This free event for elementary educators is put on by Build Math Minds, created by Christina Tondevold. Christina offers lots of other free trainings and resources for teachers. To learn more about Build Math Minds and the professional development offerings go here.
At the time of the session shown below, the session will go "live" and many of the speakers will be in the Chat area answering your questions.
Most sessions are between 40-60 minutes, but we also have some MINI sessions that are less than 30 minutes. Those sessions have MINI next to the title of the session.
All VMS sessions will be available to watch for free through March 3rd at 10pm Pacific time. After that the sessions will only be available for members of the Build Math Minds PD site.
Cynthia did this session for the 2018 Virtual Math Summit, but it is such a great way to take notes and help us solidify our learning that I release it for a short time before every summit.
This session will only be available before the summit starts. It will be taken down before the keynote starts on Feb. 22.
All times are U.S. Pacific Time Zone
Tasks are neither good nor bad. They are inert. It takes pedagogy to bring them to life. In this session we look at some of the tasks from our recently released book, Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, Grades K-5, and unpack the subtle and not-so-subtle pedagogies that accompany each task.
Website: www.buildingthinkingclassrooms.com
Equity in education is about ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. In this session, we will explore how to break free from traditional assessment practices that perpetuate achievement gaps and limit students' potential. Too often, assessments are used to label students rather than to foster learning and growth. These labels can shape students' perceptions of their abilities and limit their achievements. This session will introduce you to practical assessment strategies that prioritize student agency, especially for those from marginalized groups. Learn how to use a rubric that not only evaluates proficiency but also offers constructive feedback, helping students identify areas for growth and chart a clear path towards improvement.
Teaching problem solving is hard. It is about helping students learn to make sense, think, and reason. Problem solving is not a procedure and it can't be done for our students. We have to help them learn to think, reason, and solve problems on their own. In this session, participants will learn about how to do just that through engaging daily problem-solving routines that focus on thinking and discussion. Classroom-ready resources will be shared.
Twitter: JohnSanGiovanni
When we avoid the trap of algorithms, more students can learn more math. Learn how students can take advantage of the power of generalizing without getting trapped. In this session, learn how we can develop mathematical reasoning, get better results, and reach more students.
Website: http://www.mathisfigureoutable.com
Using pictures to start mathematical conversations is a sure-fire way to engage all learners. Images will spark curiosity. Visualizing math is the key to understanding and solving problems. Come see if a picture is worth a thousand words
Website: http://www.KristenAcosta.com
In a world that is ever changing, we have begun to notice a huge need for shifting the way in which we are instructing our students in mathematics. As an instructional coach you have the opportunity to help guide our educators as they become proficient math facilitators. During our time together you will gain new insights as to how to structure your coaching cycle to empower both teachers and students on their journey towards mathematical excellence. We will focus on key pillars such as creating impactful goals, unpacking standards, exploring engaging mathematical tasks, as well as co-teaching and modeling in a mathematical environment. By the end of our time together, you will emerge equipped with newfound insights and practical techniques to structure your coaching cycle effectively, empowering educators to excel as math facilitators.
Website: http://www.kellygreenconsulting.com
How often have you found yourself re-teaching old material to students? It's so common that it can't be because last year's teacher simply forgot to cover the content. In fact, often it seems students forget much of what we know has been taught in the past year or even six months. This is not inevitable. It’s actually easily preventable. In this workshop, we'll focus on this outcome: Three effective techniques you can use to stop your students forgetting what they learn.Then I'll share how you can spend less time revisiting content, help your students go deeper, and see hard work turn into long-term results. I'll draw on research into cognition, memory and conceptual learning in mathematics to answer these two questions: 1. When should students interact with content so they remember what they learn? 2. How should students interact with content so they remember what they learn? You'll look at how focusing on one of these questions isn't enough. But, the combination of both brings long-lasting learning.
If we wish to finally succeed in improving student achievement in mathematics, we need to think deeply about what mathematics is and how it is best learned, to take a careful look at our own relationship with mathematics. In this session you will learn about a collaborative professional learning structure designed to build students’ mathematical identities and agency as teacher teams strengthen their relationships with mathematics and expand their instructional expertise. Based on the book Power Up Your Math Community: A 10-Month Practice-Based Professional Learning Guide, Holly will show you how to upgrade your school’s mathematics program while growing collective efficacy among educators.
Website: http://www.inspiredmathematicsmt.com
Math can often feel like a foreign language. Too many content-specific and multi-meaning words become a barrier to understanding. By harnessing the power of dual coding theory, pairing words and visuals helps make learning stick!
In this interactive session, you’ll participate in quick doodle activities that you can use with your students next week! We’ll play a few rounds of sketching “words as their meaning” and unpack how intentional vocabulary teaching benefits all learners, not just multilingual learners. By looking at your own grade level’s content vocab, you can start to think about implementing these types of interactive lessons and creating student-generated word walls as references throughout a unit of study.
This is not a sit-back-and-listen type of workshop, but one where you’ll put pen to paper and doodle on purpose, not out of boredom! We’re focusing on ideas, not art, so anyone can attend this session, even if you think you “can’t” draw. By incorporating sketchnoting into math class, you can support learners in connecting abstract math concepts and building a deeper sense of understanding, all while having a lot of fun!
Website: http://energizingeducators.com
In this interactive session, we'll explore the power of using multiple representations—physical, visual, symbolic, verbal, and contextual—to deepen student understanding in K-5 mathematics. Participants will learn strategies for effectively using and connecting these representations as tools to observe and assess student thinking, identify misconceptions, and guide instruction. Through hands-on activities and guiding questions, teachers will gain practical tools for fostering a more comprehensive mathematical understanding in their classrooms.
Website: http://www.shannonolson.com
Want to reach and engage your most disinterested students? Want to help reduce math anxiety for those who are overwhelmed or ready to "check out?" There's no better way to ease students into a math lesson than with a fun & engaging picture book. In this session, Bethany will share the many benefits of incorporating picture books into your math lessons, as well as dig into the types of picture books out there and how to choose just the right story for your chapter or unit. Then she'll share a handful of picture book examples and explore different math concepts they can tie into or unique questions or activities you can explore with your students along with the books.
Website: http://www.mathgeekmama.com
Ever wanna use YouTube in your classroom more? GOOD! It can help your students even more than you think! We'll talk the Why, the What, and the How in this session to dominate on The YouTube like we're a bunch of Hermiones!!
Website: http://www.tarveracademy.com
Whether you are working in a classroom setting, small group, or even planning for independent learning, students will differ in how they are motivated to learn, understand the information presented, and are able share what they know. Universal Design for Learning helps teachers acknowledge these variances and plan meaningful lessons for all students. Learn more about Universal Design for Learning and how the framework can be applied to mathematics tasks to make them more accessible to all students.
Website: http://www.mathgeekmama.com
In the early elementary grades the focus is (and should be) on building number sense, place value, and operations of addition & subtraction. However, we do need to find ways to still include the other math standards. In this session you will get activities you can use that address the measurement standards in PreK-2 but also help reinforce number sense, place value, and operations.
Website: www.BuildMathMinds.com
Dive into a transformative approach to math education that’s designed to engage every student with meaningful, real-world math! Chapter 1 of the Mathematics Framework sets the stage for groundbreaking, research-backed strategies that ensure all students achieve rigorous standards, gain access to high-level pathways, and develop as empowered problem-solvers. With a focus on Big Ideas and authentic contexts, this framework equips educators to make math accessible, impactful, and deeply engaging. Discover how you can bring the promise of focused, multidimensional math learning to your students and create lasting success in the classroom!
Twitter: ChristineAgent1
Increase student engagement and learning with manipulatives! We will explore a variety of manipulatives including base ten blocks, place value disks, and fraction tiles to build conceptual understanding, model multiple representations, and help students make sense of algorithms.
Visual representations provide an opportunity to engage in math discourse, examine relationships, and make the problem-solving process visible. Learn how to make math more visual for your 3rd-5th Grade students!
Website: https://www.brainingcamp.com/
All times are U.S. Pacific Time Zone
For decades, the ten-frame has been a go-to tool for organizing numbers 0-10. But what if its potential extended far beyond early primary grades? In this session, we’ll uncover innovative ways to transform the ten-frame into an "infinite ten-frame" for representing and operating with both single- and multi-digit numbers. Through engaging games and activities, you’ll discover strategies to make math accessible, visual, and fun for all students in grades K-6. Walk away with free access to online manipulatives and a ready-to-use sketching strategy that works with just markers and whiteboards. Whether you’re a math leader supporting teachers or looking for fresh ways to teach foundational concepts, this session will inspire new ideas for leveraging a timeless tool.
Website: www.kpmathematics.com
The foundation of mathematics is in the relationships and connections we see and use to further our thinking about numbers. Problem Strings are an instructional strategy and powerful tool that can be used in the classroom to foster intentional reflection, sense making and the development of more advanced strategies. During this session, participants will participate in multiple problem strings and discuss facilitation techniques to use when implementing this instructional strategy with students.
Website: mathrecovery.org
Geometry often gets pushed to the end of the school year, which can limit students’ opportunities to develop a strong and positive relationship with the subject. In this session, we’ll explore strategies to integrate more geometry throughout the year by embedding geometric ideas into daily routines and number-focused tasks. We’ll also dive into rich geometric tasks that move beyond memorizing vocabulary and instead encourage students to use tools, representations, and patterns to express their thinking. Discover how to make geometry engaging and meaningful year-round, fostering deeper understanding and engagement for all learners.
One way we can inspire young mathematicians is by counting on stories. Literature is often one of the most underutilized math tools. In this session, we’re going to take a look at how we can elevate our math lessons through math read-alouds and how we can integrate books into our math block.
Website: https://www.zennedmath.com/
A critical element for math success is the ability to persevere in solving problems. Why do students give up? How do we empower them to persevere? Explore ways to spark discussions about what perseverance means. Gather ideas for helping students identify strategies for moving forward when they want to give up. Discover practical strategies and teaching tips to help your students develop this critical problem-solving disposition.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LatrendaK
How do we support teachers to listen—really listen—to elementary students' mathematical explanations? Students speak in different ways—through words that may be what we expect or not, through pauses we might find uncomfortable, through gestures. How can teachers be supported to listen to and interpret the variety of students’ mathematical explanations? How can teachers learn to recognize the strong mathematics expressed in words that are hesitant, include errors, or are not phrased in a normative sequence? This presentation is based on a 10-year body of research conducted by the speakers and colleagues, in collaboration with elementary teachers, on mathematical argument. Through examining classroom video from grades 1- 4, we will consider how teachers welcome hesitation, backtracking, and uncertainty as a necessary part of mathematical discourse. We will consider how teachers look for the mathematical sense in students’ utterances and encourage persistence even when a student appears unsure or confused.
Participants in the session will analyze the examples, using a dual lens of commitment to access for all students, on the one hand, and to rigorous mathematics, on the other hand.
The formative cycle is a tried and true methodology that will fill gaps for our students. We have classrooms where our students are functioning on different math levels, yet teachers have to teach grade level standards. How do we close these gaps? The formative cycle is the way. With built in differentiation, our students will succeed.
During this workshop you will gain valuable resources to support your students on their journey with fractions.
Website: http://MathWithJackie.com
Join us as we explore a variety of practical and creative methods for reviewing and assessing math with elementary students. We'll dive into a range of engaging activities and strategies that are not only fun but also effective in reinforcing key math concepts. These hands-on approaches are designed to be easily adaptable to different math topics, making them great to use in any classroom setting. Whether you're looking for new ways to shake up your math lessons or seeking effective techniques to review student understanding, this session will provide you with practical ideas to enhance your teaching practice.
Website: https://mrstmusings.com
Math Fluency is a huge content area that progresses across multiple grades. The building blocks for addition and subtraction start in kindergarten and continue through 4th grade. The next step of math foundation in fluency is multiplication and division which begins in third grade until fifth grade. In this session teachers will learn how to connect these content skills and adapt their lesson and centers above or below a grade to meet your students’ needs where they are at and see the whole child.
Website: https://exploreengagelearn.com/
In this session, we'll visually explore the structure of 15 addition and subtraction problem types and 9 multiplication and division problem types from Cognitively Guided Instruction. Using concrete materials like Cuisenaire rods and pictorial models such as tape diagrams, we'll trace the progression from simple, single-step problems in the primary grades to more complex, multi-step problems in upper elementary. Join us to build confident math problem solvers and create positive math experiences for all students!
Website: http://www.anneliserecord.com
All children can persevere, but the fear of incorrect answers can hold them back. By implementing the same psychology that video game designers use to create addictive games, teachers can spark student interest, motivate them to take on challenging tasks, and promote productive struggle — even if they have not mastered the material yet. Discover how to use video game design principles to make math more appealing.
Website: https://drrajshah.com
Teachers are working so hard to deliver mandated curricula to varying levels of students and despite best efforts, traditional methods don't stick for every student. In this session, learn research-based reasons why, and five practical tips you can model in classrooms throughout your school.
Website: https://www.newmathminds.com
How can you leverage the cultural wealth of Black communities in your mathematics class? With their multidimensional brilliance, these emerging mathematicians fervently seek the acknowledgment and celebration they deserve. Black students are brilliant in mathematics! Mathematics class should be a healing space where past math trauma is remedied by nurturing students’ mathematical identities and connectedness. The graphic novel Charisma’s Turn: A Story of Girls and Their Gifts by Monique Couvson (2023) and Telling and Re-Telling: Black Girls’ Stories Together by B. Miles and O. Akinboyede (2020) helps us see through the lens of Black girls as they journey through classrooms. Dr. Couvson is the prolific author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools (2018). Storytelling is a tool for coalition building and social change.
Be inspired by Charisma re-engineering her circumstances and prevailed. Hear stories and explore healing-informed mathematical practices. Kari Kokka’s (2015) lens of C.A.R.M.A. will be explored in this session. Participants will experience field-tested strategies of effective mathematics teaching practices with African-American students by co-creating identity-affirming learning environments, using rich open tasks, and building collective agency.
Website: https://bwxme.com/
In a Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) math classroom, problem-solving serves as a bridge for educators to actively listen to, learn from, and nurture their students' mathematical development. Through ongoing, thoughtful conversations, educators build meaningful relationships with students, guiding them as they progress from moments of uncertainty and frustration to clarity, confidence, and growth. This session on the fundamentals of CGI will offer valuable insights into instructional strategies that empower educators to deepen their students' mathematical understanding and foster a more engaging, supportive learning environment.
Website: www.TeachingOneMoore.org
Prepare to learn what math concepts “look like” as we use simultaneous processing to touch, see, describe and interact with concrete representations to develop a conceptual awareness to supporting memory and reasoning. But remember, the goal of using manipulatives is to get rid of them. This presentation will offer several instructional strategies for meeting the needs of all learners in a variety of instructional settings. Bring some popsicle sticks, a shoestring with some multicolored pony beads, a lump of modeling clay with a dental flosser… oh and a pipe cleaner. Don't forget the pipe cleaner. We are going to build some math concepts and see how far we can go.
Website: https://multisensorymath.com & https://Multisensorymath.online
Want More Time?
Upgrade your Summit Experience Now
©2022-25 Mathematically Minded. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
