Developing Leaders in Effective Teaching Diane J. Briars President National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2015 NCTM Minneapolis Regional Conference and Exposition November 11, 2015 High Quality Standards Are Necessary, but Insufficient, for Effective Teaching and Learning Guiding Principles for School Mathematics 1.Teaching and Learning 2.Access and Equity 3.Curriculum 4.Tools and Technology 5.Assessment 6.Professionalism Essential Elements of Effective Math Programs Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices 1.Establish mathematics goals to focus learning. 2.Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving. 3.Use and connect mathematical representations. 4.Facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse. 5.Pose purposeful questions. 6.Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding. 7.Support productive struggle in learning mathematics. 8.Elicit and use evidence of student thinking. Developing Leaders in Effective Teaching Stages of Leadership Know and Model Collaborate and Implement Advocate and Systematize NCTM PRIME Leadership Framework, 2008 Leadership of Self Band Concert Task The third-grade class is responsible for setting up the chairs for their spring band concert. In preparation, they need to determine the total number of chairs that will be needed and ask the schools engineer to retrieve that many chairs from the central storage area. The class needs to set up 7 rows of chairs with 20 chairs in each row, leaving space for a center aisle. How many chairs does the schools engineer need to retrieve from the central storage are a? \ Find the Product 5 x 20 = 6 x 80 = 4 x 70 = 3 x 50 = 9 x 20 = 2 x 60 = 8 x 30 = Leadership of Others Make the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices a schoolwide focus that is expected for all teachers to strengthen learning and teaching for all students. Key Instructional Shift From emphasis on: How to get answers To emphasis on: Understanding mathematics Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Mathematics learning should focus on practicing procedures and memorizing basic number combinations. Students can only to apply mathematics only after they have mastered the basic skills. An effective teacher makes the mathematics easy for students by guiding them step-by-step through problem solving to ensure they are not frustrated or confused. Unproductive Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Mathematics learning should focus on practicing procedures and memorizing basic number combinations. Students can only to apply mathematics only after they have mastered the basic skills. An effective teacher makes the mathematics easy for students by guiding them step-by-step through problem solving to ensure they are not frustrated or confused. Productive Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Mathematics learning should focus on developing understanding of concepts and procedures through problem solving, reasoning and discourse. Students can learn mathematics through exploring and solving contextual and mathematical problems. An effective teacher provides students with appropriate challenge, encourages perseverance in solving problems, and supports productive struggle in learning mathematics. Leadership of Others Make the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices a schoolwide focus that is expected for all teachers to strengthen learning and teaching for all students. Provide professional development and training that makes the implementation of the Mathematics Teaching Practices a priority. Leadership of Others Make the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices a schoolwide focus that is expected for all teachers to strengthen learning and teaching for all students. Provide professional development and training that makes the implementation of the Mathematics Teaching Practices a priority. Observe lessons or engage in classroom walkthroughs, using the Mathematics Teaching Practices as the focus. Guiding Principles for School Mathematics Professionalism In an excellent mathematics program, educators hold themselves and their colleagues accountable for the mathematical success of every student and for their personal and collective professional growth toward effective teaching and learning of mathematics. Incremental Change The social organization for improvement is a profession learning community organized around a specific instructional system. A. S. Bryk (2009) The unit of change is the teacher team. Principles to Actions, pp Collaboration Team Work An examination and prioritization of the mathematics content and mathematics practices students are to learn. The development and use of common assessments to determine if students have learned the agreed-on content and related mathematical practices. The use of data to drive continuous reflection and instructional decisions. The setting of both long-term and short-term instructional goals. Development of action plans to implement when students demonstrate they have or have not attained the standards. Discussion, selection, and implementation of common research-informed instructional strategies and plans. Start Small, Build Momentum, Persevere The process of creating a new cultural norm characterized by professional collaboration, openness of practice, and continual learning and improvement can begin with a single team of grade level or subject-based mathematics teachers making the commitment to collaborate on a single lesson plan. Principles to Actions, p. 207 The Title Is Principles to Actions Your Actions?