Reflections of a Suddenly Green Veteran Teacher

Esther Selk, Palo Alto, CA, eselk@girlsms.org

I just started my 25th year in the classroom, so why do I feel like a first-year teacher?

I remember that first year, with the plethora of unknowns. How long will this lesson really take? Will the kids respond to my questions? What should I put on my walls? How should I organize and structure the class period? How do I know my students are learning? Should I let them get out of their seats during class? How much talking between students is the right amount of talking? How do I get their attention? What if I can’t get their attention? Each new school year brings new and changing class dynamics, but I have the confidence to adjust on the fly, capture students’ attention with goofiness, and recognize the ah-ha moments by the sounds students make with their teams.

After our move online, my bag of tricks is suddenly less full. Teaching and learning in cyber-space creates unknowns behind each screen. I cannot take the pulse of a busy classroom just by pausing and listening. The hardest part of an online class is the silence and the inability to read the room.

So, what now? The joy of exploring math and the structure I create for each lesson are the key for me. My classes this past spring were the highlight of my days, connecting me to humanity and talking about something other than the pandemic. This is still true a few weeks into the new school year.

CPM created so many incredible resources for teaching remotely. I have created Task Cards and Google Slides and modified Desmos lessons galore! My screen time has quadrupled so that the experience for the kids is as rich and joyful and clear as possible.

The trickiest part is assessment. I have outlined a few methods that really worked last spring. I have only implemented daily homework so far this year.

  1. Homework.
    Daily homework is always completed on paper, turned into a PDF, and uploaded to our Google Classroom. This way I can still examine students’ thinking in that superold-school-paper way. I am not reducing the number of Review & Preview problems, but I do not deduct points for incorrect responses. Can’t do a problem? No problem. Just write a specific question about it for full credit. This way students are continuing to think, and I can see exactly who needs support and what type of support they need. I directly message students about little details, and I ask them to incorporate these changes on the next assignment.
  2. Formal tests and quizzes.
    I spent hours thinking about this last spring. I realized that a challenge I experienced in remote learning is loneliness. What could be more lonely than taking a test alone? Here is how I mitigated it.
    a. Everyone got randomly partnered for three to five minutes to talk about the problems, work through a few, ask each other questions, or just do the test with someone in the space with them. I got this idea from One Day, a Teach for America alumni magazine. A teacher uses this in her live classroom and I modified it for Zoom. I asked the students for their opinion on this experience. All were positive, even if they did not all need it. If they actually could utilize this to remind themselves of how to do a problem, excellent. And if it made the experience less lonely, awesome!
    b. I left the Zoom open with the waiting room on. This way, I could answer any student’s question one at a time with privacy. And the students who entered the Zoom waiting room knew that I would get to them soon.
    c. The larger assessments had two parts. Part 1: They uploaded their paperwork and had multiple choice problems to do. In this fashion I could see, and so could they, where their mistakes were. I could follow understanding and note accuracy. They got immediate feedback on their multiple choice answers. Part 2: They needed to correct every problem they got wrong, and upload their corrections by the next day. I used both parts of the assessment to learn exactly where a student was on their learning progression. They knew ahead of time that they would have a chance to correct their work and learn from their mistakes. The positive feedback on this makes me wish I had implemented something similar years ago. I have never seen students so engaged in learning from their mistakes because the second part (making corrections) counted as much as the first part.

I try to be goofy and laugh, and my flexibility has tripled. But I am holding the kids to high standards, and they like it. My heart and mind is with each of the suddenly brand-new-firstyear teachers out there.

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Algebra Tiles Blue Icon

Algebra Tiles Session

  • Used throughout CPM middle and high school courses
  • Concrete, geometric representation of algebraic concepts.
  • Two-hour virtual session,
  •  Learn how students build their conceptual understanding of simplifying algebraic expressions
  • Solving equations using these tools.  
  • Determining perimeter,
  • Combining like terms,
  • Comparing expressions,
  • Solving equations
  • Use an area model to multiply polynomials,
  • Factor quadratics and other polynomials, and
  • Complete the square.
  • Support the transition from a concrete (manipulative) representation to an abstract model of mathematics..

Foundations for Implementation

This professional learning is designed for teachers as they begin their implementation of CPM. This series contains multiple components and is grounded in multiple active experiences delivered over the first year. This learning experience will encourage teachers to adjust their instructional practices, expand their content knowledge, and challenge their beliefs about teaching and learning. Teachers and leaders will gain first-hand experience with CPM with emphasis on what they will be teaching. Throughout this series educators will experience the mathematics, consider instructional practices, and learn about the classroom environment necessary for a successful implementation of CPM curriculum resources.

Page 2 of the Professional Learning Progression (PDF) describes all of the components of this learning event and the additional support available. Teachers new to a course, but have previously attended Foundations for Implementation, can choose to engage in the course Content Modules in the Professional Learning Portal rather than attending the entire series of learning events again.

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Building on Instructional Practice Series

The Building on Instructional Practice Series consists of three different events – Building on Discourse, Building on Assessment, Building on Equity – that are designed for teachers with a minimum of one year of experience teaching with CPM instructional materials and who have completed the Foundations for Implementation Series.

Building on Equity

In Building on Equity, participants will learn how to include equitable practices in their classroom and support traditionally underserved students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Essential questions include: How do I shift dependent learners into independent learners? How does my own math identity and cultural background impact my classroom? The focus of day one is equitable classroom culture. Participants will reflect on how their math identity and mindsets impact student learning. They will begin working on a plan for Chapter 1 that creates an equitable classroom culture. The focus of day two and three is implementing equitable tasks. Participants will develop their use of the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Meaningful Mathematical Discussions and curate strategies for supporting all students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Participants will use an equity lens to reflect on and revise their Chapter 1 lesson plans.

Building on Assessment

In Building on Assessment, participants will apply assessment research and develop methods to provide feedback to students and inform equitable assessment decisions. On day one, participants will align assessment practices with learning progressions and the principle of mastery over time as well as write assessment items. During day two, participants will develop rubrics, explore alternate types of assessment, and plan for implementation that supports student ownership. On the third day, participants will develop strategies to monitor progress and provide evidence of proficiency with identified mathematics content and practices. Participants will develop assessment action plans that will encourage continued collaboration within their learning community.

Building on Discourse

In Building on Discourse, participants will improve their ability to facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse. This learning experience will encourage participants to adjust their instructional practices in the areas of sharing math authority, developing independent learners, and the creation of equitable classroom environments. Participants will plan for student learning by using teaching practices such as posing purposeful questioning, supporting productive struggle, and facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse. In doing so, participants learn to support students collaboratively engaged with rich tasks with all elements of the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices incorporated through intentional and reflective planning.