Well that was fast….

The fall seemed to zip by…I noticed that last year I posted several times on the blog during the fall, and this year–well, you can just see the “Welcome Back” post below!

That being said, I think it means I’ve been working with teachers and students more, which is a great thing.  I’m working on developing number talks as a strong mathematical routine that can help all our students with the curricular competencies in math. I’ve loved visiting some classrooms and getting to know the elementary students.  I am excited by the creativity of our students. Yesterday, when doing a number talk at Forest Grove, a student explained how she mentally visualized the face of a clock to do efficient multiplication by 5’s.  Today at Suncrest, a student cleverly used the answer to the first problem as his starting point for the second problem–an efficient strategy that worked. The goal of number talks is to let students explore and share a variety of strategies so they can see the creativity and flexibility in math, and aren’t held down to a single method for problem solving.  In the New Year, I’m offering “Lunch and Learn” sessions at schools, where I will come and hold a 45 minute mini-workshop on a specific math routine.  January and February will be focused on Number Talks. E-mail me for more info: donna.morgan@burnabyschools.ca

If you are interested in number talks as a routine for your class, some great resources include Dan Meyer’s Math For Love, any book or video by Sherry Parrish, or the book Making Number Talks Matter by Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker.

Curriculum Implementation Day–January 28

There are several offerings available on Curriculum Implementation Day–check the Staff Development Calendar for details and to sign up.  Three that I am involved with are–

Place Based Learning at the Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavillion, 8:30 am – 1: 30 pm; Guest Speakers Dr. Gillian Judson (Walking Curriculum) and Lori Snyder (Metis herbalist). Suitable K-12.

Standards Based Assessment at Burnaby Mountain, 8:30 am – 12 noon. A look at the use of standards based assessment in Secondary Schools.

Math Connections–A session for Intermediate Teachers at Cariboo Secondary–examine how math 6 and 7 tie into math 8. Hosted by Cariboo math teacher Lori Bernard.

Spring Staff Development Offerings

Playing How Close to 100?

Most spring offerings in math (and science) are posted on the Staff Development Calendar.  Sign up now!

Spring Book Club–Jo Boaler’s Mathematical Mindsets.

Carole Fullerton–intermediate and primary sessions, May 8th.

Math Games Night–if you want to host one for your class or for several classes or even the whole school, drop me a line.

Over the Holidays

I hope you have a restful and energizing break.  But if you want your students to do a bit of fluency practice over the holidays, please direct them to the parent section of this blog, where they can find some fun math games. Also, if you need a great gift idea, I personally recommend Prime Climb–a board game that can engage kids from 5-95.

Enjoy, and I’ll see you in January.

-Donna

Finding Balance and Joy in Numeracy

Are you stressed by new curriculum? Do you feel overwhelmed by expectations to teach curricular competencies in math? Is the task of differentiating for your diverse group of learners feeling unmanageable?  Help is available!

First, as the new Math/Science Program consultant, I would love the opportunity to come work with you and your class to develop your math program and connect you to resources.  E-mail me at Donna.Morgan@sd41.bc.ca or give me a call on my special Math/Science Consultant Hotline 604-760-6157 (ok, it IS just an old iPhone, but it makes me feel good).

Secondly, check out the BC Numeracy Network.  Don’t spend your valuable teacher time re-inventing the wheel.  Take a look at this website that is filled with great resources.  It has a balanced approach to numeracy and brings some activities that will help you (and your students) find the joy and beauty in math.

New on the Blog

Check out the SD 41 Shares above for some shared resources.  Have something to share? Send it to me and I will share with the district.

Subscription

If I have met you recently or you have attended a workshop, I may automatically sign you up for a subscription to this blog.  That means you will get a reminder newsletter once every two weeks (or less often) to your sd41 e-mail if there are updates on this website.  It is easy to unsubscribe, but after finding the great resources here, I’m sure you won’t want to.

Learn with Carole Fullerton on November 7

On November 7th, Burnaby teachers will have an opportunity for professional growth with Carole Fullerton.  For those who are unfamiliar, Carole is a private consultant working with teachers around British Columbia (and beyond!) in the area of numeracy. She works with districts, whole school staffs, with school-based learning teams, in classrooms and with parents in an effort to promote mathematical thinking.  

Sign up for either the Multiplicative Thinking for Intermediate Students in the am, or Place Value and Number Sense for Primary in the pm.  Use the staff development calendar to book your spot:  https://learn.sd41.bc.ca/

Here is more detailed information: Carole Fullerton Nov 7 poster