Recap of the past year...

It's been a while since we posted, and we apologize for that.  Over the past few months, we have had seven courses end and three additional courses start.  That's over 213 teachers taking mathematics courses this year!!  We are so excited that we have so many returning teachers taking more classes and wanted to share some of the feedback we have received over the past couple of months.

Before we share that feedback, we wanted to share with you some exciting news.  This July, Lesley University will co-sponsor with the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England (ATMNE) a summer institute Weaving the Mathematical Practices through the K-12 Curriculum.  This is a new venture for Lesley, and for the Center for Math Achievement, but we are excited to have some of the most influential mathematics educators of the region lead workshops on the mathematical practices.  If you are interested or would like more information, please visit our website: Weaving the Mathematical Practices through the K-12 Curriculum.

So here is some of the feedback we have received:

"Each week we were given fabulous hands-on activities that could immediately be used in the classroom.  The similar triangles exercise where we used mirrors and went outside to try and estimate the height of the light post was fantastic.  It was so much better than drawing the usual flag pole and stick figure to compare their shadows.  The giant balance scales were also a big hit and even though they are not readily available in our schools, Anne had a way to do the same thing will a ruler and a couple of paper clips." - D.P.

"I really like the double number line diagram. It is a great visual tool for thinking. I introduced the double line model (diagram) to my 6th graders, they were impressed with it. We solved about 9 problems using the double number line diagram and the students fell in love with it. It is a good tool to have to solve problems involving rates and ratios. I can see myself using next year. I can say I learn some great key mathematics skills on rate, ratio, and proportion and I am ready to pass on these skills to my students. It is my belief that my students will learn more from me and become more self-sufficient learners." - A.S.

"I have begun using the Algebolcks with this class. I told them that these were new to me and we were going to figure out how to use these together. We have only added and subtracted integers using the basic mat, but a few of my students have actually said “OHHHHHH, I really get this now.” This made me so happy!!!" - E.J.

"The making of the pencil was a very fun activity – that is what learning should be about – fun and learning." - C.L.

"People dont want to travel, and they are missing out!" -Anonymous

"It was interesting, engaging, and gave us lots of good problems to take back to the classroom." - Anonymous

We have had a great year, full of fun and challenging mathematics experiences.  We are looking forward to an upcoming year of more mathematical fun!  

If you would like more information about the Center for Mathematics Achievement or have any questions please contact us at mathachievement@lesley.edu.