Mathematics

New this Month

The push to get students to the Calculus finish line can seem overwhelming and unnecessary. But the reasoning behind it has to do with the college admissions process. In this article from the Hechinger Report, we examine the possibility that calculus is an addiction that college admissions officers can’t shake.

Community colleges are grappling with math placement for students who choose STEM majors. AB 1705, which requires placement for these students into a calculus course, has been criticized and community colleges may be starting to devise a different plan. Read more about the community college STEM math placement rules in this article from EdSource. 

PAST READS

Students in a San Francisco school district were given the opportunity to avoid remedial math classes in high school and to take algebra with their peers - and most of them excelled!  Read about this innovative take on detracking high school math from the Hechinger Report.

Math is its own language.  So how do we support students in developing understanding about this language? Education Week looks at this challenge while also sharing some of the learning around math language development from the NCTM conference in Chicago.

What should the priorities be in math class? Ben Orlin, the author of Math with Bad Drawings, thinks that math class should be "welcoming and challenging." This article from the Hechinger Reporter outlines why this should be true from Kindergarten through Calculus.

“When am I ever going to use this?” - such a common question in math classrooms.  But community colleges in Oregon are designing math courses aligned to the careers that students are interested in pursuing.  Using real world applications, students in these courses learn how math will be used in their jobs daily.

Studies have shown that students who can decipher word problems excel in math, including more advanced math.  However, the variety of skills a student must have to be successful at solving word problems is extensive and can seem daunting.  Schools in Rhode Island are tackling word problems head on by focusing on the schema of the word problems and they are finding success.

Looking for ways to engage students in math? This article from the 74 suggests that ethnomathematics might be the answer, having evolved into “one of several efforts to create more engaging and inclusive math classrooms, particularly for Black, Hispanic and Indigenous students”.

Why is cobbling together instructional materials a bad idea? The Hechinger Report shares a study by local San Diego State University faculty member Bill Zahner on the frequency of the DIY approach to instructional materials and the implications on instruction.

Jose Vilson is interviewed in this Edutopia piece, Math is a Civil Right, and reminding us that “There is nothing soft about trying to create community. It is actually hard to diagnose what is going on with a student who is not connecting with math.”

The Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative shares From Sunflower to Friendship: Four Meaningful Math Books on Measurement. If you’re looking to add to your collection of mathy books or a new way to engage your young learners in measurement, check out the listing for a review of four books to consider.

Education Week reports that “NCTM is among the first teaching organizations to take an official position on AI” with their recent position statement on Artificial Intelligence. Both point out that math educators have made adjustments to teaching before due to technological advances, and the position paper lays out ideas for further consideration.

Data science is back in the news in California as the UC debates its place in a robust high school transcript, along with a thoughtful piece from the Hechinger Report, Data Science Under Fire: What math do high schoolers really need?

Early math intervention gains traction, as Sarah Schwartz describes in this piece from Education Week, Schools Prioritize Reading Intervention, but what about math? One researcher describes early math screening tools and states, “The goal of screening should be to connect kids with these supports, rather than to label them as permanently “behind.”

MathHappens latest blog, Curve Stitching Parabolas, by Christopher Danielson shares the math underpinnings of how straight lines become curves and the connections to string art.

Students See Value in Math Class. But Many Also Find it Boring. The latest news from Education Week may be a turn from previous opinions, showing that students believe that they could be good at math if they worked hard at it even in spite of a growing disinterest in the content.

Education Week’s Sarah Schwartz writes about 6 Components of Effective Math Games, a new project from the mathematics team at WestEd. Looking ahead, the team plans to “measure games’ effect on students’ test scores and math confidence” - which could be a game changer for what math classes look like everywhere.

A post from Marilyn Burns on the difference between a number talk and a lesson offers a thoughtful reflection on the value of number talks as well as how to differentiate between the two structures and purposes.

The 74 shares the results of polling the top 20 schools about their requirements and found that even as Caltech drops Calculus requirement, other colleges continue to expect hard-to-find course.

From Edutopia, Steven Goldman and Maggie Rosenbaum share The Power of One Good Math Question in engaging elementary students in critical thinking in math class.

Jenna Laib shares about that time I couldn’t hear and her learning about (dis)ability and accessibility in math class. Full of resources and ideas, this is one post worth rereading and considering how we create accessible environments for all of our students:  “I remember how my deaf ASL teacher in high school told me that it’s not that he was longing to hear so much that he was longing for an accessible environment.”

The Conversation offers a new look at dual enrollment and the benefits of providing access to college courses for high school students, with one caution - be mindful of persistent equity gaps in access.

Freakonomics author, Steven Levitt states ‘Objections to data science in K-12 education make no sense’ in his latest Fortune article.

Drs. María del Rosario Zavala and Julia Aguirre have just released their compilation Cultivating Mathematical Hearts. Focused on elementary classrooms experiences, this text offers an in depth look at the framework for culturally responsive mathematics teaching in order to transform your students’ experiences.

Desmos has done it again, surprising the math tech community with their beautiful new 3-D tool. Read about their new launch and then start creating!

The Math Revolution You Haven’t Heard About shares a unique rethinking of calculus upon a realization that the way calculus is being taught “is serving no one,” and a desire to “yank calculus instruction into the 21st century”. From college and university faculty on both coasts, this collaborative work shows promise in helping students broaden their definition of math and see themselves as mathematicians.

From Betina Hsieh, A Matter of Respect looks at current research why teachers are leaving the profession, and provides three ways to make and communicate respect. The ideas Hsieh shares to “humaniz[e] workplaces that respect educators' identities, perspectives, and professionalism” come from current investigations and listening campaigns.

As students return to school you might notice an uptick in "I'm bad at math" sentiments, both at home and in class. It’s taken me a while to learn there are things we can do to change the narrative. Check out Rewriting the Story of Math: Tips for Changing Negative Math Mindsets and consider sharing with colleagues other ideas for changing the narrative.

If you’re looking to support others in unlearning the “learning styles” myth, you may find Edutopia’s  Common Myths About Learning to have valuable insights. Be sure to stick around, though, for the other two myths and how teachers can rethink testing and memory.

If you’re looking for inspiration to think outside the box on math education, you don’t want to miss the latest from the 74 in From Bus Stops to Laundromats, Cities Embrace Play to Help Kids Learn. Somewhat reminiscent of Public Math and PlayMath efforts, there is an abundance of opportunity if we rethink where learning takes place and how playful learning can be.

Curious about early and off-list math instructional materials adoption given the recent 2023 California Math Framework adoption? Dive into the two blogs from California Curriculum Collaborative to learn more about adopting now versus waiting for the approval of new materials.
 

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

NCTM has many grant opportunities to explore different professional learning opportunities that include lesson design, supporting multilingual learners, becoming a teacher leader, and cross-curricular lesson design, to name a few.  Many of these opportunities will continue to accept applications into the spring of 2025.

California Math Council

California Math Council offers multiple grants and scholarships for teachers. If you attended the conference last November in Palm Springs, you’re a member and eligible to apply. Check out the classroom materials grant and personal inservice grant for classroom teachers.

SDG&E and DonorsChoose

SDG&E is providing $250,000 in shareholder funds as matching dollars to help teachers supplement classroom learning with STEM projects, as well as racial equity and inclusion education, through DonorsChoose.

Toshiba Grants for Grades 6-12 

Grants to sixth through twelfth grade teachers at public schools to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning. Funding is intended to increase student success rates in STEM fields by introducing creative project-based learning experiences that will make STEM instruction innovative and fun.  

GSDMC grant opportunities

Grants from GSDMC are available to local educators and awarded on a rolling basis to support teachers during the pandemic. From integrating technology to providing manipulatives and supporting access and equity for all students, GSDMC has a grant or scholarship for you.

Gravely & Paige Grants for STEM Teachers

Grants up to $2,000 for elementary and middle school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers to promote STEM innovation in classrooms, with an emphasis on academic programs.