I attended CMC North last weekend in Asilomar, CA. Not surprisingly, it was a fantastic conference. From Matt Larson’s opening keynote Friday evening, to Steve Leinwand’s talk on Sunday morning, to all the sessions/ignites/meals/conversations in between, it was an exciting and energizing weekend.
Also not surprisingly, I found Steve’s presentation to be a wonderful blend of encouragement, challenge, and inspiration.
Resisting urge to tweet EVERY slide of @steve_leinwand’s #CMCN15 talk. Good thing there’s this: https://t.co/wENawxLXkR (cc: @mmmaaatttttt)
— Michael Fenton (@mjfenton) December 13, 2015
A Challenge
Toward the end of his talk, Steve invited everyone in the room to identify their 2015-2016 instructional shifts to-do list.
I’m still wrestling with the contents of my own list (and am pretty sure that’ll be the next post). In the meantime, let me pass my own version of Steve’s challenge along to you:
Before the week is out, write down your own instructional shifts to-do list for Spring 2016.
Don’t try to change everything all at once; you’ll likely end up with no change at all if you bite off more than you can chew. But commit to changing at least one (or maybe even 2-3) of your instructional practices in the next semester. Write them down. Pursue them. Use them to make a difference for your students.
Go one step further and share them. In the comments. On your blog.* On the Twitter. Better yet, share them with your colleagues and develop your practice together!
*What’s that! You don’t have a blog? Sounds like you have a great idea for your first post… 🙂
Some Inspiration
Coming up short on ideas? Get started with something here:
- Summary of Leinwand’s Accessible Mathematics (or just grab the whole book)
- Executive Summary of NCTM’s Principles to Actions (or download the e-book for $5)
Onward!
Good luck with your goal-setting, and your goal-pursuing! I’ll be back soon with my own to-do list, tweaked for my own current role at Desmos.
Which reminds me… If you’re not in the classroom, but you still interact with teachers on a regular basis, you’re not off the hook! Consider how this challenge might translate into your current setting.
Postscript
Have you been thinking about reading @NCTM's Principles to Actions? Here's a fantastic opportunity! #MTBoS #NCTMp2a https://t.co/b7EVaCULlG
— Michael Fenton (@mjfenton) December 14, 2015
Comments 2
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Thanks for summary and link to Steve’s talk. Now need a link to Matt Larson’s talk!
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Author
Eric, thanks to Brandon Dorman’s efforts at CMC North, the majority of Matt Larson’s keynote is here: https://youtu.be/RzumG4JvFZw
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