Math teachers to study Common Core |
October 16, 2013 |
The University of Idaho will host 120 K-12
teachers and administrators during a conference
on Idaho Common Core Standards in mathematics
October 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. and October 19 from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at North Idaho College Student
Union Building in the Lake Coeur d’Alene room.
“In order to ensure students are equipped with the skills necessary to succeed, it is essential that teachers have an understanding of the standards and what it means to teach the Idaho Common Core Standards,” said Julie Amador, UI curriculum and instruction faculty. “If we want our students proficient in mathematics, it is essential that the teachers receive support to transform their classrooms.” The Idaho State Legislature approved the adoption of Common Core Standards in 2011, creating higher and more in-depth standards in mathematics so students have the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century. Mathematics education professionals created a statewide collaborative that provides regional mathematics academies throughout the state offering teachers knowledge and tools to understand and teach the standards. The first academy takes place in Coeur d’Alene, followed by regional academies in Pocatello and Twin Falls later in the year. The academies also bring teachers together for a collaborative discussion on implementation and how to facilitate productive discussions in the classroom. Within the Idaho Common Core Standards there are eight standards for mathematical practice: make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Funding for the Common Core Mathematics academies was provided by the Idaho State Board of Education through a grant to the University of Idaho. |