math teachers have more to teach without necessarily more support. What if your pre-service teachers had the resources to show you exactly what's happening in their classrooms and get your help? We'll give a brief presentation clarifying the difference between video analysis tools versus traditional video reflection and even video portfolios, recently mandated in several states. Then, we'll open the floor to discuss your institution's particular questions.

A Presentation Is Like A Gift Because ...
(Grades 6 - 12)
Participants will examine the role of the coach as an agent for change in the practice of teaching, a presenter of professional development, and an engager of adult learners.В  Coaches provide opportunities, facilitate, mentor, observe, manage and encourage.В  Prepare to participate in a coaching skills action lab designed to establish appreciation of the multi-faceted position, share experiences and knowledge, demonstrate the qualities, traits and behaviors of a communicator and explore coaching techniques.

Advanced Algebra With Financial Applications -
A 3rd/4th Year High School Math Course Using "Financial Algebra (Grades 11 - 12)
Many schools are looking for an algebra-based and applications-rich 3rd/4th year math course suitable for all students that is aligned with the Common Core Standards. This presentation will engage participants in exploring the "Financial Algebra Experience" in a quantitative financial literacy Advanced Algebra course. Financial Algebra has Algebra 1 as a prerequisite and covers selected topics in Algebra 2, Precalculus, Statistics and Probability in the contexts of investing, savings, credit, employment, taxes, independent living, automobile ownership, retirement planning, and budgeting. Complementary textbooks will be distributed.

Influences Of Singapore On The Common Core
(Grades PreK - 5)
In the Common Core Standards we see the influence of high performing countries in mathematics. The Standards state that the mathematics curriculum in the U.S. must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country. ВќWhat ideas from the math textbooks of Singapore can be found in the Common Core? School leaders, professors and professional development providers will have an opportunity to see what we can learn from this high performing country. The standards for mathematical practice and the use of bar or tape diagrams will be addressed.

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice in the Elementary Classroom
(Grades PreK - 5)
What do the Standards for Mathematical Practice look like in our elementary classrooms? How can we help our primary and intermediate teachers understand what it means to "make sense of problems and persevere in solving them?" What does "reason abstractly and quantitatively" mean to a fourth grader? Do third grade students "look for and make use of structure?" Explore these questions, and find real answers!