USING DIGITAL OPEN-SOURCE EDUCATION RESOURCES IN THE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM Presented by Dr. Paul Gray Chief Curriculum Officer Cosenza & Associates, LLC or Session #209 National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics 47 th Annual Conference Boston, Massachusetts April 14, 2015

SESSION OVERVIEW Theoretical Framework Sample Resources for Open Educational Resources (OER) Strategies for Building a Lesson 2

WHAT IS A CURATOR? The core task of a curator remains working with objects - acquiring, researching, storing and interpreting them for the public (Museums Association). The curator is in charge of developing, safeguarding, studying, and publicizing the collection in his or her care (The Louvre). 3

TEACHER AS CURATOR “A curator knows art, collects it, cares for it, and delights in sharing it with others, helping them see it in ways they may not have discovered if left on their own. We choose this term for teachers who do these things with literature, opening this way of knowing the world to their students.” (Eeds & Peterson, 1991, p. 118) Teachers should go beyond transactional learning to help students develop insight into the content (Eeds & Peterson, 1991) Practice your own reading Practice writing with students Listen carefully to students as they talk about a book Trust the books, trust the students, and trust yourself 4

THAT’S NICE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MATH? Mathematics is a complex and beautiful body of knowledge as well as a complex way of knowing. Mathematical experiences are like literature – students glean meaning and understanding from the mathematical tasks we pose to them. 5

AND SPEAKING OF TASKS… “All tasks are not created equal – different tasks require different levels and kinds of student thinking.” (Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, 2009) “Mathematical tasks are a set of problems or a single complex problem the purpose of which is to focus students’ attention on a particular mathematical idea.” (Briars, 2011) Mathematical tasks are essential to students’ opportunities to learn mathematics – what it is and how to do it – and influence learning by directing attention to aspects of content and ways to process the information (Briars, 2011). 6

AND SPEAKING OF TASKS… Effective teaching of mathematics engages students in solving and discussing tasks that promote mathematical reasoning and problem solving and allow multiple entry points and varied solution strategies. Principles to Action, 2014, p. 17 7

HOW MATH LEADERS CAN HELP To ensure that instructional materials create excitement and motivation, are developmentally appropriate, and support high-quality lessons: Provide access to rich instructional resources; Guide the selection of instructional resources; Involve teachers in the selection of instructional resources It’s TIME: A Leadership Framework for Common Core Mathematics, 2014, p. 33 8

LET’S LOOK AT SOME DIGITAL ARTIFACTS!

OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES Interactive sketches for geometry and pictorial models Standard-specific (Texas TEKS) aligned instructional resources brary.html brary.html Library of interactive, Java-based virtual manipulatives p/1/oer/math_OERforMath. html p/1/oer/math_OERforMath. html Clearinghouse for OER /simulations/category/math /simulations/category/math Interactive simulations Mobile-based and Java-based interactives by topic and grade band

CURATING A LEARNING EXPERIENCE 5E lesson design Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate Three-Act Tasks Inquiry Lesson Design Other experience-based lesson framework 11

POSSIBLE LESSON FRAMEWORK Lesson StageStudent/Teacher ActivityResources Introduction Content Exploration Content Formalization Application 12

PAUSE AND REFLECT How can these lesson components be integrated into a coherent learning experience? How do digital tasks support high-quality student learning? How can OER provide tasks that “promote mathematical reasoning and problem solving and allow multiple entry points and varied solution strategies” (P2A)? 13

REFERENCES Eeds, M., & R. Peterson. (1991, October). Teacher as curator: Learning to talk about literature. The Reading Teacher 45(2), pp Stein, M. K., et al. (2009). Implementing standards-based mathematics instruction: A casebook for professional development. 2 nd ed. New York: Teachers College Press. Briars, D. J. (2011). High-leverage actions for mathematics education leaders. Symposium conducted at the NCTM 2011 Annual Meeting & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN. National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. (2014). It’s TIME: A leadership framework for Common Core mathematics. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2014). Principles to action: Ensuring mathematical success for all. Reston, VA: NCTM. 14

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUCCESS STORIES? Dr. Paul Gray PowerPoint available on (Events and Conferences section) 15