I'll spare the abundant shout-outs of gratitutde for the weekend that was just CUE 2015 in Palm Springs, California. Every year that I've been fortunate to attend, I walk away with something useful. Early on, it was a tool, or a whole pile of them, to try out in my classroom. Now more than ever, I don't go for tools - I attend conferences to connect with smart people. And to dance (Thanks Jennie).
Two of those people, Karl Lindgren-Streicher and Victoria Olson, posed an incredibly interesting question in a Voxer channel that we are all a part of. That question was this:
Who did we meet this year that we didn't know before who does mad cool stuff? Which one of those people are you going to reach out to and say that you're going to submit a session on that thing?
Challenge Accepted
The first person I want to ask to present with is a student, Alex Bockert. Her Instagram post that showcased a pile of paper as a sum of her year's work has evolved into a couple of on-stage presentations about school from a student's desk and I believe that her message needs to gain traction. If Alex is willing, I'd like to go in with her and facilitate a session that is centered on asking attendees to discuss and share how you, the teacher, can improve my, the student, learning. THAT would be a solid session.
The second person I want to ask to present with is Cindy Bak, a program specialist and doctoral candidate. With the outpouring of technology in districts, there has been an influx of technology coaches and TOSA positions to support them. But who supports us? Who coaches the coaches? I loved her enthusiasm and insight during the session that we were in and would love to build a CUE16 proposal with Cindy on what we can do to support each other, thereby supporting our teachers and students.
The third person I want to ask to present with is Heidi Shimamoto, a teacher in Oxnard. While in our Rockstar Jam Session for La Cucina Matematica, Heidi was overjoyed with all of the great resources that the MTBoS has provided for free, but it wasn't just a giddy and gone type of excitement. She was driven to find ways to infuse these new ideas into her classroom. At the end of the session, we asked each person to share what they've learned at CUE in an interesting way, and this is her work below. Heidi, I hope you'll put in a session with me about giving students choice:
Who did we meet this year that we didn't know before who does mad cool stuff? Which one of those people are you going to reach out to and say that you're going to submit a session on that thing?
Challenge Accepted
The first person I want to ask to present with is a student, Alex Bockert. Her Instagram post that showcased a pile of paper as a sum of her year's work has evolved into a couple of on-stage presentations about school from a student's desk and I believe that her message needs to gain traction. If Alex is willing, I'd like to go in with her and facilitate a session that is centered on asking attendees to discuss and share how you, the teacher, can improve my, the student, learning. THAT would be a solid session.
The second person I want to ask to present with is Cindy Bak, a program specialist and doctoral candidate. With the outpouring of technology in districts, there has been an influx of technology coaches and TOSA positions to support them. But who supports us? Who coaches the coaches? I loved her enthusiasm and insight during the session that we were in and would love to build a CUE16 proposal with Cindy on what we can do to support each other, thereby supporting our teachers and students.
The third person I want to ask to present with is Heidi Shimamoto, a teacher in Oxnard. While in our Rockstar Jam Session for La Cucina Matematica, Heidi was overjoyed with all of the great resources that the MTBoS has provided for free, but it wasn't just a giddy and gone type of excitement. She was driven to find ways to infuse these new ideas into her classroom. At the end of the session, we asked each person to share what they've learned at CUE in an interesting way, and this is her work below. Heidi, I hope you'll put in a session with me about giving students choice:
Once upon a time…there was a middle school math teacher.
And every day…she worked her butt off alone trying to make math real and fun for her students.
Until one day….she went to CUE.
And because of that…the learned about many tools that would simplify and improve her teaching life.
And because of that…she was energized and excited about getting back to her students.
And because of that…she became a better teacher and learner!
Until finally…her students also became enthused about learning math.
And ever since that day…Room 301 has been a place where everyone believes that learning math is FUN!*
*Story Spine borrowed from Kenn Adams and Pixar
via Heidi Shimamoto
Happy "New Connections Are Always Meaningful" Fishing
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