2017 MCTM Math Contest results

Over 4000 Montana mathletes in grades 7-12 participated in the 2017 MCTM Math Contest this spring!  Participating students completed three 30 minute tests based on grade-level content.  Contest writers (all Montana math teachers) started correlating the tests with Common Core math standards in 2013.  

There are currently 12 regional contests:  Billings, Butte, Glasgow, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Livingston, Midstate (Winnett), Missoula, Sidney, and Southeast (Plevna).  The top male and female senior participants in each of these regions is awarded a $200 scholarship (must complete calculus and statistics based tests). Many regional contests also give out a plethora of prizes – from plaques to pizza coupons to graphing calculators.

 

Students who earn three superior ratings at their regional contests earn an achievement pin. 14 students from 12 different schools scored in the top 15% at the state level for each of the three tests that they completed this year. These state champion mathletes were rewarded with locker magnets.   

Most contests occur in March of each year. Not sure how to get your students involved in an MCTM regional math contest?  Contact Shari Kepner at math.contest.mctm@gmail.com or check out the MCTM website’s contest page at http://montanamath.org/?p=contest for regional director contact information, dates, and copies of past tests. Numerous regions hold their contests at colleges and universities, so these events are also an easy way to get your students to take a look at some higher education campuses. Join the fun in 2018!

A special thank you to Shari Kepner (our state contest director), Tony Riehl (or registration and scoring expert), our contest site directors, and our test writers for all that they do to make this contest possible. 

Nominate someone you know

The Dean Preble Award

The Dean Preble Memorial is awarded annually to a Montana educator who has made significant contributions to the teaching and learning of mathematics and who has consistently assumed a leadership role among math educators. Teacher-leaders at all levels, kindergarten through university, are eligible.

The Award

This award is given in memory of our colleague Dean Preble, who passed away from cancer in the fall of 1998. Dean was recognized for his unfailing support for mathematics education in the state of Montana. His dedication to the mathematics teaching profession, his love of his students, his involvement in state and national mathematics organizations, and his devotion to the improvement of mathematics education for all were unparalleled.

One of Dean's wishes was to establish an annual award to recognize outstanding teachers and leaders of mathematics in Montana. In keeping with his wish, MCTM created the Dean Preble Memorial Award. The award consists of an inscribed plaque, a $300 stipend, and a lifetime membership in MCTM. The award is presented at the MCTM annual meeting in October.

Award Criteria

Any member of MCTM may submit a nomination. Current members of the MCTM Board of Directors may not be nominated for this award.

• The nominee must be a current MCTM member.
• The nominee must have taught mathematics in Montana.
• The nominee must have a record of significant and consistent contributions to the teaching and learning of mathematics.
• The nominee must have a substantial record of participation and leadership in professional activities involving mathematics education.

Nomination Procedure

Nominations should consist of a maximum of two, double-spaced, typewritten pages and should directly address the criteria outlined above. The name, address, telephone number, and present position of both the nominee and the nominator must be included.

Deadline for submissions for the Dean Preble Memorial Award is June 15 annually. Nominations may be sent or e-mailed to:

Cliff Bara

Box 610

Troy - MT - 59935

cuda11235@gmail.com

Election Results

Congratulations are in order for our new board members and our new president elect.  Thank you to the election committee and to all the members that were willing to run for a position. 

Shari Kepner, Region 3 won the at large director position
Holly Redman, Region 5 won the Region 5 director position
Leslie Bogar, Region 5 is the new President Elect

Small Classroom Grant Award Winner - Nancy Pehl

As the 2016-2017 school year began I volunteered to be on our district’s STEM committee.  The committee included our 1st grade teacher, high school science teacher and myself.  We met the end of September and decided to concentrate on our 6th, 7th and 8th graders, 28 students.  The next step was deciding what type of project to undertake with them.  I attended a workshop at MEA which discussed a project similar to pinewood derby cars and races which caught my interest.  At our next committee meeting we looked through the Pitsco web page.  We decided to order their dragster kits. 

The dragsters are powered by CO2 cartridges and launched with a starting gate.   While waiting for the kits to arrive we had the students do some research on jobs related to the automobile industry such as mechanics, insurance, highway construction, to name a few.  We also talked with the students about how the CO2 cartridges work.  We did not meet with them in December but in January started building the cars.  We met with half the group each time and were glad for the smaller numbers as they needed more help than expected putting the cars together from the kits.  The next time we met we talked about friction and ways to possibly make their car faster.  We then met with them in the high school shop and they did some ‘doctoring’ on their cars.  Using sandpaper, chisels, and small saws was new to many.  We only had to glue one car back together!   We were then ready for the trial races.  All of us were amazed at how fast the cars went.  The end of January we raced the fastest cars at halftime of a basketball game.  The audience loved it!  The top three winners received ‘chamber bucks.’

We hope to do a similar project next year possibly using an inclined plane.  Thanks to all MCTM friends for helping fund this project.

Nancy Pehl

High School Math Teacher

Terry Public Schools

Small Classroom Grant Awardee - Shari Kepner

Those Things You Can’t Teach Without

I often tell other math teachers that there are a few non-negotiable tools that I need for my classroom: individual dry erase boards, graphing utilities to place in the hands of my students when and as needed that can be used anytime/anywhere (including on those long bus rides to extra-curricular events!), a document camera, an interactive whiteboard, and a graphing calculator emulator. I applied for and accepted a position at a new-to-me school this year, so trying to outfit my classroom with the tools I want was a bit of an adventure at the start of the school year. MCTM helped to make this adventure a happy one!

I used an MCTM Small Classroom Grant to purchase TI SmartView™ CE Emulator Software for the TI-84+ family of graphing calculators. A perpetual license for a single computer costs $156 and can be purchased from a dealer (look for discounts in the exhibitor hall if you’re attending NCTM in San Antonio this spring). You can also download a free, 90-day trial (visit https://education.ti.com/en/products/computer-software/ti-smartview-ce-for-84). Once you download the free trial, you have the option of purchasing a license online.

I really enjoy teaching with TI SmartView™ because it makes student-centered activities involving graphing calculators SO easy to manage. While one student (like Leah, at right) is manipulating the emulator in front of the class, I can check in with all the other student pairs or groups that might be having difficulty with their own calculators, whether it be keystroke sequences, error messages, or mode/format issues.

My absolute favorite function of TI SmartView™ is the  quick, easy drag-and-drop screenshot capability with SMART Notebook software. Yes, TI Connect™ software is free, but the necessity to use more cables, get your computer to recognize the calculator cable, and then the amount of mouse clicks needed to embed the image(s) into whatever document or program that you want to use...ugh. The drag-and-drop screenshot feature allows me to quickly put a graph/window/table (see left) - any screen view that you can create on the calculator - into our class notes (via SMART Notebook) that students can then access later on our class webpage to remind themselves of the necessary steps in their calculator exploration procedures.

If you have not explored the classroom possibilities of TI SmartView™, I strongly encourage you to check out the free trial. Additionally, I found the MCTM Small Classroom Grant Application to be quite simple to fill out and submit. Thanks, MCTM! -Shari Kepner

Job opportunity and PD opportunities

Here is a new job ad

Plains School Job Opening

Job Description

Plains School District is seeking a 7-12 mathematics teacher for the 2016-2017 academic year.  The teacher will be responsible for teaching a range of mathematics courses including 7-8 math, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus.

Applicants interested in coaching/advising extracurricular activities are encouraged to apply. 

Academic Qualifications

Applicant must be able to meet the qualifications for appropriate Montana certification and endorsement.

Supplemental Information

  

Please complete the following to apply:

 

11.)    District Application

22.)    Letter of Interest

33.)    Resume

44.)    Complete college Transcripts

56.)    3 letters of recommendation

District application can be found at: http://www.plainsschools.net

Here are two new opportunities for professional development

Attn. Teachers - Apply to be a part of Springtime in the Rockies this April 21-22!
Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry Lake

The Montana Learning Center has teamed up with Boeing, SAE International, and Rocky Mountain AWIM Initiative to bring you a unique opportunity to be on the forefront of K-5 STEAM education right here in Montana! Come and learn about engaging hands-on curriculum that will excite you and your students about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Springtime in the Rockies also includes a behind-the-scenes tour of Boeing-Helena.

Teachers who participate in Springtime in the Rockies will receive 18 Montana Office of Public Instruction renewal units and a complimentary SAE's A World in Motion classroom kit! Room and board is also provided free of charge for participants at the Montana Learning Center.

Space is limited to only 30 participating K-5 STEAM teacher leaders who teach in the formal classroom setting in Montana, so apply today! Applications are due March 1st. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance shortly after the application deadline.

For more information and registration, please visit:

https://goo.gl/forms/mGumLDKmn4qJWyYy1

Any questions regarding this opportunity should be directed to montanalearningcenter@gmail.com.

The Springtime in the Rockies conference is proudly designed and delivered by fellow Montana teachers. Funding for this opportunity is provided by Boeing, SAE International, Rocky Mountain AWIM Initiative, and the Montana Learning Center.

----

Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry Lake is a non-profit organization providing educational enrichment through critical thinking with the goal to inspire our next generation to do extraordinary things for the betterment of society. The MLC has proudly been serving students and teachers since 1984.

University of Washington’s College of Education and Teaching Channel invite you to participate in the pilot of an online Learning Lab. Argumentation in Mathematics An interactive online course designed for K-2 classroom teachers Constructing arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others is one of eight standards for mathematical practice described by the Common Core State Standards. Children of all ages can engage in mathematical argumentation by making claims about mathematical relationships, supporting their reasoning with evidence, making sense of one another’s arguments, and working together to try to reach consensus about whether mathematical claims are valid. This course features two classroom activities through which we can support our youngest learners to engage in argumentation: Which One Doesn’t Belong? and Same or Not the Same? Each week, you will explore ideas related to argumentation through brief readings, video vignettes, and participating in discussion. Lab coursework is meant to be interactive and closely tied to your classroom instruction, including opportunities to try out these activities with your students, discuss practice with other K-2 teachers, and share artifacts from your own practice. Course Details: ● This Learning Lab consists of 10 weeks of lessons. ● The course will begin mid-March and will include one “break week” in the spring. ● This pilot is offered at no cost. In fact, teachers will receive a $250 stipend for completion of the course and providing feedback via survey and interview. ● Coursework is likely to take 1-3 hours to complete each week. This can be completed at any point in the week that works for you. ● Some assignments involve filming students engaging in argumentation or submitting student work samples. You will need to have access to a camera or smartphone that will allow you to submit video artifacts. ● Researchers at the University of Washington are studying what teachers learn from professional collaboration in the Labs, using records of online work. Teachers who participate in a Learning Lab have the option to be included in this research. You may participate in a Learning Lab and receive compensation without participating in the research. Space in this pilot is limited. For questions, contact Kendra Lomax at klomax@uw.edu<mailto:klomax@uw.edu>. Project funded by the National Science Foundation