2015 Candidates for Vice President – Elementary

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Michael Wallus

Current Position
Elementary Mathematics Coordinator
Minneapolis Public Schools
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Education
Med in Teaching and Learning, St. Mary’s University, 2001
BAS in Elementary Education, University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995

Goals as MCTM Officer
Throughout my career MCTM has had a huge impact on my practice and has consistently been a source of outstanding professional development. My goal is to continue that legacy of strong professional development, particularly at the elementary level.   Developing a deep and flexible conceptual understanding of mathematics in the elementary grades is the foundation of a successful mathematics experience for our students. I believe it is critical for MCTM to invest time and energy in providing a strong vision of quality math instruction at the elementary level and to provide professional development to support that vision. If elected I will work to consistently provide strong professional development opportunities, broaden the base of teachers who participate in MCTM and expand the ways that MCTM shares resources with its members—particularly via our webpage and online presence.

Professional Affiliations

  • Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Education Minnesota
  • Education Minnesota

Involvement in MCTM and Mathematics Education

  • 2014- Present, MCTM District 5 Director
  • 2012 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) winner
  • 2008- 2011, Adjunct Faculty Member, The Project for Elementary Mathematics, Hamline University
  • 2008- 2014, Presenter at MCTM, NCTM Regional and MESPA conferences

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Melissa Hein

Current Position
Math Specialist/Lead Teacher, Harambee Elementary, Roseville Area Schools

Education
Master of Arts in Teaching, Hamline University
Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education, Mankato State University

Goals as MCTM Officer
My goal is to advocate and promote high quality professional development for elementary teachers, not only around how children learn mathematics, but also to help teachers themselves develop a better understanding of mathematics. I especially see a need to reach out to the many elementary teachers who may not be MCTM members… those who feel that they are “not good at math”. In fact, mathematics is the area that most elementary teachers state they feel least comfortable teaching. We cannot hope to help students make connections and see relationships among the different branches of mathematics or to other subject areas if we ourselves aren’t knowledgeable about them. We cannot hope to inspire students to continue to study mathematics and to believe it is relevant to their lives if we ourselves don’t really understand those connections and relationships.

I believe it is critical for us as elementary teachers to improve our own understanding of mathematics beyond (and below) the level at which we teach. Only if we have a solid conceptual understanding ourselves can we adequately prepare students for the next level, and successfully intervene with students whose misunderstandings and shaky foundations cause them to fall farther behind each day. We need to become as good at diagnosing and intervening around math difficulties and misconceptions as we are at diagnosing and intervening around reading difficulties. To accomplish this, elementary teachers need more opportunities to develop and become comfortable , personally and professionally, as learners of mathematics. Only then can we be the math teachers our students need us to be.

Professional Affiliations

  • Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Involvement in MCTM and Mathematics Education
My responsibilities as a building Math Specialist/Lead Teacher include or have included:

  • planning and facilitating staff development around elementary mathematics
  • providing Title I math intervention support for students in grades 1-6
  • co-teaching a daily, 70 minute language-sheltered math class with an English as a Second Language teacher
  • providing math enrichment for students in grades K-5
  • peer coaching
  • parent education around current practices in mathematics
  • Region 11 PLC facilitator, grades 3-5 (Rational Numbers)
  • Region 11 PLC facilitator, grades K-2 (Number Sense)
  • Participation on District Mathematics Curriculum review committee
  • Representing mathematics education on site Educational Leadership Team
  • Participation in Math Leaders Network
  • Attending MCTM Spring Conferences, and sharing with building staff

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