I was recently given a copy of It’s a Numberful World: How Math is Hiding Everywhere by Eddie Woo. To say I was hesitant to start reading it is an understatement. Not only do I have a large stack of books that all have bookmarks showing their minimal progress, I hadn’t heard of WooTube, and I’m generally skeptical of anything labeled a math gift.
But eventually, curiosity got the best of me, and I felt compelled to explore Woo’s take on “how math is hiding everywhere.” Just three pages in, Woo asks a show-stopping question: “What does it mean to be a mathematician?”
Think about that for a moment. What do mathematicians do? What do they study?
Immediately, Tracy Zager’s 10 habits of a mathematician described in her book Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had came to mind. Among the 10 habits are asking questions, proving, using intuition and reasoning — each of those behaviors aligning with my vision of a mathematician. But what do mathematicians study? Numbers? Shapes? Functions?
Woo offers a very simplistic, and yet elegant answer: mathematicians study patterns.
What I find so powerful in this declaration is that it opens doors for everyone to be a mathematician. The days of hearing “I am not a math person” are numbered with this point of view. “The human brain is nothing if not a pattern-recognizing machine, built from the ground up to perceive patterns in our surroundings,” Woo writes.
But what impact can this have on our classrooms? What would change if we illuminated this idea, using it as the north star to the story of the math experiences we create?
Designing with this in mind — that we are here to look for and study patterns — might silence the “why are we learning this” questions and give purpose to students’ discoveries. Could it also help to focus instructional decisions and tie together essential learning?
As fall offers an opportunity to reflect on our progress and the journey ahead, I hope you find ways to reconnect with the curiosity in math, looking for patterns and seeing math hiding everywhere. The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) mathematics team is here to support you on your mathematical adventures.
We look forward to wonderful discoveries with you.
Audrey Mendivil
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Curious Kids: TK-2 Math and Science Storylines
Learn how the authentic integration of science and mathematics in TK-2 can activate student curiosity for deeper learning. Identify connections between the subjects and walk away with ways to implement integration in your classroom. Learn more and register to attend from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and Nov 2.
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Data Science for Everyone Coalition (DS4E)
Hosting the first in a series of Ask-Me-Anything events, DS4E is featuring an informal conversation with Stephanie Melville from San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). Come hear about SDUSD’s rollout of data science education for TK-12. Register to join the conversation at 3 p.m. on Oct. 25.
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California Mathematics Council — Southern Annual Conference
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Launch Years Math Organizations Leadership Network
The Dana Center is bringing together mathematics organizations interested in collaborating to advocate for and strengthen work that improves the experiences and outcomes for students transitioning from the last two years of high school into the first two years of postsecondary education. Register to join the upcoming Launch Years Math Organizations webinar and learn more about the critical issues related to the transition years.
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National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2021 Fall Virtual Conference
The NCTM Fall Virtual Conference registration includes access to all 120 new sessions both live and for 45 days after the event. Early-bird registration for the NCTM 2021 Fall Virtual Conference is available until Oct. 20.
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SDSU Graduate Program for Mathematics, Science Education
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New Speaker Series from UC San Diego Math Project
A new speaker series features mathematics professors speaking on topics related to high school mathematics. Beginning Nov. 13, educators are invited to exciting and accessible talks designed for high school teachers and graduate students to utilize in their future career to stimulate students' interest and deepen their understanding of mathematics. The series is supported by the National Science Foundation, UC San Diego Math, and in collaboration with UC San Diego Math Project and CREATE program. View a flyer of the four Saturday zoom sessions.
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Global Math Department
Designed as a group of math educators sharing what they’ve learned, the Global Math Department offers professional development among colleagues who are also friends. Fun, immediately useful and interesting, webinars are hosted Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. You can find archives of recordings, get the webinars in podcast form, or visit their YouTube channel to find videos of past sessions and related content.
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Equity Conference
Join hundreds of educators, parents, students, policymakers, advocates, and community members to advance educational equity for California’s students at the 2022 Equity Conference on Jan. 20 and 21 at the San Diego Convention Center. The Equity Conference will be an opportunity to grow and learn as we work to make our campuses safe spaces for all students, staff members, and families, where they feel honored and valued.
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The Sum Of it All Podcast
Join SDCOE's Audrey Mendivil and Mark Alcorn in an asynchronous book club for educators. Read along with us and continue the conversation on Twitter: #SumMathChat or email sumofitallpodcast@sdcoe.net.
Did you miss the previous seasons? Dive into selections from Cathy Seeley’s Faster Isn’t Smarter (Season 3); explore how to become a better teacher of students with disabilities with Humanizing Disability in Mathematics Education: Forging New Paths by Paulo Tan, Alexis Padilla, Erica N. Mason, and James Sheldon (Season 2); and learn about transforming our classrooms with Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics (Season 1) with the Sum of It All podcast.
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Adjusted CAASPP Blueprint
During its September meeting, the California State Board of Education approved the use of the adjusted blueprints for the Smarter Balanced summative assessments for English language arts/literacy and mathematics for the 2021-22 administration. The blueprints, which are identical to those used during the 2020-21 administration, are available on the Test Development web page of the Smarter Content Explorer website.
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2021-22 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching K-6 Application Cycle Now Open
Do you have an outstanding science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teacher in your life? Applications for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are now open for the 2021-22 Award Cycle. Nominate an exceptional K-6th grade STEM teacher for PAEMST today!
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Revised Mathematics Framework Timeline
The 2021 Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Mathematics Framework) is under revision. While the timeline has been updated, you can still access and read the drafted chapters. If you’d like to get regular updates from the California Department of Education, join the mailing list.
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Mathematics, Policy, and Leadership Network
Interested in learning more about policy news and events? Join SDCOE for our Mathematics, Policy, and Leadership Network for the next event on Nov. 16. For more information email Mindy Shacklett.
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The Mathematics Education Trust (MET)
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To increase understanding and expertise in fostering support of multi-language development in mathematics, TODOS and NCTM have partnered to provide up to $4,000 for in-service and professional development of teachers.
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Grants from the Greater San Diego Math Council (GSDMC) are available to local educators and awarded on a rolling basis to support teachers during the pandemic. From integrating technology to providing manipulatives and supporting access and equity for all students, GSDMC has a grant or scholarship for you.
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Jessica Nordell shares the story of professor and mathematician Federico Ardila-Mantilla in Math is Personal. Centered on what he learns about teaching and mathematics, Ardila-Mantilla’s discoveries offer insight into our classrooms and experiences. Listen to the Sum of It All podcast, season 4, to hear a discussion on this text.
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Rachel Lambert adds her take on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mathematics education in her latest article, The Magic is in the Margins, where she introduces UDL Math Design Elements.
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Tiffany Jokerst, a ninth- through twelfth-grade mathematics and engineering teacher at West Hills High School in the Grossmont Union High School District, is one of the five exceptional educators named by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond as the 2022 California Teachers of the Year. Jokerst, who has been teaching for 15 years, gets her students past their fear of math by building relationships through endearing interaction, humorous activities like disco polynomial day, and facilitating discussions beyond math – all to create a safe environment where students can take risks, learn from one another, and thrive. We are proud to have her representing our county and state!
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Laura Wheeler helps make complex learning easier to comprehend with her sketchnotes, including illustrating Peter Liljedahl’s research in his book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. Now, teachers trying on the 14 teaching practices have a new tool with a lock-screen image Wheeler created with prompts to help students keep thinking. Check out how she has been using the lock-screen image in her blogpost.
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One of the greatest tools in developing teacher practice can be the use of student video. From analyzing student thinking, to sharing best practices with colleagues — videos of students exploring mathematics are always in demand to aid teacher growth. Dr. Melissa Gallagher has compiled hours of video that can be used to explore student mathematical thinking in Spanish (grades 3 to 6 in fractions) and has made them available to other educators through a brief request form.
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