Welcome to the 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference of the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut! The first half hour of our program will include welcoming remarks, updates from ATOMIC, and the presentation of awards and grants including the Mari Muri Award, the Robert Rosenbaum Award, the Charlene Tate Nichols Pre-K - 8 Award, the Albina Cannavaciolo 9 - 12 Award, Steve Leinwand Teaching Grants, and Professional Development Grants. Please join us!
Monday March 24, 2025 8:00am - 8:30am EDT
Ballroom
Several months ago, while reading Street Data, I was called up short with the sentence: “Equity work is first and foremost pedagogical.” I’ve not read another word in the book having been consumed by the implications of this sentence. In this talk, we will look at some of these implications with practical and accessible examples to challenge ourselves to shift our teaching of math in ways that significantly enhance equity and access.
Join us for a transformative session on creating equitable and thinking-centered math classrooms. We'll delve into the unique challenges faced by Black female students and explore strategies to foster growth mindsets, encourage meaningful conversations, and build inclusive learning environments. Leave with actionable steps to empower all students to thrive in math.
Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools.
For the past several years VCTM has held an annual Saturday MATH FAIR for students. Any elementary, middle school, or high school student is welcome to present as an individual or in a group. They can choose what area of mathematics they would like to feature. This is a half day activity, and we have been fortunate to be able to hold it at UVM. We even held a virtual MATH FAIR one of the Covid years! We have been very pleased with what students bring to this effort. If you attend this conference session, we can share with you our “hints” to sponsor a successful MATH FAIR. We may even be able to show you some of the super presentations that students have done in the past. We think that it is amazing what students can do when given the chance!
This presentation will introduce practical discourse protocols to enhance students' deep understanding of mathematics. These strategies foster a classroom environment where students actively participate in discussions, challenging and building upon each other's ideas. By building on the knowledge and strengths of all students, these protocols will help to build a culture where all students feel that they belong in math class. Join us in redefining mathematics learning, making it an active, engaging, and deeply enriching experience for all students.
Accelerated learning for all students puts equity at the center of learning. Come and learn more about an Acceleration model that is being developed and used to close learning gaps for all students in one Connecticut district. We will explore what is meant by accelerated learning, how it supports learning for all students and how shifts in educator mindset and goals can change outcomes for students.
In this session we will explore how using random groups with vertical non-permanent surfaces (VPNSs) helps to promote communication, collaboration and knowledge mobility among students. Following a shared experience where participants will participate in a lesson that follows the tenets of Building Thinking Classrooms we will explore some of the research outlining why random groups are so effective and delve into the positive impact this work has on a student’s math identity, self-efficacy and status.
This session is most relevant to grades 3 through 8, but all are welcome to attend.
Participants will have the opportunity to actively engage in a diverse array of hands-on activities, utilizing Bar Models and Visual Number Talks, Bars and Dot Models, throughout the session. These activities are designed to delve into the intricate connections between numeracy and literacy, showcasing how these two essential skills intertwine and complement each other in the realm of problem-solving.
Wondering how to build your thinking classroom when your secondary math students don’t seem ready? In this presentation we will model how to get started, outline teacher moves for building student autonomy, and discuss why this shift is challenging for both students and teachers. Situated in examples from teachers’ classrooms.
Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications is an alternative course for struggling students who need to take 3-4 years of math to graduate, and for whom Algebra 2 is a daunting task. Additionally, future CT high school graduates will be required to take a finance course, and this course can meet the standards for that course. Consequently. all math students can take it as an elective--it meets the needs of every single student.
Technology has quickly learned how to solve the most complex math problems. So what is left for us humans to do? In this interactive session, we will explore 5 ways to keep students engaged in the math classroom and prepare them to thrive in the 21st Century. Participants will leave with actionable steps to take toward implementing effective: - Standards-based grading - Inquiry based learning - Collaboration and communication - Problem solving - Analysis of various solution pathways
Participants will engage in activities designed to develop a rich understanding of the connections between a table, graph, rule, and context for linear functions. After playing the Silent Board Game and solving the mysteries of redwood trees, we will explore the ways connections can be used to enrich learning. Teachers will analyze how emphasizing multiple representations can help to develop students into powerful problem-solvers. Teachers will receive ideas and materials that they can use in their own middle school classrooms
Research tells us that vocabulary has to be explicitly taught to our students and they have to be given multiple opportunities to practice. Let us help all our students, but especially or ML students, by proving them with explicit strategies they can access but also providing them fun engaging game based activities to practice that vocabulary. In this session we will look over specific graphic organizers, review engaging games to use and participate these routines.
Just as athletes or musicians improve through regular practice, instructional coaches can sharpen their skills through regular practice observations opportunities. This session introduces “Coaching Walks,” a low-stakes, high-frequency practice designed to build coaches' capacity to observe instruction for impact on student learning. Through partnered brief classroom visits, coaches move beyond surface-level observations of engagement and focus on the true impact of instruction on student learning.
Using video and student work samples on three topics (multiplication, data analysis, and algebra), participants will be actively engaged in analysis of the math ideas being generated by students in multi-diverse settings. Evidence is presented that learning is progressive and developmental in nature best depicted as a complex network of pathways comprised of strategies, big ideas, and models. Transmission in most cases does not develop this required thinking. Professional learning and student achievement results from two districts are provided as further evidence.
Participants will discover how to leverage Smarter Balanced interim assessment blocks to implement targeted strategies for improving student understanding. Participants will learn how to access student results, identify misconceptions, and use Tools for Teachers.
Join us as we examine the different “recipes” we are using to create success in our grade 3-5 mathematics classrooms. Let's explore ways to engage learners and build mathematical thinkers using rich tasks, questioning, and active involvement. These are all essential elements in building thinking classrooms. Participants will leave the session with developed examples and recipes for cooking up a Building Thinking Classroom of their own.
Experience engaging numeracy games and hands-on activities that transform how students interact with number concepts. Learn a three-step learning approach to ensure center activities are educational and developmentally suitable for all learners. Discover strategies to make math enjoyable, engaging, and relevant during center time, fostering a deeper understanding of operations and numbers.
This session leverages the power of SEL to support and grow students’ problem-solving achievement in math. Students who are still growing self-management or executive functioning skills often avoid or abandon tasks that challenge them, despite their capability. Together, we’ll discuss practical ways to cultivate emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and productive struggle within your math classroom. Leave with ready-to-use lessons and strategies to build a classroom environment where students are engaged and empowered to develop their perseverance in math challenges.
The presenter, a co-author of the Connecticut Joint Position Paper on Equity in Mathematics Education, will begin the session by addressing two questions: how well is the assessment aligned to CCS-Math Standards (especially the Math Practice Standards) and how well is it aligned to the Equity in Mathematics Education Document? The second half of the session will consist of a roundtable discussion on these issues.
Use your computer or calculator to investigate patterns numerically, graphically, and algebraically and create linear, quadratic, and exponential models. Share the joy of discovering multiple ways of thinking about a problem. Try out some numerical explorations that lend support for common algebra rules such as exponent and log laws. Investigate some unexpected surprises using fractions, radicals, and imaginary numbers!
Students come to us with unfinished learning from prior years, yet the urgency to cover grade level content remains. Participants will experience classroom-ready tangible contexts that equip teachers to provide entry-points such that students can explore and make sense of Algebra content regardless of knowledge gaps.
Come explore how using virtual manipulatives like a function machine, algebra tiles, a balance scale and more can help students make meaning of algebraic ideas. We'll use the free Polypad virtual manipulatives from Desmos Classroom.
What does it mean to elicit and use evidence of student thinking? How do we create an inclusive learning environment where all our students are comfortable sharing their thinking? We'll discuss teacher moves and routines that will make it easier to capture student thinking from your students and discuss how teachers can use student thinking to make instructional decisions on-the-spot in the classroom more effectively.
Facilitating access and agency for English learners/multilingual learners (ELs/MLs) in the mathematics classroom is a critical need. Join us to learn about evidence-based strategies to support ELs/MLs. See examples of strategies in action as we explore mathematics tasks together, and leave with an infographic to take back to your school.
In this session, participants will explore a rubric developed by CCLM to assess how effectively districts are meeting the commitments outlined in the State BOE-endorsed Equity in Mathematics Education statement. We will reflect upon the implementation of the three pillars and essential conditions needed to create an equitable mathematics system. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for aligning their practices with the Equity Statement’s goals, ensuring that all students have access to high-quality, equitable math education.
This session explores how Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms approach serves as a powerful tool for transforming classrooms and fosters educational equity. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, reflective discussions, and collaborative planning to implement BTC practices that create more inclusive and equitable learning environments.
HMH is an adaptive learning company that helps educators create growth for every student. Our integrated curriculum, assessment and professional learning solutions use data to paint a full picture of every learner and recommend how to best support th
In this session, we will facilitate an in-depth analysis of key elements from chapters 12-14 of "Building Thinking Classrooms". We will explore natural steps teachers can take to improve the impact and effectiveness of their feedback. We’ll also explore how teachers can begin to naturally transition from points-based grading to standards-based grading. In addition, participants will be provided a link to a specially made Google Sheet that automates student grades exactly the way Peter Liljedahl describes in his text.
This session is part of a two-part series focusing on ways educators can support ELs/MLs during math instruction. This session presents key ideas of how educators can foster student comprehension as they explore math concepts. Participants will explore a variety of strategies that support language access in the math classroom. Consider joining the corresponding session: “Strengthening Math Instruction for ELs/MLs 2: Supporting Student Communication”. (Each session is a stand alone workshop. It is not necessary to attend both.)
Having students develop conceptual understanding is critical to better engage students and help them see the relevance of learning mathematics, but how can we do this? Come explore ways to build conceptual understanding for a variety of topics. Walk away with some strategies that you can utilize immediately!
The instructional routine “I Have, You Need” (based on the work of Pam Harris and Kim Montague) helps develop number sense and fluency in students, and leads to students being able to construct important mathematical relationships. The workshop will blend direct instruction, collaborative discussion, and hands-on practice with the routine. Participants will engage in the routine themselves, analyze their effectiveness, and discuss ways to adapt them to different grade levels and student populations.
Step into this session and be instantly inspired by the engaging tasks in this dynamic thinking classroom! Together, we will tackle problem-solving challenges designed to empower students, fostering critical thinking and reasoning skills. By carefully selecting tasks, we will cultivate an environment where students feel motivated to think both independently and collaboratively, thereby boosting their problem-solving skills, mindset and mathematical confidence. Walk away with a diverse array of classroom-ready tasks, ready to implement the very next day!
In this K-2 math session, teachers will explore the use of 10-Frames to strengthen students' understanding of one-to-one correspondence and number sense in a base-ten system. Participants will learn strategies to help students visualize numbers(aka "subitizing"), build fluency with basic addition and subtraction facts up to 20, and develop a deeper grasp of place value. Through hands-on activities, teachers will discover techniques for guiding students toward mathematical proficiency using 10-Frames as an effective tool for foundational math skills.
This presentation explores how AI can revolutionize math education by enhancing, not replacing, traditional teaching methods. We'll demonstrate AI's potential to provide personalized practice, instant feedback, and creative problem-solving approaches. Discover how AI tools can free up educators' time for more meaningful student interactions and help develop critical thinking skills. Learn to harness AI's power to make math more engaging, accessible, and relevant for all students.
It’s time to move past teaching students to simply cross multiply to solve proportions and focus on building a strong conceptual understanding of proportional reasoning! Engage students in their learning by starting with hands-on activities to introduce and explore ratios. Next, learn a variety of representations that can be used to solve problems from unit rates and percents to constants of proportionality and proportional relationships. Walk away from this session with new strategies to implement in your classroom tomorrow!
Discover how to strengthen co-teaching relationships and create inclusive, differentiated classrooms. Explore strategies for effective communication, shared responsibilities, and collaborative planning. Learn from real-world examples and leave with actionable steps to improve student outcomes and foster a positive co-teaching environment.
Did you ever wonder where the formulas for the sum of the first n counting integers, the sum of the first n odd counting integers, the sum of the first n squares and the sum of the first n cubes originated from? You are in luck; for this presentation will link algebra, geometry, discrete mathematics, calculus, history, and technology in one tidy package and view the connections among the disciplines with these rich summation formulas. The work presented here is amenable to a wide variety of grade bands ranging from middle school through university mathematics. Join us as we pursue this delightful journey.
How can coaching and professional development with smaller groups of teachers be elevated through use of Building Thinking Classrooms structures? Which BTC moves best support teachers’ willingness to take a stance of curiosity about their own practice? Through an immersive experience of analyzing student work, we will uncover practical approaches for embedding the BTC framework into your PD sessions, as we strive to cultivate an environment where teachers feel empowered to continuously explore and improve their practice.
If we want students to see themselves as mathematically capable, then we need to give students time to think and space to work with classmates’ ideas. We will share short engagement routines you can implement into tomorrow’s lessons to radically elevate student voices and shift the authority in your classroom.
We begin planning our unit of study in BTC through a macro lens. This includes the unit scope, thin slicing, consolidation points, and CYU resources. We will then bring it to a micro lens where we will choose one of those topics and create a thinking task and extend it through student anticipatory moves. The task will be scripted using the new meaningful notes template. This can apply to any curriculum from Envisions to Illustrative Mathematics to Reveal.
This session is part of a two-part series focusing on ways educators can support ELs/MLs during math instruction. This session covers key components of supporting student communication as students master math concepts and explain their thinking. Participants will review a variety of strategies to scaffold their students’ speaking and writing. Consider joining the corresponding session: “Strengthening Math Instruction for ELs/MLs 1: Facilitating Student Comprehension”. (Each session is a stand alone workshop. It is not necessary to attend both.)
Research suggests that high-dosage tutoring can have a positive impact on traditionally marginalized students. However, tutors often have less training than teachers, and many teachers find the relationship difficult to navigate. It can also be challenging to select the right structure and curriculum for your setting. This session will explore one middle school’s implementation of high-dosage tutoring including logistical considerations, training, curriculum design and implementation, and navigating the teacher/tutor relationship.
We all want students who have computational fluency and are able to reason about numbers, but how do we get them there? What are the foundations that need to be built? Come explore those foundations and how to build them. A variety of routines, games and center ideas from the book, Figuring out Fluency: Ten Foundations for Reasoning Strategies with Whole Numbers, will be shared.
To build the competencies we desire most in our students such as: perseverance, collaboration, willingness to take risks, we must evaluate those competencies. What we evaluate tells students what we value. Learn how we (a coach and a kindergarten classroom teacher) transformed the thinking culture in our elementary schools by using rubrics and implementing Building Thinking Classrooms Practice 12: What We Choose to Evaluate.
Have you only dipped your toe into the geometry features of computer and calculator technology? Jump in with both feet to learn constructing, calculating, capturing and conjecturing with dynamic geometry on all of the major computer and calculator technology platforms (Desmos, GeoGebra, TI Calculators). Learn to use these powerful capabilities for geometry class and beyond! Ready-made explorations, lessons, and projects will be shared.
Join us as we take you through our journey from teaching discrete math learning targets to the development of an integrated STEM curriculum that gives students a more local and global context for math. Participants will have time to take steps to explore their own curriculums and get started on brainstorming the systems and processes it would take to pilot an integrated curriculum at your school.
In this session, participants will take a look at student performance data in school districts that have detracked. We will analyze this data and look for trends. There will be a discussion on how to set up your school course offerings to be equitable and to unlock the potential of all students. We will examine the impact your course offerings have on student outcomes. Finally, we will take a look at how you can use data to ensure all your students are appropriately challenged.
Math is a powerful tool for navigating our world, and we need to let students in on that secret! In particular, issues of fairness pervade our society - from income inequality, to the availability of healthy foods, to gerrymandering, to FDA recommendations. Join us to learn about these mathematically rich, fairness-focused problems, do some math, and become familiar with the Math Teachers’ Circle 4 Social Justice community which supports teachers in building capacity with math for social justice.
In this engaging session, teachers will explore "Recovery Tasks" designed to help students connect multiple representations and concepts. Discover how these reconstruction activities can deepen student understanding and facilitate connections across mathematical ideas. Participants will engage with ready-to-use classroom tasks that promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills at the secondary level.
How do we incorporate manipulatives into the Thinking Classroom? How can we build conceptual understanding through thin-sliced tasks which utilize manipulatives? Can manipulatives be used for “spicy” tasks? Participants will experience a thinking task utilizing manipulatives and have the opportunity to consider ways to use manipulatives when designing thin-sliced tasks.
Multilingual learners are a classroom asset! Learners thrive when they engage in meaningful, relevant, and accessible mathematics in a safe environment. This session will provide an opportunity to examine beliefs about multilingual learners and engage in a collaborative math task as a multilingual learner in an asset-based environment. Participants will discuss action items within their sphere of influence that promote the success of multilingual learners.
This session will explore how asset-based coaching can build teacher confidence and expertise in mathematics instruction. Grounded in research on adult learning theory, this session will provide practical strategies for instructional coaches to support teachers in recognizing and leveraging their strengths in the classroom, fostering a growth mindset approach to coaching, and positively impacting student learning in the mathematics classroom.
Engaging, inquiry-based lessons with low-cost materials can be easy to implement! The two educators from Connecticut selected to attend the Museum of Mathematics’s Rosenthal Prize Summer Institute will share highlights of three movement-based low-floor, high-ceiling lessons they sandboxed at the institute and have tried with elementary, middle, and high school students. From their experiences teaching these award-winning lessons, they will share lessons learned, resources to use the free lessons, and advice for creating environments that foster community and wonder.
Did you become a K- 6 leader without K-2 teaching experience like I did? Are your K-2 teachers supported in literacy but not math because they are not “testing grades”? Are you a K-2 teacher who wants to be as effective as possible teaching math? Then this session is for you. K-2 is a critical time for math learners. The session will examine key numeracy content and strategies to support teachers to effectively teach students in these grade levels.
Students share rich ideas during discussions and capturing these on the board honors them as mathematical thinkers. Learn to model unique ways of recording ideas, helping students connect their talk to writing. By modeling metacognition, you encourage autonomy, reflection, and understanding of the problem-solving process. This approach fosters equity by addressing diverse learning styles, helping students identify gaps in understanding and become confident, independent learners. Create an inclusive classroom where every voice is valued. Apply these strategies to any curriculum!
Algebra is the gateway to higher-level mathematics and STEM careers, but many students struggle with the transition to algebraic thinking. Problem strings offer a structured yet flexible approach to help students recognize patterns, understand operations, and develop mathematical reasoning - the foundation for that transition while simultaneously developing fluency. This interactive session will support participants to understand big ideas critical to the early development of algebra. Participants will take away actionable strategies and resources for incorporating problem strings into their instruction.
In today's diverse classrooms, educators face the challenge of meeting the needs of all learners, particularly those who struggle with traditional instructional methods. In this session, we will model the implementation of the Building Thinking Classrooms framework in the high school setting, focusing on its effectiveness in engaging and empowering struggling learners in a co-taught classroom. We will highlight different strategies, based on research and experience, that help all students meet with success.
We know we should make our students persevere through problem solving, but how do we know what meaningful problem solving looks like? What resources will drive our students to think more deeply? How do we create problems that lead students to productive struggle and the transfer of mathematical ideas? In this workshop a curriculum coordinator and math league problem writer will lead teachers to investigate challenging problems and helpful techniques for creating questions and tasks to facilitate meaningful mathematical rigor.
This fast-paced, example-laden and interactive discussion will make the case that, for far too many students, high school math is an inequitable, underperforming mess and that the status quo is simply no longer acceptable. We will look at a range of specific suggestions for making the case for change and for making long overdue changes in what and how we teach these four years of mathematics.
Have your students ever struggled to recall information that you taught in your first unit? Come and learn how to provide equitable access to grade level content by engaging students’ prior knowledge through interleaving/spiraling your curriculum. In this interactive session, participants will identify learning targets from standards and construct a sample spiral. Teachers will work in grade level groups to start interleaving their own standards. While we will use middle school examples, all teachers are welcome!
In this interdisciplinary workshop, discover activities that bring current events and top global challenges into the math classroom. Explore trends in the environment, global population and more using models, manipulatives and lively group work that build middle school math skills while exciting students about math connections to their lives and the larger world. Students gain practice creating and analyzing graphs, identifying mathematical patterns, working with probabilities and problem-solving strategies. Receive electronic lesson plans matched to state standards.
