ATOMIC Conference March 2025

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

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.

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.

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.

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.