September 2023 CCTM Newsletter

Welcome from the CCTM Board: Sonya Mendoza-Weiss, Region 4 Representative

Welcome to the September 2023 CCTM Newsletter. CCTM is a non-profit designed to support educators with the teaching and learning of mathematics. This month our board message is by Sonya Mendoza-Weiss, our CCTM Region 4 Representative, and her reflections from the Teaching for Thinking Summer Learning Institute held in June.

Click Here to Read the Welcome Message

 

 

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

Each newsletter highlights upcoming events, celebrations, happenings, and opportunities relevant to Colorado mathematics educators.

Click here to view upcoming CCTM math events and happenings, including:

  • Zearn Math webinar: Accelerate Learning for Colorado Students on Thursday, September 28 at 6 pm.  This webinar will explore a middle school Zearn lesson and is relevant for teachers of students in K-8.  Click HERE to register!
  • Texas Instruments (TI) in-person training: Leveraging the TI-84 on the Digital PSAT and SAT on Saturday, October 21st at 10am.  TI will offer a hands on session about using the TI calculator on the PSAT and SAT.  Lunch will be provided following the training. Click HERE to register!.  
  • Teaching for Thinking Book Study begins in October.  Please join us for a monthly study of Teaching for Thinking from October 2023 through May 2024. Click HERE to register!

Click HERE to view other math celebrations and opportunities.

Teacher Voice - Fostering Student Voice

In this issue, we feature educators who attended our CCTM Teaching for Thinking Summer Institute.  These educators are fostering mathematical teaching practices through Reasoning Routines and application of the Five Essential Strategies.  Check out what these teachers are trying in their classrooms.

Click here to read more!

Practical Practices -  Five Essential Strategies

In our Practical Practices section of the newsletter, we highlight practices that you can incorporate in your classrooms, including curated links to outside resources to build your knowledge of that practice.  In this issue, we share the importance of instructional routines and teacher moves that engage students in discourse and mathematical thinking through an article called Integrating Effective Teaching Practices by Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta. The article outlines three teacher moves that engage students in discourse and mathematical thinking. To learn more about these routines and strategies and find resources available for teachers, visit the Fostering Math Practices website. You can also register for the CCTM Learning Series, Teaching for Thinking, beginning October 2023.

Spotlighting Colorado Mathematics Educators and Teams

This section of our newsletter allows us to recognize the amazing mathematics teams, educators, and leaders in our community. This month we want to spotlight two Math Educators. The first is Julie Hickman, a math interventionist from Region 6, who teaches at Appleton Elementary.  The second, Brook Strickland, hails from Region 1, a Math Teacher and Senior Team Lead at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Please click here to read more about these amazing educators.

These teachers will receive a care package of teacher goodies as well as CCTM shirts or Water Bottles!

If you want to nominate an educator, leader, or team, please use the following form. Those selected to be featured in the spotlight will receive an educational care package (and the person nominating will also receive a care package). Use this link to nominate an individual or a team!

Click here to read more!

Trivia - A History of Mathematics

Each newsletter includes a trivia question. From those that answer correctly, five winners will be drawn and receive CCTM swag (either a water bottle or a tee-shirt). 

THIS MONTH’s TRIVIA QUESTION: 

This mathematician, also known for being the first computer programmer, has been highlighted nationally on October 15th since 2009 to highlight the often overlooked contributions of women to math and science. Who is she?

Submit Your Answer Here

Click here to learn more about CCTM Trivia and Last Month’s Question and Winners!

Colorado Math Teacher Journal - Featured Article 

Featured Article: Adapting an Instructional Routine:  Stronger and Clearer Each Time (from “Most Popular Papers”)

Abstract: How can math teachers help students take notes that are useful and also promote thinking and reasoning? In this article, the instructional routine Stronger and Clearer Each Time facilitates student discourse around a learning goal, helps students to create meaningful notes, and allows the teacher to better understand student thinking.

Read More

Get YOUR Word Out

Would you like to advertise or elevate an upcoming mathematical opportunity happening around you - in your school, district, region? Do you want to celebrate successes in your mathematical community? Share your happenings in the CCTM’s next newsletter?  Click HERE to submit your events, news or celebrations and be included in the next CCTM Newsletter’s ECHO (Events, Celebrations Happenings, and Opportunities) Section.