Designed for high school math teachers.
Struggling learners often need concrete and visual experiences to develop understanding as they move seamlessly between linear, quadratic, and exponential functions and in creating equations. This program will include vertical alignment as it relates to the structure of mathematics (MP 7), making connections to the middle grades curriculum in order to utilize the strategies students already know or have been exposed to. We will spend considerable time focused on the major clusters in Creating Equations and Interpreting Functions; making connections to the building blocks of middle grades and the Math I standards. Participants will step outside their abstract comfort zone to reach down to the concrete and pictorial levels where struggling learners can grasp concepts that generally elude them. We will incorporate the TI-84 graphing calculator as an instructional tool to move students from concrete concept development to abstract application. You will experience the 8 Mathematical Practices as a student experiences them and examine the Mathematics Teaching Practices as outlined in “Principles to Action” (NCTM).