Teaching Engineering Applications in Math and Science (TEAMS) Workshops

Hello Montana K-12 Educators!

Montana State University’s College  of Engineering is presenting the Teaching Engineering Applications in Math and Science (TEAMS) Workshops in which MSU Engineering and Education faculty members present new, exciting, and innovated ways to incorporate engineering into your math and science curriculum. TEAMS has been running for 6 years and has had workshops in on the Ft. Peck, Flathead, and Ft. Belknap Reservations, as well as in Bozeman, MT. This year we are holding 3 workshops: one in Pablo, MT on July 7^th and 8^th; one on the Crow Reservation on July 21^stand 22^nd; and one in Billings, MT on August 4th and 5^th. These workshop are one-and-a-half day workshops with presentations, activities, and demonstrations.

Participation is free, and participants receive $250 stipends and 16 OPI renewal units. Additionally, if TEAMSparticipants wish to enact an engineering lesson plan in their classroom during the fall, they can receive another $250 stipend.

For more information please visit the TEAMS website here: http://www.coe.montana.edu/TEAMS/ .

If you wish to sign up now, here is the link with the registration: http://www.coe.montana.edu/TEAMS/workshop-desc.html

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free call or email me, Julian Collins at (406)994-6723or julian.collins@coe.montana.edu.

Montana STREAM Project needs high school Design Team Members!

Dear Montana Mathematics Educator -

The Montana STREAM Project is seeking promising applicants for our high school Design Team!  

STREAM will offer a unique, yearlong professional learning experience for Montana high school teachers as they implement the Common Core Standards for Mathematics (MCCSM). We are looking for Montana educators with grades 9-12 teaching experience, mathematical expertise, and Common Core knowledge to create outstanding materials. The attached memo describes the STREAM professional development as well as the expectations and activities of the Design Team. Thank you for considering this opportunity - we hope you’ll apply! 

Apply by midnight Wednesday, August 5th by completing the survey at:http://tinyurl.com/STREAMHSapp 

Please apply if you are interested in the Design Team, regardless of complications! We will work on resolving potential date conflicts or limitations after reviewing all applications.

STREAM's K-8 Design Team members will confirm that this is an amazing professional growth experience for you as well as for our future audience. Don't miss out!

Dr. Jennifer Luebeck

STREAM Project Director

Associate Professor, Mathematics Education

Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, MSU-Bozeman

luebeck@math.montana.edu or 406-994-5341

Principles to Action Keynote - Billings, MT

Principles to Action Keynote - Billings, MT

Author Margaret S. Smith will offer a keynote address discussing the principles and actions essential to strengthen learning and teaching for all students. 

Billings West Auditorium 
9:00 AM August 4th, 2015

This keynote is sponsored by the Dewey J. Hansen and Helen Cothron Hansen Memorial Fund and BPS Education Foundation.

Contact Jamie Nixdorf via e-mail for more information! 

MBI - Math Presentation

In June MCTM provided the FIRST ever math presentation at the MBI Institute in Bozeman. It was co-presented by Jennifer Brackney and Angel Zickefoose. What a great experience!

We worked through 3 different areas of the Montana Common Core Math Standards - Focus, Coherence and Rigor.

Part 1 - Focus.  Participants looked at the 3-4 critical focus areas at their grade level and re-wrote the focus areas in their own words.  As participants read and worked through the critical focus areas, the conversations they engaged in were so fun to listen to! Educators from different areas started sharing ideas about how to teach the different topics in the focus areas and the conversation was very academic.

Part 2 -  Coherence.  Participants looked across the grade level and the progression of teaching multiplication skills across grade levels. In groups of 3-4, with a different grade band representing by each person, they were asked to match the problems shown here to the correct Montana Common Core Math Standard.

Again, the conversation was amazing and participants were able to look at more than just their grade level (which was great because there were a lot of teachers who taught more than just one grade level in their building). 

Part 3 - Rigor. The last hour of the presentation, participants worked with teachers from the same grade band.  They created progressions in Measurement and Data, Place Value, Fractions, Shapes, Addition & Subtraction and Properties of Operations. Participants looked at one standard and built a progression around that standard. They were responsible for finding the standard in the grade below and above them that relates to that standard. Next, they had to decide what changed from each grade level and what level of instructions were necessary for them at their grade level. Here are the progressions they created! 

The feedback that we received was very positive. Many thanks to Jake Warner at OPI for helping to get us on the agenda and to the MBI Coordinators Susan Bailey-Anderson and Marcy Otten!