ICTM Newsletter for February 2023

February's newsletter is packed with opportunities, updates, and free PD!

Celebrate Black History Month

Check out these resources and teach your students about great black mathematicians such as Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890–1980), Katherine Johnson (1918 – 2020), Dr. Gladys West (1930), and Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. (1923-2011).

Get In with NCTM

  1. Are you an NCTM Member? Check out one of NCTM's free webinars. Your NCTM membership includes exclusive access to 100+ hours of on-demand professional development! NCTM Member-Only Webinars are delivered by experts in mathematics education, including NCTM authors.

  2. Check out the five (free!) webinars from NCTM Professional Development on Success Stories from Catalyzing Change. 

  3. On February 22, Dr. Tim Chartier presents March MATHness For Your Classroom, an NCTM Members-Only event, where you’ll learn how to engage your students in math decisions with a low floor and high ceiling —from math modeling to computer programming. Come and learn how mathematics can help tame the madness!

  4. Get ready for March Mathness! March offers up big entertainment, from award shows to basketball, all while welcoming us into spring. Check out ways to up your game with professional development, collaborate with your colleagues, celebrate Pi Day in your classroom, and keep the math going with themed activities all month long!

  5. Finally, don't forget to mark your calendar for the 2023 NCTM Virtual Conference (March 29 - April 1):  Amplify & Activate: In and Beyond the Classroom.

New Data Science Lessons

In partnership with Women in Data Science (WiDS) Next Gen, Jo Boaler's youcubed has launched four new lessons that are available for free. They can be found on the Data Big Ideas page for grades 8-10, and three of them are also suitable for grades 6-7.  These lessons were developed with WiDS and aim to inspire secondary school students to consider careers involving data science, AI, and related fields. Data science is for every student: check out more lessons as well as number talks for kindergarten, grades 1-2, and grades 3-5.

Professional Development Opportunities

  1. With conferences right around the corner, remember that our words matter.  How we speak to and about our students helps set them up for success and ourselves when we teach them.  Check out NCTM President, Kevin Dykema's latest message, "Sticks, Stones, and Labels" where he gives us some short reminders of how to cultivate our students' math identities.

  2. Looking for free math professional learning without leaving your couch?  Check out the Build Math Minds Virtual Summit hosted by Christina Tondevold.  There are 34 various presentations on February 25-26.  Registration is FREE and the replays are available to watch until March 6, so feel free to sign up even if you can't attend live. Tondevold is presenting on division along with other great teachers including Jim Ewing, Peter Liljedahl, Navi Riar, and Dr. Nicki Newton.

    ICTM can help YOU fund a webinar, book study, event, or course. We have a Professional Development grant and we would like to give it to you Check it out here. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply now!
  4. Join the PCMI 2023 Workshop on Rehumanizing Mathematics (July 16-29) and develop your understanding of equity (identity & power issues) in mathematics and rehumanize mathematical experiences for those with whom you engage. In this workshop, you will explore different perspectives/theories, reflect on your own practices, learn from experts in the field who have been altering their practices, and create your own action plans for work you intend to carry out after the workshop ends. Travel support & stipend are available. Check it out!

  5. 3-D Thursdays for Rural Educators  Join hosts Rachael Arens and Michael Guarraia at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate the first Thursday of each month from 7-8 pm CT as they present a webinar series for K-12 rural educators across the nation. The webinars highlight NASA’s assets and connect rural educators to resources, networking, and further professional development opportunities. Visit the NASA Community Page to watch former episodes and reach out to the guests for further resource information!

    6. Did you know that Iowa Virtual Professional Learning offers anytime learning for Iowa license renewal credit?  Check out Foundations of Fractions and Christina Tondevold's Building Math Minds Introduction. Inside this module will be links to the self-paced courses "Building Math Minds: Flexibility Formula for K-2nd" and "Building Math Minds: Flexibility Formula for 3rd-5th Grades".
    1. Are you a Mathematics Coach/Curriculum Director or Leader? Then IA-NCSM is for you: IA-NCSM is the Iowa Affiliate of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics for connecting, learning and leading the Iowa Mathematics Educator community. More details are posted on the website. In the meantime, Join IA-NCSM to stay in the know! 

      Have an Impact on Mathematics Education in Iowa

      We had a great response to the call for volunteers! 19 members signed up to serve on committees for 2023 and help the Executive Board with our goals and all the exciting work to improve the organization. Thank you to everyone that has volunteered. We are very excited to extend the organization's important work to include more members. Members will also have the opportunity to volunteer at the conference next fall. Sign up here!
      Math Community Circles

      Math Community Circles are an opportunity to come together to share and discuss topics of interest to math educators. So far we have had interest in scheduling discussions for Peter Liljedahl's "Building Thinking Classrooms" and implementing Illustrative Mathematics. The dates for each topic are scheduled for Zoom meetings and all are welcome to join. Join us if you want to hear from others that are implementing, if you have questions, or if you would like to meet others and build your own network.

      Go to iowamath.org to sign up for the meeting links. We will email the link the day before the meeting. Contact Angie Shindelar, ICTM President, with any questions at ICTMPres@gmail.com.
       

      What are you Reading?

      ICTM President, Angie Shindelar, is reading Figuring Out Fluency in Mathematics by Jennifer Bay-Williams and John San Giovanni. What does Angie think so far?  "Fluency is such an important part of building a positive identity about learning math in the K-8 years. In fact, I have come to understand fluency as a major access and equity concern. I love how the authors talk about what we really mean by the term fluency, fallacies of fluency, strategies important to develop, and how to assess. I can tell this is going to be a book that I read more than once and highly recommend!" Check out their series of books.

      Who's thinking ICTM Book Study? Stay tuned!

      Invite the Pres to Math Class

      The "Invite the Pres to Math Class" initiative has sent President Angie Shindelar to 21 classrooms across Iowa. The campaign spotlights all the great things happening in Iowa's K-16 math classrooms. Our goal is to visit 55 classrooms in the 2022-2023 school year. Share with us all the great thinking and reasoning happening - highlight your growth as a math teacher and how you are making a difference! Have you signed up yet? Sign up here. 
       

      Websites Worth Your Time (in case you missed them last month)

      1. Check out https://www.earlyfamilymath.org/  - it's a great non-profit promoting early math importance even before kindergarten with fun exploratory ideas. A great resources for PK teachers and parents!

      2. Explore https://mathforlove.com/. Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook, a husband and wife team devoted to transforming how math is taught and learned, have developed great games and activities for parents and teachers. It's also a great resource for professional development and lessons.

      3. Check out California's Early Math Project. Love the "I'm Ready!" video series! https://www.earlymathca.org/

      4. Don't forget to check out Pam Harris's site and learn instantly with a free 4-part series on Developing Math Reasoning: https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/.

      Have you discovered a cool math site or resource lately!! Send us an email, and we will share next month! ICTMPres@gmail.com

      We Want to Hear from You!

      Do you have ideas for future emails, professional development activities, or website and social media posts? We'd love to hear from you; contact us at one of our email addresses or submit an item for social media, the website, or the newsletter here.
       

      This message was sent to you by ICTM
      IowaMath.org

      @iowamathteach!