2024 Northwest Mathematics Conference

Many teachers set instructional and assessment tasks where students do math, but do not really need to understand the math they are doing. We will contrast such tasks with others that both build understanding and that assess understanding. We will discuss strategies to make it easier for a teacher to identify and create tasks that build and demonstrate understanding throughout the grades.

Why are word problems limiting for our students? Do they know how to pick apart the patterns in them, yet still don’t really get the meaning of them? There is a reason (several!). This workshop will be interactive and combine some theory with lots of practical ideas. Dr. Porter will share some findings from her recent dissertation on the use of drawing and I-story to help students build conceptual understanding of foundational math. Participants will be engaged in creating some initial I-story ideas to bring back to their classrooms, as well as try out some simple drawing techniques to use with their students right away.

Although there are certainly many people who like math because they see it as narrow and predictable, we lose many students who value the chance to be more creative. We will talk about how much richer both your and your students' experience in math class is when we celebrate diverse responses rather than only consistent responses from all students. We want to help students see that there are many opportunities in math to display creativity and that the whole class benefits from these situations. Much of the session will focus on how to set tasks to encourage students to take risks to show the rest of us their personal approaches.

Matific is an award-winning and pedagogically rigorous mathematics learning platform used by millions of learners worldwide. Designed by pedagogical experts and developed with a goal of providing a deep conceptual understanding of the foundational building blocks in K-7 mathematics, Matific's vision is to provide every learner with a mathematical experience of the highest possible quality.  Our artificial intelligence and report system propel Matific to be the #1 numeracy resource throughout Canada. Matific is designed to include a variety of assignments to ensure the learners learn and practice all the concepts included in your curriculum.  This session will be conducted in English but teachers who work in French or in another language will get to see how Matific supports 45 languages.

Math Buddies is a collaborative experience that puts student thinking, communication and teamwork at the forefront. It focuses on cultivating healthy, multi-age, peer-to-peer relationships through the exploration of numerical relationships and authentic problem solving tasks.  Lessons and activities are designed through a lens of equity and access for all learners and embraces a "low-floor, high-ceiling" pedagogical approach.  Not only that, but it is a living, breathing representation of the First Peoples Principles of Learning in action. Join me to find out more!