Intersections (August edition): Upcoming professional development opportunities

Ilona Vashchyshyn August 19, 2018 No Comments

In this monthly column, you’ll find information about upcoming math education-related workshops, conferences, and other events. Some events fill up fast, so don’t delay signing up!

For more information about a particular event or to register, follow the link provided below the description. If you know about an event that should be on our list, please contact us at ilona@smts.ca.

Jump to:
Within Saskatchewan
Beyond Saskatchewan
Online workshops

Within Saskatchewan

Structures for Differentiating Middle Years Mathematics
October 11, 2018
Lloydminster, SK
Presented by the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit

We know that assessing where students are at in mathematics is essential, but what do we do when we know what they do not know? What do we do when they DO know? Understanding does not change unless there is an instructional response to what we know from that assessment. The question we ask ourselves is how we might respond to individual needs without having to create completely individualized mathematics programs in our classrooms. This workshop will include significant planning time for teams to get started in their own differentiation plans. It is also suited for educators who have already attended the Structures for Differentiation workshop.

More information at www.stf.sk.ca/professional-resources/events-calendar/structures-differentiating-middle-years-mathematics Continue reading →

Problems to Ponder (July edition)

Ilona Vashchyshyn July 7, 2018 No Comments

Welcome to this month’s edition of Problems to Ponder! Have an interesting solution? Send it to thevariable@smts.ca for publication in a future issue of The Variable!

Primary Tasks (Kindergarten-Intermediate)

Lady Bug Spots[1]

Materials:

ladybug printout (p. 28 of resource)
5 counters or other manipulative

Directions: This game is played in pairs.

Place 5 counters on the ladybug.
Player 1 closes their eyes and Player 2 takes some of the counters off the ladybug.
Player 1 looks at the ladybug and determines how many counters Player 2 took off.
To check, players count the counters removed together.
Players take turns removing counters and determining how many were removed.

Extension: Use more counters as students develop proficiency with addition and subtraction. Continue reading →

Registration Open for SUM 2018

Ilona Vashchyshyn June 19, 2018 No Comments

Registration for the Saskatchewan Understands Mathematics Conference (SUM) is now open! Join us on November 2-3, 2018 in Saskatoon for two days packed with professional learning opportunities.

The SUM conference is for mathematics educators teaching in Grades K-12 and all levels of educational leadership interested in mathematics curriculum, instruction, number sense, problem-solving, culturally responsive teaching, and technology integration, and will bring together international and local facilitators to work in meaningful ways with participants in a variety of formats. This year, SUM is proud to welcome keynote speaker Lisa Lunney-Borden of St. Francis Xavier University. Featured presenters are to be announced.

For more information and to register before the early-bird deadline, click here. Interested in presenting? Submit your proposal here.

Intersections (May edition): Upcoming professional development opportunities

Ilona Vashchyshyn May 25, 2018 No Comments

In this monthly column, you’ll find information about upcoming math education-related workshops, conferences, and other events. Some events fill up fast, so don’t delay signing up!

Jump to:
Within Saskatchewan
Beyond Saskatchewan
Online workshops

Within Saskatchewan

Workshops

Summer Initial Accreditation Seminar
July 9-13, 2018 (Saskatoon) / August 13-17, 2018 (Regina)
Presented by the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit

Accreditation seminars are offered to enable qualified teachers to become accredited. Accreditation is the process by which qualified teachers are granted the responsibility of determining the final mark or standing of the students in a specified Grade 12 (level 30) subject or subjects. The Accreditation seminar provides an opportunity for teachers to challenge, extend, enhance and renew their professional experience with an emphasis on assessment and evaluation.

Saskatoon: www.stf.sk.ca/professional-resources/events-calendar/saskatoon-summer-initial-accreditation-seminar
Regina: www.stf.sk.ca/professional-resources/events-calendar/regina-summer-initial-accreditation-seminar Continue reading →

The Variable – Volume 3, Issue 3

Ilona Vashchyshyn May 8, 2018 No Comments

Volume 3, Issue 3 (May/June 2018) of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

Continue reading →

Spotlight on the Profession: Dan Meyer

Ilona Vashchyshyn April 13, 2018 No Comments

In this monthly column, we speak with a notable member of the mathematics education community about their work and their perspectives on the teaching and learning of mathematics. This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Meyer.

Dan Meyer taught high school math to students who didn’t like high school math. He has advocated for better math instruction on CNN, Good Morning America, Everyday With Rachel Ray, and TED.com. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in math education and is the Chief Academic Officer at Desmos where he explores the future of math, technology, and learning. He has worked with teachers internationally and in all fifty United States. He was named one of Tech & Learning’s 30 Leaders of the Future. He lives in Oakland, CA.

First things first, thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule for this conversation!

As Chief Academic Officer at Desmos, you spend a great deal of time considering the affordances of digital technology for the teaching and learning of mathematics, and designing tools that tap into these affordances.

The phrase ‘online learning tools’ evokes a diversity of conceptions and misconceptions; I wonder if you could address some of the latter. First, you have written that “the online medium is fundamentally connective and yet students often report feelings of social isolation” (Meyer, 2015a, p. iv). However, you have also argued that well-designed online tools can promote dialogue and collaboration, rather than isolation and individualization. How so? Continue reading →

Problems to Ponder (March edition)

Ilona Vashchyshyn March 20, 2018 No Comments

Welcome to this month’s edition of Problems to Ponder! Have an interesting solution? Send it to thevariable@smts.ca for publication in a future issue of The Variable!

Primary Tasks (Kindergarten-Intermediate)

Snap It! [1]

In this activity, students make different combinations for a given number.

Materials
10 or more snap cubes per student

Task Instructions
Each student makes a train of connecting cubes of a specified number. On the signal “Snap!”, the students break their trains into two parts and hold one hand behind their back.

In partners, or in a circle, students show one another their remaining cubes. The other students work out the number of cubes hiding behind their back.

Continue reading →

Intersections (March edition): Upcoming professional development opportunities

Ilona Vashchyshyn March 13, 2018 No Comments

In this monthly column, you’ll find information about upcoming math education-related workshops, conferences, and other events. Some events fill up fast, so don’t delay signing up!

Jump to:
Within Saskatchewan
Beyond Saskatchewan
Online workshops

Within Saskatchewan

Workshops

Technology in Mathematics Foundations and Pre-Calculus
May 7, 2018
Saskatoon, SK
Presented by the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit

This workshop is designed to have math foundations and pre-calculus teachers experience a variety of technology tools that allow students to represent and visualize mathematics concepts. Tools highlighted are useful for students to explore, learn, communicate, collaborate and practice in order to enhance their understanding of mathematics in secondary mathematics.

Head to www.stf.sk.ca/professional-resources/events-calendar/technology-mathematics-foundations-and-pre-calculus-0

Continue reading →

The Variable – Volume 3, Issue 2

Ilona Vashchyshyn March 1, 2018 No Comments

Volume 3, Issue 2 (March/April 2018) of The Variable, periodical of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, has just been released! From Kindergarten to Grade 12, there is something for everyone.

Continue reading →

Spotlight on the Profession: Patrick Maidorn

Ilona Vashchyshyn February 23, 2018 No Comments

Patrick Maidorn has been a mathematics and statistics instructor at the University of Regina for the past twenty-one years. Apart from teaching undergraduate classes, Patrick has also been involved in the development of several mathematical outreach programs for students in Grades 1-12, including the University of Regina Math Camp and Math Circles, as well as the Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest.

Patrick grew up in Luxembourg, where he attended the European School. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph, a Masters of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario. Realizing that each move took him further west on the map, he made one more westward leap to settle in Regina. He hopes to eventually get used to the cold winters of Saskatchewan. After two decades, he is still waiting.

First things first, thank you for taking the time to have this conversation!

You have been recognized for your hard work in mathematics education and outreach, including by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), who awarded you the PIMS Education Prize in 2016. What kinds of mathematics camps, competitions, or other outreach activities are you involved in today? Continue reading →