You are invited to join us at the Math Forum booth (2002) or sessions. We hope to see you there.

Check back, as we will be updating our information.

Research Pre-session

Understanding Design Elements of Informal Professional Development

Session 184

Ask-an-Expert: Math Forum Online Advice and Answers for Math and Pedagogy Questions

Session 384

Building Mathematical Communication with the Math Forum's Problems of the Week, Grades 3-8

Session 566

Building Mathematical Communication with the Math Forum's Problems of the Week, Grades 9-12

Session 673

The Math Forum: A Portal to Mathematics on the Web for Teachers and Students

Session 1030

Using Online Mentoring to Enhance Problem Solving, Assessment, and Communications Skills of Preservice Teachers

Description: Three forms of informal teacher professional development facilitated by The Math Forum, including Teacher2Teacher and Bridging Research and Practice are presented as case examples. Following description of these forms of informal professional development, discussion will focus on understanding their implications for reform-based practice and research efforts to maximize the potential of learning through informal professional development. Three questions will be used to focus both the presentation and the discussion with the audience about design elements. These include:

1. What place do specific roles and goals have in establishing a context through which teachers develop understanding about mathematics, pedagogy, and/or technology?
2. How does one facilitate ownership of learning among participants?
3. To what extend does one provide participants with a language or discourse knowledge for changing their practice?

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Description: The Ask Dr. Math and Teacher2Teacher services of the Math Forum will be featured in this presentation including:

• how each service works, and why the models for the two services differ;
• what students/teachers get out of sending in questions;
• what we teachers get from answering questions;
• how you can make use of a service (the archives, etc.) in the classroom.

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Description: Participants will be given an opportunity to practice problem-solving skills and strategies in cooperative learning groups. We will also examine past submissions to the same problems, review feedback from mentors, and discuss the hows and whys of incorporating the Problems of the Week into your instructional plan.

Goals: Participants will

• experience problem solving in a cooperative learning environment using the Math Forum Elementary and Middle School Problems of the Week;
• explore issues around communicating mathematics over the Internet;
• discuss strategies for incorporating the Problems of the Week into instructional planning.

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Description: Participants will practice problem-solving skills and strategies with sample problems, discuss feedback from mentors, and talk about incorporating the Problems of the Week into the classroom.

Goals: Participants will

• experience the Math Forum's secondary Problems of the Week;
• explore issues around communicating mathematics over the Internet;
• discuss strategies for incorporating the Problems of the Week into instructional planning.

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Description: Using the Math Forum as a point of departure, participants will explore resources, services, and research using the Internet. Discussion topics will include mentoring, curriculum connections, problem solving, research, and assessment. Participants will have time to conduct searches on mathematical topics relevant to their instructional needs.

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Description: This session will demonstrate how preservice teachers can improve their problem solving, problem creation, student assessment, and communication skills by participating in guided online mentoring of the Math Forum's Problems of the Week. Our model includes the submission process, problem writing, solution development, mentoring of students, and evaluation of the end results.

Goals: Participants will

• be shown examples of the improvement in skills of preservice teachers who have completed guided mentoring prior to classroom teaching;
• discuss ways in which the Problem of the Week can be incorporated into a methods course or mathematics for education majors course;
• be introduced to the management system that facilitates guided online mentoring.

This session contains information appropriate for preservice teachers, as well as high-school teachers who are considering online mentoring opportunities in mathematics for their students.

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