2024 Northwest Mathematics Conference

Despite indications that Generative AI (GAI) responses to mathematical prompts are not yet robust, there is a notable progression in the technology's ability to provide more accurate and contextually relevant answers. Through a collection of example prompts and responses we demonstrate that GAI as a promising tool for educational support, contingent on careful scrutiny and responsible use by educators and learners. We will work with participants to generate additional questions to support real-time exploration of the potentials and limitations of GAI.

Delve into the interplay between mathematics and the art of the Salish Weave Collection, focusing on prints in school program box sets. Discover how mathematical thinking can be developed and enhanced by Coast Salish art and the stories and knowledge held within it. Explore how a mathematical lens deepens understanding of the art and makes connections to culture, community, land, and place. The curricular focus of this workshop presentation will be the BC kindergarten to grade 3 curriculum but teachers from all grades will gain insight for weaving together math and Coast Salish art.

Multiplication is repeated addition... but it also means so much more than that! In this workshop, you will explore several fundamental meanings of this operation (e.g., equal groups, arrays and areas, how a quantity is “stretched,” etc.) through rich tasks that address each of these meanings. Also, you will explore and discuss relationships between the “basic facts.” More importantly, you will learn how to help your students see that these relationships extend to other types of numbers that they come across in BC’s intermediate and middle years mathematics curriculum (e.g., two-digit whole numbers, fractions, decimals, integers, etc.).

“In my math course, I was given examples of how algebraic thinking was used by many Indigenous people, and how I can utilize those same aspects in thinking. I now can understand complex math more than I was capable of in high school, and I am able to give those examples of knowledge back to my family and community.” Ashley Bell (Northern Arapaho), student in Elementary Algebra.
In this session, participants will experience a small sample of the approach we use in our Algebra classes at Northwest Indian College, followed by a brief presentation about the journey that brought us to this point, and some prospects for the future.

This workshop will review and explore a locally-developed framework that supports holistic instruction through hands-on opportunities for teachers and students to build deeper meaning in relation to place. 
By thoughtfully designing mathematical approaches and provocations that heighten awareness of the relationships we have with the land, educators can expand on the quantitative computational activities and relationships that the natural world has to offer. 
The creation of this framework was made possible by a BCAMT grant that was awarded in the 2022-23 school year.

In this session I will share how I have used stomp rockets and designing and making textiles to help students understand how math powers both the beauty and practical things around them. 
You will leave the session with lesson plans to use with your students for both of these projects.