Upcoming Professional Learning for WNY Teachers

Thank you for joining us on May 6th for a free film screening of Counted Out. A new hard-hitting documentary that shines a light on math as the foundation of democracy and economic opportunity. “Counted Out” investigates the biggest crises of our time. Political polarization. Racial biases. Social injustice. Economic inequity. Climate change. And a global pandemic. All viewed through a previously unseen lens: math. See the trailer here.

The Western Region of the New York State Master Teacher Program is excited to offer the Algebraic Thinking segment of our mathematical landscapes of learning series that focus on the pedagogical moves teachers make to nurture a community of mathematicians across the elementary and middle school grades. The mathematical content will be situated within Cathy Fosnot’s landscape of learning framework and will explore the coherent development of algebraic thinking along the K – 8 spectrum. Video case studies across the grade levels of classroom practice will be analyzed and discussed using the TRU Framework, from Dr. Alan Shoenfeld at the University of California, Berkeley. These video cases provide opportunities for participants to share their grade level expertise and to enhance our understanding of the content connections across the landscape. 

Each session will highlight building a welcoming math community for learners to take risks, gain confidence, and take charge of their learning with a focus on the landscape of algebraic thinking across grades K-8. Explore practical tools and models such as number and algebra strings, tape diagrams, algebra tiles, and Building Thinking Classrooms strategies to support a concrete–pictorial–abstract progression. Collaborate across grade levels, deepen your content knowledge, and strengthen your ability to foster confident, engaged mathematicians. 

No prior Landscapes experience required—new participants welcome!
 

The Western Region of the New York State Master Teacher Program is excited to offer two segments of our mathematical landscapes of learning series that focus on the pedagogical moves teachers make to nurture a community of mathematicians across the elementary and middle school grades. The mathematical content will be situated within Cathy Fosnot’s landscape of learning framework and will explore the coherent development of multiplication and division, and fractions along the K – 8 spectrum. Video case studies across the grade levels of classroom practice will be analyzed and discussed using the TRU Framework, from Dr. Alan Shoenfeld at the University of California, Berkeley. These video cases provide opportunities for participants to share their grade level expertise and to enhance our understanding of the content connections across the landscape. 

Each session will highlight building a welcoming math community for learners to take risks, gain confidence, and take charge of their learning with a focus on the landscape of multiplication and division, and fractions, across grades K-8. Sessions will feature mathematical models and tools for thinking, including number lines, Building Thinking Classroom principles, number strings, and more. Real world contexts and situations will be used as we consider how to best develop students’ conceptual understanding and mathematical identity within a supportive and nurturing classroom community.

Dates: Monday-Thursday, July 20-21 (Multiplication/Division), July 22-23 (Fractions); 8:30am - 3:00 pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259

This 2-day workshop for teachers is designed to provide you with hands-on experience in a variety of STEM activities. Teachers will walk away with fresh, classroom-ready ideas to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers!

Day 1: Engineering & Problem-Solving: Egg Drop with Microbit; Nerdy Derby & Forces of Motion
Day 2: Building Structures; Circuits, Soldering, & Robots
 

Dates: Wednesday & Thursday, July 22 & 23; 9am - 3pm
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 260

Are you new to teaching physics?  Working toward your physics teacher certification? The WNY Region of the New York State Master Teacher Program is offering two workshops for new physics teachers this summer!

In these two 4-day workshops you will complete NYSSLS lab activities that will enhance your physics content knowledge, prepare you to teach using the new physics standards and will be fun!  You will experience effective physics classroom activities and strategies that lead to successful physics teaching.

Physics Olympics and making classroom-ready materials will be included throughout both workshops and in optional Friday sessions. 

Workshop 1:  Mechanics and Energy 

This workshop will include labs such as Modeling Pendulum Motion, Graphical Analysis of Motion, Modeling Newton’s Laws, Impulse and Conservation of Momentum, Conservation of Energy and the NYS Thermal Tails Investigation. Physics Olympics and making classroom ready materials will be included throughout the week and in optional Friday sessions.