Seminars

Focus

Primary Teaching Standard

Performance Assessment

Sample Activities and Resources

Seminar to Classroom Expectations

At least five support seminars are recommended during the first year of teaching.

Seminar 1

(November)

Tasks

Standards-Based Teaching

Math #1: Understand
Concepts and Procedures of Mathematics

Math #9: Being a Reflective Practitioner

(#1-#4, #7)

Linking teaching and learning standards

1. Identifying Personal
Artifacts
2. Teacher Standards
Activity
3. Modeling a Standards-
based Lesson
a. Speedway Math
b. Name That Classmate
c. Human Graphing

Choose an objective for your students

Develop a task to meet the objective

Teach the lesson, reflect.

Seminar 2

(December)

Discourse

Environment

Math #5: Create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation

Math #6: Use effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication

Practicing strategies for engaging students in discourse

Practicing strategies to create a positive learning environment

1. Levels of Demand

2. Discuss types of
discourse/environment in
the classroom

3. Model standards-based
teaching
a. Soccer Ball Math
b. Filling Bottles Problem

4. Make a Journal

Choose a lesson

Complete “Plan for Lesson” detailing tasks & discourse

Listen to discourse – What modifications would you make?

Prepare typewritten commentary about discourse & environment

Seminar 3

(January – after 2nd semester begins)

Analysis of Learning

Math #7:Plan instruction based on students, goals, subject matter, and community

Math #8: Assessment

Examining assessment methods and aligning them with instruction activities

1. Discuss Analysis of
Learning
2. Discuss the development
of quality assessments
3. Matching Assessments
4. Do Assessment
Examples

Prepare a lesson or lessons and an assessment you used to assess what you taught

Prepare a typewritten commentary

Optional: Videotape lesson

Seminar 4

(February)

Analysis of Teaching

Math #9: Teachers of mathematics are reflective practitioners

Writing reflective commentaries and developing lessons through “backwards design” methods and self-assessment of teaching practices

1. Practice and discuss reflection strategies for students and teachers
2. Cartoon activity
3. Discuss professional development
4. Discuss Analysis of Teaching
5. If someone brings a
video, review it

Choose a lesson

Complete “Plan for Lesson”

Videotape lesson

Prepare typewritten commentary about lesson – focus on analysis of your teaching (What adjustments did you make? What adjustments will you make?

Seminar 5

(March or April)

Using technology as a tool to explore mathematics in the classroom.

Math #1: Understand
Interaction of mathematics and technology
Math #4: Use a variety of instructional strategies
Math #6: Use media communication

Incorporating the use of technology into the classroom

Share videotaped
lessons

Model a lesson using
manipulatives
a. Tangram activity
b. CBL lab activity
c. Tessellation activity

Since this is the final seminar of the year, there isn’t an official “assignment” for next year. However, teachers are encouraged to practice the strategies learned in the seminar and to keep an ongoing list of their own “professional growth” areas they want to remember as they begin their second year of teaching.

At least three support seminars are recommended during the second year.

Seminar 1

(October )

Revisiting: Tasks, Environment, and Practicing Standards-based Teaching

Math #1: Understands Concepts and Procedures

Math #9: Being a reflective practitioner

Math #5: Creates a learning environment

Learning about the handbook

Critiquing videotape

Writing “Context of Teaching”

1. Jigsaw activity to “unpack” the handbook

2. Critique examplar videotape

3. Work on “Context of Teaching”

Complete the Context of Teaching form

Write context of teaching overview

Write a preliminary outline for the series of lessons

Seminar 2

(January – after start of 2nd semester)

Analysis of Teaching

Assessment

Math #9: Being a reflective practitioner

Math #8: Assessment

Practicing designing a unit of instruction for the portfolio and checking for alignment of standards, instruction & assessment

Practice videotaping.

1. Share “Context of Teaching” and gain peer feedback
2. Examine videotapes and gain peer feedback
3. Analysis of Learning activity

Complete the Series of Lessons Form

Teach the series of lessons

Videotape two lessons

Write a commentary

Seminar 3

(April or one month prior to portfolio completion)

Peer Conferencing and Reflection

Math #9: Being a reflective practitioner

Math #9: Professional development

Sharing drafts of portfolio commentaries with peers and receiving feedback AND
Revisiting requirements

1. Share tasks and gain peer feedback

2. Share “Analysis of Learning” and gain peer feedback

3. Analysis of Teaching activity

Portfolio is due by May 1