MCTM Foundation News, May 2021
Every year, the Foundation supports MCTM CONNECT; during the event, a drawing is held for a certificate that guarantees financial support for attending the next year’s MCTM Spring Conference. Congratulations to Jenna Race, this year’s drawing winner. At the 2019 CONNECT event, Jim Wolfram received the certificate; he will receive support for Spring 2022 also.
I would like to share what some of our grantees for this spring virtual conference wrote:
“One of my favorite sessions from the entire conference was about the history of assessment, and a reimagining of math assessments moving forward. I learned about how assessments have been used over time to measure different skills, and I learned about the many fallacies that exist within assessments, including their tendency to not equitably measure students’ abilities. It was interesting and eye opening to realize how much power I, and other teachers, have in adjusting the way we assess our students in the future. I learned about actionable ways to get involved with other teachers, school districts, parents, and students to address adjusting future assessments in a way that properly measures various math and reasoning skills, while being more equitable and less procedural-oriented. I look forward to rewatching the video recording of this talk and talking more notes.”
“Another memorable session I was able to attend was for teachers in their first few years of teaching, or for students teachers going into their first year of teaching. There was a panel of four teachers that were in their first or second year teaching, and we were able to ask several questions about what it looks like to enter this career. It was amazing to get the opportunity to have these conversations with people who are currently going through this crazy year and gain a new perspective.“
“ At the Social Justice and Math session, I learned a lot of practical ways to incorporate social justice into my classroom. She talked about giving students “voice and choice,” meaning that students have space to make their own decision but also can choose an option you give them, which helps meet all students where they are at. This idea of “voice and choice” can be useful not only during social justice lessons, but during all lessons.”
I hope to see all of you in person at the 2022 Spring Conference.