MCTM Elementary Endowment Update- September 2026
We recently experienced our very first Endowment-sponsored math workshop for elementary teachers. Thirty teachers participated in this workshop which was held in person at Hamline University and remotely in Cloquet and Houston. Terry Wyberg facilitated two fabulous days of learning about early math trajectories. We engaged in a variety of learning activities and left feeling very inspired!
Here is a summary of participant feedback:
Key Takeaways & Core Concepts
- Subitizing & “Izing” Concepts: Deep dive into subitizing types (perceptual vs. conceptual), unitizing, and “groupitizing,” along with how these foundational visual-math skills scaffold up through the grades.
- Problem-Solving Structures: Exploring different types of story problems—moving beyond standard “join result unknown” tasks to align with high-stakes assessments like the MCA.
- Foundational Numeracy & Trajectories: Reconnecting with the deep theories, counting principles, and learning trajectories (such as Learning Trajectories for Young Learners) that explain the “why” behind early math development.
Actionable Strategies & Classroom Implementation
- Daily Routines: Establishing daily “Dot Talks” and subitizing warm-ups right from day one of the school year.
- Hands-On Learning & Tools: Increasing the purposeful use of physical manipulatives, counting collections, and classic visual tools like dot plates.
- Formative Assessment: Leveraging assessment protocols to pinpoint student strengths, track growth along learning trajectories, and differentiate instruction effectively.
- Vocabulary & Rigor: Normalizing formal math vocabulary and focusing on high-quality foundational concepts to meet all scholars’ needs.
We are thrilled with teachers’ responses and look forward to the Endowment’s next steps! Stay tuned! If you would like to be notified when applications for our 27-28 cohort are announced, fill out this form.
Pictures can be found on the endowment page of the MCTM website.