February 2024 Upcoming Events, Celebrations, Happenings and Opportunities (ECHO)

Save the Dates for Upcoming CCTM Events:

February 29 CCTM Webinar: Practicing Self Care: A How-To Guide for Teachers with Dr. Joe Bolz, 6 pm

Teacher burnout is real! We all know the feeling, especially at this point in the year - with so many pressures on teachers (from state testing to teacher evaluations), teachers can struggle to take care of themselves. However, there are a few routines that teachers can have in place in their classrooms and everyday lives to ease this feeling of burnout and move beyond surviving to thriving. Join us as we walk through some practical solutions to combat teacher burnout as well as understand the “why” behind some of these strategies. This is open and important for all teachers, not just math teachers - so share this with other teachers who you know can benefit! As an added bonus, some of the attendees will win prizes to aid in their self care!  Register HERE.

 Book Study Opportunity:

It’s not too late to get involved with the CCTM free virtual book study on Teaching for Thinking.  

The study is running through May 2024.  Two sessions (Tuesday afternoon and Thursday evening) are offered each month to offer flexibility for attendance.  CCTM members who participate in the book study have access to continuing education hours, book study resources, and session recordings.  

Book study participants will:

  • Study and implement the Five Essential Strategies for integrating instructional routines into classroom practice

  • Learn, practice and analyze two reasoning routines by reading, planning, and reflecting on student work and video 

Sign up for the book study HERE.

CCTM Summer Learning Event: June 13 and 14!

CCTM is hosting a summer learning event on June 13 and 14 in Englewood, CO.  This event will feature current NCTM president, Kevin Dykema.  Learning will be centered around productive struggle in mathematics, and we are also looking to offer several sessions focused around math pathways and Colorado’s involvement with the Launch Years Initiative.  This two day learning experience will provide practical strategies for engaging all learners with mathematical thinking.  Lunch is included. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Additional Math Opportunities:

  • NCTM is hosting the 2024 Virtual Conference April 10 - 13, 2024. This year’s theme is Rediscovering Joy in Teaching and Learning Mathematics. The conference aims to promote ways in which teachers can empower their students through prioritization of student-centered instruction that encapsulates the wonder and joy students experience in learning mathematics. There will be many opportunities for learning, networking, and growing both professionally and personally. 

  • CCTM members are invited to join the Colorado Math Leaders (CML) virtual book study on Productive Math Struggle for the March 28 meeting.  Kevin Dykema, NCTM president and co-author of the book, will be joining the study.  This is a great opportunity to acquaint yourself with Kevin who will be the featured speaker at the CCTM summer learning event June 13 and 14.  The book study meets from 5 pm to 6 pm.  Register HERE.

  • The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is hosting the joint conference with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) June 17-19, 2024 in New Orleans.  This conference will provide K-5 teachers with the opportunity to develop their skills in mathematics and language arts as well as engage in teaching practices and strategies that support connected learning and engagement in both domains. 

  • NCTM is hosting the annual conference and exposition September 25 - 28, 2024 in Chicago, IL.  Considered the “Super Bowl event of the year,” NCTM Annual Meetings bring together thousands of mathematics educators from all over the world to collaborate, network, learn, inspire, and much more. With over hundreds of education sessions to choose from and attend, you can always expect to walk away with more knowledge and inspiration to implement into your classrooms.

  • NCSM is hosting the 56th annual conference in Chicago, IL September 23-25, 2024. This year’s theme is Breaking Barriers with Bold Mathematics Leadership. Conference sessions will focus on Disrupting the Status Quo, Overcoming Challenges, Eliminating Structural Cultural and/or Instructional Barriers, and Breaking Through: Coaching To Support Change.

  • Math Teachers’ Circle sessions at the University of Northern Colorado campus are back! We provide mathematical problem-solving sessions for teachers who would like to work on fun, challenging math problems. Together, we work on problems, discuss different problem-solving strategies and learn from each other. These problems are suitable for different levels with multiple entry points. Professional development certificates for Continuing Education Units are available.

  • The Colorado MathCounts program is looking for volunteers to proctor competition rooms and score answer sheets.  Regional competitions occur during the month of February, and the state competition is in March.  Potential volunteers should visit the Colorado MathCounts website and email the coordinator shown for the competition in which they are interested.  

  • CCTM was contacted by several doctoral students from Oakland University who are conducting a research study to discover the impact of the United States’ sociopolitical climate on current literacy and library practices.  If you are a K-12 educator who teaches literacy in some capacity, they would appreciate your participation in an online survey about whether/how the sociopolitical context in the U.S. is affecting your professional practices.  Participation in the study is voluntary and completion of the survey will take approximately 20 minutes.

  • CCTM membership is only $39 per year!  CCTM also offers a group membership option in which a district, school, or collection of passionate math educators have the option to pay $250 for a one-year group membership, which includes membership for 13 individuals.  CCTM members have access to our video archives of previous professional learning, as well as discounts for current virtual and in-person learning.  If you aren’t already a member, consider joining to get access to previous learning sessions from Dr. Robert Berry, Juliana Tapper, Mary Pittman, and Rachel Levy & Robyn Van Der Zanden, just to name a few.  Previous topics have included: number talks, student agency, mathematical modeling, unfinished learning, equitable mathematics instruction, math intervention strategies, and more. 

  

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