Celebrating Success Math GAINS Co-Teaching Project Anchor Session #3 Mississauga Grand Banquet Centre June 2 & 3, 2010 1

Reviewing our Norms Start and end on time. Contribute to a safe learning environment that encourages risk taking; be kind. Listen actively; speak fearlessly. Invest in your own learning and the learning of others. All electronic communication devices off except during lunch/break. Suffering is optional!

Overview of the Day The Morning Welcome Some Problem-Solving Tasks Sharing your Success – Lesson Carousel Personal Reflection & Goal Setting

Overview of the Day The Afternoon Helping Students … by being less helpful! Tea Time with Tony Alan's Announcements An important book & some parting gifts

The complete set of "Figure This" problems is available at: Smiles & Frowns The complete set of "Figure This" problems is available at: www.figurethis.org

If we can't see the Big Idea?

The Jelly Bean Problem A jar of jelly beans sat on the teacher's desk: Doug was really hungry, so he ate ½ the jelly beans in the jar. Richard forgot to bring his lunch, so he ate 1/3 of the remaining jelly beans. Anja saw the boys eating jelly beans and wanted some too. So, she ate one fourth of the jelly beans left in the jar. When Sarah came back from lunch, she quickly sat down and got ready for the start of math class. The teacher rewarded her with 6 jelly beans.

More about jelly beans … Now Ria wanted jelly beans too, but there were only 3 jelly beans left in the jar. Ria's teacher told her that she could have the 3 jelly beans, if Ria could determine how many jelly beans were in the jar to begin with! This is a "family friendly" challenge. How many different ways can you solve the problem and represent your solution?

What did you learn from solving the problem? At your table, talk about … the different problem solving strategies you saw used the mathematical processes that were employed the curriculum connections made how the problem facilitates math talk

The Carousel Activity What is the difference that made the difference? Minds On Student groupings A neat activity A different consolidation strategy

The Carousel Activity … continued Use the carousel activities menu to divide the members of your family group, evenly, among the various stations There will be two rotations of 15 minutes each, followed by 15 minutes of sharing with your family group Use the carousel organizer to make notes about the lessons you viewed

Break Time! Approximate break time: 10:30 – 10:45

Now, on to the next set of rotations During this round, anyone who presided over a carousel station during the first two rotations should have the opportunity to visit other stations Again, there will be two 15 minute rotations

Personal Reflection & Goal Setting Recall … A big idea of co-teaching is to reflect on your current classroom practice, whatever that may be, and ask: “What can I add to my practice to help students understand the concepts I am teaching more deeply?” Now, reflecting on what you've seen during the carousel rotations, choose & commit to trying something new next year. Write it down, and share it with the other members of your team.

Helping Students … by being less helpful!

Tea Time with Tony Imagine you were in the position of planning what Peel's Math GAINS Co-teaching Project will look like next year … what would you say to the board's new director, Tony Pontes (a former math teacher) to gain his approval?

Gathering Information … Tony has asked you for information about what you thought of this year's project. Specifically, he wants you to come up with: Two Stars (two things you really liked about this year's project) And One Wish (one thing you wish you could change/improve upon for next year) Find blank star and wish cards on your table. Individually, fill out your two stars and one wish.

How to share the information Look at the numbered card you received after lunch. Identify the other people in the room whose number has the same # of factors as your number does. Form groups of three or four with these people and share your two stars and a wish with each person in turn. Each person at your table should have a numbered card. Determine the total number of factors that the number on your card has. Find other people in the room whose card has the same # of factors as yours does.

How to use the information Return to your family groups and share what you've learned. Identify (for Tony) the successes and the challenges. Post your successes. Choose one challenge that you would like to see addressed, and post it. (Please note: we will post "TIME" as a challenge … you pick something else) Use one piece of chart paper to record the mutually agreed upon successes (stars) for the project this year. As a group, agree upon one challenge that you faced this year … that you would like to bring up to the whole group.

Graffiti: 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 minute response State on the chart paper: Issues or details about this challenge Strategies that you would use to overcome this challenge Any other things that come to mind Write your challenge on a separate piece of chart paper. Identify the details or specific issues that come into play. List the strategies your group would employ to overcome the challenge, if you were planning for next year's project. Post your information.

Alan's Announcements T H I S Y E A R N E X T Y E A R Share Point Site – Update/Status Purchase Orders – June 4th, 2010 Use of PAM Code 59 – June 18th, 2010 Reimbursements, etc. – June 23rd, 2010 Professional Learning – TIPS4RM Institute N E X T Y E A R Some Funding Information A Few Tentative Plans As We Look Ahead – Interest, Support, Building Capacity, etc.

The Important Book Wendy will read Margaret Wise Brown's "The Important Book" to the group. She will challenge them to reflect on their experience with Math GAINS and write about what was most important to them.

Creating Your Own Page The important thing about Math GAINS is … It's like … It can be … It isn't … It is … But the important thing about Math GAINS is …

It's a long journey … so, take the Greyhound! Start where they are … take them somewhere new … and challenge them to find their own way to the next destination. We said at the beginning of the project that you're starting out on a journey. In order to make great progress, you need to be prepared to move slowly at first. We tried to start where you were! We've tried to help you to shift your practice in some meaningful way and to inspire and challenge you to find your own way forward to the next destination on your journey. The quote at the bottom of the page is taken from a song called Greyhound. We hope your journey will be a long and rewarding one … don't be so focused on getting to your destination that you fail to appreciate all the wonderful things that will happen along the way. Thank you. In bus rides and life … it's got to be the goin', not the gettin' there that's good. -Harry F. Chapin

Celebrate, Celebrate … Dance to the music …