Upcoming Professional Development
Contact Thea Keppel at keppeltm01@buffalostate.edu with any questions or concerns regarding event registration
February Cohort Meeting
Date: Saturday, February 28th, 9am-1pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 257
Why Do They Do That? Determining the Function of Behavior (Including Sensory Concerns) – join us for a skills-focused workshop designed to help general education educators design strategies to address challenging behavior. We will discuss and practice using tools that help us to determine the function/reason for behavior, with an emphasis on identifying sensory, environmental, and motivational variables that influence behavior. We will practice using practical tools and demonstrate how these instruments guide us in determining the reason for behavior as well as strategies to address it. In addition, the workshop will examine how physical factors, such as classroom layout, stimulation such as noise, lighting, etc. can trigger or even encourage challenging behavior. Attendees will practical strategies for adjusting environments and supports to increase student success.
Effective Teaching Strategies: How Do Students with ASD Learn Best? - join us for an interactive workshop designed to help educators differentiate instruction to better match the learning profiles of students with autism spectrum disorder. The session will explore evidence-based accommodations and modifications that encourage access to the general education curriculum, engagement, and meaningful participation across content areas. Participants will also examine the role of preference assessments as a tool for increasing motivation and individualizing instruction. A collaborative work session is built into the workshop, during which attendees will bring one or two of their own lesson plans to analyze, adapt with peer input and guided facilitation. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with concrete instructional strategies, revised lesson materials, and a deeper understanding of how to design learning experiences that align with the strengths and needs of students with ASD.
Dates: Thursdays, March 12th, 19th, and 26th; 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 257
Support Success in Students with Autism Registration
Support Success in Students with Autism Flyer
Buffalo Math Collaborative
Dr. Kara Imm
A professional learning community of K- 9 teachers and leaders, across grand bands, schools, and districts who come together to:
- Design learning experiences for kids, study them in real time, and reflect on what and how mathematical learning is happening
- Deepen the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge needed for teaching (our own mathematics + how children make sense of mathematics)
- Share ideas in a space designed to build on teachers’ love of kids and math (#lovekidslovemath)
- Provide a model for empowering our students mathematically through cognitively demanding tasks and routines that feature equitable access and that foster student agency, ownership, and identity.
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Willow Ridge Elementary
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Union East Elementary
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Maryvale Middle School
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Amherst Middle School
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Sweet Home Middle School
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Cleveland Hill Middle School
Buffalo Math Collaborative Flyer
Chautauqua Math Collaborative
Dr. Kara Imm
A professional learning community of teachers and leaders, across grade bands, schools, and districts who come together to:
- Design learning experiences for kids, study them in real time, and reflect on what and how mathematical learning is happening
- Deepen the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge needed for teaching (our own mathematics + how children make sense of mathematics)
- Share ideas in a space designed to build on teachers’ love of kids and math (#lovekidslovemath)
- Provide a model for empowering our students mathematically through cognitively demanding tasks and routines that feature equitable access and foster student agency, ownership, and identity.
Chautauqua Math Collaborative Flyer
Inclusive STEM
Kara Imm & Rhonda Bondi
Together we will:
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analyze and interrogate barriers to equity in our teaching practices, curriculum, classroom structures, and beliefs about teaching, learning, and students
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tackle the practical challenges of individualizing a standard curriculum while providing opportunities to make sense of past and current curricula
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make sense of the difference between accommodation, modification and differentiation
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explore high-leverage teaching practices and curricula designed to nurture meaningful and effective learning for culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse students.
All are welcome. Co-teaching teams are especially encouraged to attend together.
Pre-reading
Demystifiying Differentiated Instruction
Date: Saturday, March 21st, 8:30am-3:30pm
Whether you’re creating lesson plans, grading, communicating with families, or designing student activities, AI can help you work smarter, not harder.
What You'll Learn:
✅ How to use AI for planning, differentiation, and content creation
✅ Time-saving hacks for grading, feedback, and classroom communication
✅ Tools for designing visuals, assessments, and engaging student materials
✅ Responsible and ethical AI use in education
Walk away with ready-to-use examples, templates, and confidence to put AI to work for you. Perfect for teachers of all grade levels and content areas with no tech expertise required!
Dates: Wednesdays, April 8th, 15th, and 22nd; 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259
AI Tools Minicourse Registration
From Geometric Curves to Celestial Arcs: Contributions of Islam to Mathematics
Sara Rezvi, Ph.D.; Thurs, March 12; Virtual: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. ET
Join us for a special Ramadan رمضان edition of MƒA’s Thursday Think series featuring the mathematical contributions of scholars from the Islamic world, followed by an iftaar الإفطار (breaking of the fast) and dinner. In this talk, Dr. Sara Rezvi will highlight key intellectual traditions and contributions of Muslim mathematicians through the lenses of algebra الجبر (al-jabr), geometry, and astronomy. From cubic equations and conic sections to intersection curves and celestial arcs, she will explore the mathematical significance of architectural geometry, Islamic art, and scientific instrumentation. Throughout, Dr. Rezvi will invite teachers to consider how engaging with this content and with CRSE tools can support more inclusive classrooms and affirm students’ mathematical identities, particularly for Muslim students.
Teach for Climate Justice: Building a Foundation With SEL
Tom Roderick and Elissa Teles Munoz; Tues, Mar 24; Virtual: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. ET
Do you want to incorporate climate justice curriculum into your classroom while also supporting your students' social-emotional learning (SEL)? In this webinar, educators and activists Elissa Teles Munoz and Tom Roderick will guide teachers through tools from Roderick’s award-winning book Teach for Climate Justice: A Vision for Transforming Education. Tom and Elissa will share how building a “beloved community, a place where people take responsibility for each other’s thriving,” can serve as the foundation for climate justice education. Teachers will explore a climate justice framework and adaptable SEL activities and tools from the Teach for Climate Justice website, the Climate Emotions Toolkit for Educators, and the Mental Health Teacher Guide. Teachers will leave with new strategies to strengthen their classroom community, foster group solidarity, and support students in taking action to care for one another and build a just and sustainable future.
Math Therapy: Understanding and Overcoming Math Trauma
Vanessa Vakharia; Thurs, Apr 23; Virtual: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. ET
Mathematics anxiety is deeply embedded in American culture, with the phrase “I’m not a math person” heard repeatedly in STEM classrooms across the country. But when someone says they are "not a math person," it is often rooted in more than anxiety and indicative of unresolved math trauma. In this talk, Vanessa Vakharia will explore why mathematics frightens so many students and how educators can transform this fear into courage, curiosity, and even passion. She will present the 5 M’s of her “Math Therapy” framework that specifically address the dynamics of fear and how it manifests in mathematics classrooms. Rather than relying on common, temporary solutions, these tools aim to help students truly overcome their fears. Teachers will leave with practical, ready-to-use strategies to break the cycle of fear and avoidance, ultimately changing students' lives well beyond the classroom.
From Intention to Impact: Supporting Black Students’ Success in Mathematics
Lateefah Id-Deen, Ph.D.; Mon, May 11; Virtual: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. ET
Despite decades of equity-focused reform, many Black students continue to experience mathematics classrooms as spaces where they are overlooked, misunderstood, or unsupported. These experiences are not typically the result of a single policy or overt act, but rather the outcome of everyday instructional practices, mindsets, and reflective questions about Black students’ participation. Drawing on classroom-based research and the perspectives of Black students, Dr. Lateefah Id-Deen will situate mathematics teaching within a broader arc of educational justice that has shaped Black students’ access to rigorous and affirming mathematics learning experiences. Teachers will be invited to discuss how well-intentioned teaching practices can either constrain or expand Black students’ opportunities to participate, be challenged, and recognized as capable learners. We will create space for reflection on what it means to support the success of Black students in mathematics classrooms and the responsibility educators carry in shaping those experiences.
Bats and the Biodiversity Crisis: Extinction and Resilience
Angelo Soto-Centeno, Ph.D.;Thurs, May 14; Virtual: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. ET
With ~1,500 species, bats are one of the most diverse mammalian groups on the planet! Found on every continent except Antarctica, their habitats span nearly every ecosystem from islands to forests to urban environments. But bat populations, like most other species, are on the decline. In this talk, Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno will explore the drivers of species loss (and survival) through the lens of bats, including habitat fragmentation, climate change, and human impact. With a special focus on bats from the Caribbean and NYC, he will zoom into the factors, both natural and anthropogenic, that contribute to bat diversity and provide insights into the mechanisms that shape species resilience.