The Collaborative in Action

A blog by and for math educators, administrators, parents, and the community

9-12 News: News for January 2025

Did you know…

  • The first secondary level NCCAT and NC2ML Co-creating a Vision of High Quality and Equitable Math Instruction retreat for MS and HS district teams happened in December and participants are raving about the experience (see examples below). We have added a spring date at the Ocracoke campus (link here). Get your team signed up today!

“I have been enlightened and empowered to be an individual to enact change across my district. My time at this retreat made me feel valued as an educator and a leader. The organic conversations that occurred throughout the week have helped me gain insight into how other school systems and teachers operate in their district, schools, and classroom. I am excited to be a forward thinking pioneer for bringing high quality equitable math instruction to the classrooms within my school and will strive to extend my reach into the bigger district!”

“This program was incredibly valuable in pulling together my team to help us build a working common vocabulary and vision for mathematics instruction in our district. I love opportunities to grow teacher leaders and that is exactly what happened this week on my team. I am excited to see what we do next!”

  • The next NC DPI HS Math Content and Pedagogy Webinar is on January 14th. It is focused on Number Sense and Reasoning RoutinesClick here to learn more and to register.
  • Get your students ready for this year’s NCCTM Math Fairs!! This event is perfect for students in grades K-12 who want to engage with mathematics in a creative and interactive way! Click here to learn more.
  • Last, but certainly not least, did you know you can sign up to get this newsletter (and all other NC2ML news) through email instead of having to wait to see it on social media. Sign up here!

The Amplifying Voices Podcast Series

Bonus Episode: Reflecting on Our Journey So Far

In this episode of the “We All Speak Math” podcast, hosts Margaret Borden, Josh Griffin, and Emily Hare reflect on the episodes so far and share how they are using the “We All Speak Math Campaign!” in their day jobs. This episode shares a summary of some of the hosts’ favorite moments so far, connection to November 2024’s NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, and asks for listeners to connect by filling out a google form. Be on the lookout for more episodes coming soon! Listen here!

 


January Discourse Move of the Month: Assessing Student Thinking

 

What is it and why do we use it? 

Assessing student thinking is following up with an individual student’s solution, strategy, or question to have the student elaborate on their ideas. Typically this is done by posing a purposeful question. Such questions not only provide an opportunity to check for understanding, but can also encourage students to communicate their ideas using mathematical language and set the stage for moving the mathematics forward. Furthermore, posing questions that require thinking helps to develop positive math identities and agency by positioning students as thinkers and doers of mathematics. Give it a try!

More to Explore

As you plan to spice up your classroom for the second semester and get your students “talking math”, don’t forget to visit our website NC2ML for more information, examples, and resources to support the discourse moves! Here you’ll find toolkits for teaching and learning, professional development, administrative leadership, and recordings of DPI Webinars focused on the discourse moves. As always, all NC2ML resources are created for NC Teachers, by NC Teachers  – the best teachers in the world!