MidSchoolMath National Conference 2016

Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure of attending the MidSchoolMath Naitonal Conference, as well as the Math Story Project Development workshops in Taos. While there, I witnessed the beauty of truly engaging professional development; teachers invigorated by the idea of bringing creativity, and their stories, into their mathematics classrooms. Fueled by the fire (and ice) of Everest and Iditarod, the stories began to grow, and grow…and GROW.

Then panic set in.

“This is an epic story. I don’t know how to tell it in one week!”
“How am I supposed to fit this in and also cover all of the curriculum?”
“I don’t have three weeks to give to this story.”
“I don’t think my principal will let me veer from the pacing guide to do this.”
“I don’t think I have the time.”
“I want to do this. But I just can’t do this.”

I feel their frustration. I didn’t even come close to “covering” all of the math standards last year, and I felt I did my students a disservice. It is my job to be sure they know the content they are being tested on. It is also my job to be sure I don’t kill them with boredom.

My solution to this dilemma was to begin designing a system in which the story becomes a thread of continuity through a year-long curriculum. Thus, there is now one story in my classroom, with just one main character . . . who just keeps showing up! His presence brings continuity, creativity, and quite a bit of humor to the regular curriculum.

Join me for this session, where I'll share the framework and backwards design process I used to create a "NeverEnding Story" in the mathematics classroom.

Note: Try to bring a bring an “end of unit” assessment question from your regular curriculum with you to this session!