A Message from your MCTM President

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Each school year starts with anticipation and excitement and yes some nerves, not only in the hearts and minds of students, but perhaps even more so in the hearts and minds of teachers.  I am returning to the high school classroom after a seven year hiatus supporting teachers and students in mathematics K-12 at the district level. I keep telling myself it’s like riding a bike and fully expect the classroom routine to quickly become routine again–we’ll see. The thing is, I expect I return with new skills too, acquired from the amazing teachers I supported for the past seven years.. The majority of my past seven years was spent working with K-5 and here are the lessons from elementary mathematics I hope to bring to my high school classroom.

  • Structured math discourse through implementation of numbertalks, pattern talks and problem strings is key to helping students recognize and experience the flexibility of mathematics and problem solving. These lesson structures are empowering for students and need to be an essential part of the classrooms at every level.   
  • When students don’t understand a concept, it is important to uncover the root cause of the misunderstanding and then select or create interventions to build new understanding. It isn’t just what students know, it is how they know it. Long term understanding comes from deep development.
  • Changing beliefs and supporting a growth mindset are important steps in helping students learn and become resilient. It was not unusual in my past classroom experiences for students to give up quickly or to not engage at all because of a fear of not doing it right. Helping kids know and understand the research about mistakes and brain development should help them be less afraid of making mistakes.  
  • Listen, listen, listen and then listen some more. A very gifted 1st grade friend and colleague of mine lives the mantra..”they will tell you what they need”. Key into what students are truly saying, dig deep into their understanding and help guide and connect the dots.  

I am excited to return to the classroom and try out new ways to reach my students and to jump on that bike again.

A couple of updates from MCTM:

First a thank you to all of the volunteers from across the country who helped support Math on a Stick. Also huge thank you to Christopher Danielson for continuing to help us all see the beauty of mathematics through exploration.

Second, we are in the process of adding an Equity Committee to our organizational structure.  This committee replaces the Equity Task Force and will continue to support ongoing work in helping teachers meet the needs of each and every student.  Please reach out to me at mctmpresident@gmail.com if you would be interested in joining this committee and work.  

Emily Larsen, President of MCTM