Changing the Course of High School Mathematics Classrooms: More than One Teacher at a Time

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Changing the Course of High School Mathematics
Classrooms More than One Teacher at a Time

• Mary Mooney
• Laura Maly
• Mathematics Teaching Specialists, Milwaukee
  Public Schools
• www.mmp.uwm.edu

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In this session participants will

• Examine the system of support a large urban
  school district is using in order to improve
  teaching and learning in high school mathematics.
• Consider implementation strategies for advancing
  classroom instruction, improving content
  knowledge, and deepening understanding of a
  discovery approach.

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Distributed Leadership
Mathematics Framework
Student Learning Continuum
Teacher Learning Continuum
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How it all began

• Textbook Selection Committee for 9th and 10th
  grade
• Rubric
• Wisconsin Standards
• District Learning Targets
• Additional Resources
• Comprehensive Math Framework

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Comprehensive Mathematics Framework
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Put your student hat on

• Describe as many ways as you can to multiply 34
  by 34.

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Laying the Groundwork Partnering with Key
Curriculum Press

• Curriculum Pacing Guides
• Discovering Algebra
• Discovering Geometry
• Train the Trainer
• Moodle
• UWM Credit Option

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And theyre off
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We had in place

• Algebra and Geometry Labs
• All day PD sessions designed to familiarize
  teachers with the content and pedagogy of the
  Discovering Series
• MPS and UWM collaborative session
• Any teacher could attend
• Math Teacher Leader meetings
• All day PD for MTLs involving content,
  assessment and leadership pieces

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In December, we got snowed

• It snoweda lot
• Wind, snow, and cold, cold temps
• Publisher visits (from Texas)
• Three days of classroom visits
• Lessons learned

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How do we dig ourselves out?

• Mandatory PD for all high school MTLs
• PD offered to all Administrators
• Classroom Visit Template

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Classroom Visit Template

• Designed with MTLs in mind
• Communication tool to use with teachers
•  Data collection to help design meaningful PD
  based on teacher needs

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Students are Teachers are
Engaging in the exploration or investigation Using investigation
Gathering, organizing, and analyzing data Using technology
Using technology tools Employing cooperative learning
Sharing with their groups Moving among groups
Sharing results with the class Asking reflective questions
Asking pertinent questions Prompting and redirecting
Making conjectures Asking inquiry-type questions
Testing conjectures Highlighting mathematical content objectives
Analyzing results Offering encouragement
Explaining reasoning Using ample wait time
Justifying conclusions Informally assessing
Modifying instruction
Highlighting appropriate vocabulary

On target with curriculum pacing guide
Using CABS
Using resources from district-selected Discovering Mathematics
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Working with Resistors

• MTL request for PD on everything
• Really?

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Making Coherence

• Fidelity with Discovering Mathematics Program
• MMP Learning Team Continuum
• MPS School Improvement Plan(SIP)

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Stage 1 Learning Targets Stage 2 Alignment of State Framework Math Program Stage 3 Common Classroom Assessments Stage 4 Student Work on CABS Stage 5 Descriptive Feedback on CABS
Understand importance of identifying and articulating big ideas in mathematics to bring consistency to a schools math program. Develop meaning for the math embedded in the targets and alignment to state standards and descriptors and to the schools math program. Provide a measure of consistency of student learning based on standards/descriptors and targets. Examine student work to monitor achievement and progress toward the targets and descriptors. Use student work to inform instructional decisions, and to provide students with appropriate descriptive feedback.
School Professional Work  Teachers develop an awareness of district learning targets for each mathematics strand.  Teachers discuss what each learning target means and can articulate the math learning goals students are to reach.  Teachers examine the development of mathematical ideas across grade levels. School Professional Work  Teachers examine alignment of state descriptors to targets.  Teachers identify the depth of knowledge in the descriptors.  Teachers study how the mathematical ideas in the descriptors are developed in the schools math program.  For each lesson, teachers inform students of the math learning goals in terms that students understand. School Professional Work  Teachers select and study common CABS that will be used within a grade level.  Teachers identify math expectations of students assessed through the CABS.  Teachers identify potential student misconceptions revealed through the CABS.  Learning Team and teachers examine student WKCE and Benchmark Assessment data to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses for focusing teaching and learning. School Professional Work  Teachers collaborate in grade-level meetings to discuss student work and implications for classroom practice.  Teachers meet in cross grade-level meetings to discuss common expectations of student math learning and implications for school practice.  Learning Team monitors and discusses student learning on CABS results from across the school, shares observations with staff, and uses data for Educational Plan. School Professional Work  Teachers collaborate to write students descriptive feedback on Benchmark Assessments and on common CABS from the curriculum guides.  Students use descriptive feedback to revise their work and improve learning.  Teachers use descriptive feedback to continuously adjust and differentiate instruction.  Learning Team monitors the successes and challenges of writing descriptive feedback and identifies professional learning needs of teachers.
Tools Grade level lists of 9-11 big ideas per grade (the targets) Horizontal list of targets by content across grades Tools Target-descriptor alignment worksheets WKCE Depths of Knowledge Framework Curriculum Guides Tools Curriculum Guides District Model CABS Depths of Knowledge worksheet CABS Assessment Overview worksheet WKCE and Benchmarks student data Tools MMP Protocol for Analysis of Student Work DVD of MMP Protocol CABS Class Summary Report form School Educational Plan Tools Types of Feedback sheet Descriptive feedback worksheets CABS Class Feedback Summary worksheet
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What to do with all that snow?

• What does it look like?
• How do we package it?
• How do we market it?

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Talk a Mile a Minute

• CONSTANT
• PRODUCT
• TERM
• QUADRATIC EQUATION 
• TRINOMIAL

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Talk a Mile a Minute

• BINOMIAL
•  
• EXPRESSION
•    
• VARIABLES
•  
• POLYNOMIAL
• SQUARED

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Sharing Learning Intentions

• We are learning to use a rectangle diagram to
  model multiplication.
• We know we are successful when we can recognize
  and use properties of a perfect square.

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• children are more motivated and task oriented
  if they know the learning intention of the task,
  but they are also able to make better decisions
  about how to go about the task.
• Shirley Clark, 2001

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Back to the Mathematics

• What is the area of each of the inner rectangles?
• What is the sum of the rectangular areas?
• What is the area of the overall square?
• What conclusions can you make?

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Just Do It!

• Draw a rectangle diagram for each expression.
  Combine any like terms and express as a
  trinomial.
• a. (x5)2
• b. (x-3)2

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Lets Undo!

• Make a rectangle diagram for each expression.
  How did you decide on the dimensions?
• a. x2 14x 49
• b. x2 - 18x 81

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Perfect Squares

• Which of these trinomials are perfect squares?
  How do you know?
• a. x2 14x 49
• b. x2 - 18x 81
• c. x2 20x 25
• d. x2 - 12x - 36

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Questioning Cognitive Demand

• Tasks that require students to perform a
  memorized procedure in a routine manner lead to
  one type of opportunity for student thinking
  tasks that demand engagement with concepts and
  that stimulate students to make purposeful
  connections to meaning or relevant mathematical
  ideas lead to a different set of opportunities
  for student thinking. (Stein et al., 2009)

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Check for Understanding

• We are learning to use a rectangle diagram to
  model multiplication.
• We know we are successful when we can recognize
  and use properties of a perfect square.

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Check for Understanding

• Examine the system of support a large urban
  school district is using in order to improve
  teaching and learning in high school mathematics.
• Consider implementation strategies for advancing
  classroom instruction, improving content
  knowledge, and deepening understanding of a
  discovery approach.

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Looking Back and Looking Forward

• Changes weve made
• Teacher-driven PD sessions
• Collaborative lesson planning
• Changes we want to make
• Meaningful and timely follow-up after PD
• More explicit support for professionals who
  support math classrooms

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Quotes from Lab Participants

• Labs refresh my motivation to be creative and
  to create higher level thinking activities and
  lesson plans that are interesting and engaging.
  They have helped me be a better teacher! I now
  know and have experienced the potential of a
  classroom environment.

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Quotes from Lab Participants

• Labs have given me different ways of
  approaching lessons, connections with fellow
  colleagues (sharing lesson plans, ideas, etc.),
  and a chance to actually do the lesson plans
  prior to the students. Gives me good insights!

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Personal Reflections
An idea that squares with my beliefs. . .
A point I would like to make. . .
A question or concern going around in my head. . .
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Resources

• Black, P., Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black
  box Raising standards through assessment. Phi
  Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148.
• Brookhart, S.M., (2007). Feedback that fits.
  Educational Leadership, 65(4), 54-59.
• Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking formative
  assessment Practical strategies for enhancing
  pupils learning in the primary classroom.
  Abingdon, UK Bookpoint LTD.
• Stein et al. (2009). Implementing
  Standards-Based Mathematics Instruction.
  Columbia University Teachers College Press.
• Stiggins, R.J., Arter, J., Chappuis, J.,
  Chappuis, S. (2005). Assessment for learning An
  action guide for school leaders. Portland, OR
  Assessment Training Institute.
• Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding
  by design. Alexandria, VA Association for
  Supervision and Curriculum Development.

The Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP), an
initiative of the Milwaukee Partnership Academy
(MPA), is supported with funding from the
National Science Foundation
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Thank you.
www.mmp.uwm.edu
Mary Mooney mooneyme_at_milwaukee.k12.wi.us Laura
Maly guzmanlm_at_milwaukee.k12.wi.us
The Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP), an
initiative of the Milwaukee Partnership Academy
(MPA), is supported with funding from the
National Science Foundation