Overview+Summary+2010-11

Goals:

 * To develop within teachers the capacity to teach mathematics through problem solving within and across schools.
 * To develop leadership capacity in the area of teaching and learning mathematics through problem solving
 * To build a professional learning network – classroom & support teachers, principals, coaches.

Premise:

 * The network is rooted in inquiry and classroom observation of student work.
 * We work from the premise that math is best learned when students are actively engaged in constructing their own understanding by creating classroom environments that provide ALL students with the opportunity to think and be active participants in their own learning as opposed to passive recipients of teachers’ thinking, strategies and models.

Key messages:
What we Did Highlights from the Group Discussions Summary of Teacher Feedback
 * Math is best learned when students are actively engaged in constructing their own understanding. We empower students through the use of open questions that values and validates their thinking process and understanding.
 * Our planning begins with the curriculum.
 * Student work drives our instruction
 * Problems are anything problematic that involves thinking and engagement by students’ (not necessarily a lengthy word problem)
 * All students must be given continued opportunities to use concrete materials
 * The one doing the talking is the one doing the thinking. There are many ‘talk moves’ we can use to engage students in articulating their thinking (accountable talk).
 * Flexibility of thinking (showing thinking in a variety of ways) shows deepened understanding
 * The math textbook can be used in a more meaningful and purposeful way.
 * ====While the instructional framework used in the networks was teaching through problem solving using a 3-part lesson format, the real conversations focused on constructing meaningful understandings, be it through problem solving, investigations or any other activity that gets kids talking, interacting and questioning each other as active participants in their own learning. ==== ||