District Administration - October 2011 - (Page 72)

A New Age for AlgebrA sets of blocks, which are stacked on top of each other to illustrate the expression “2x.” Repairing Jiji’s path requires selecting the correct number of blocks to fill the gap. “The unique feature of our program is that we introduce math concepts without the use of language, numbers or symbols,” says co-founder Matthew Peterson in a demo video on the organization’s Web site. “Students can be problem solvers right away.” District administrators can implement innovative algebra curricula even without investing in new computers, software or handheld devices. A mathematics curriculum for middle school, Big Ideas Math, combines collaborative discovery learning with direct instruction to instill a set of fundamental concepts. Created by Ron Larson, a professor at Penn State and renowned author of mathematics textbooks, and Laurie Boswell, an experienced math teacher, Big Ideas Math grew out of the NCTM’s “Invest in your workforce.” —Jerry Weast, former superintendent, Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools Focal Points for K8 and the Common Core State Standards. “Each year, textbooks became thicker and thicker because of different state standards. Textbooks were sometimes 1,000 pages long, and Ron really wanted to fight that,” says Denise McDowell, vice president of sales and marketing at Big Ideas Learning, which created Big Ideas Math. “Every student can be successful in algebra I if they have the foundations that lead up to it. And that is precisely what a narrower and deeper curriculum will help you do,” she says. Though it has only been out for a year, Big Ideas Math has been implemented in 30 school districts in Florida, and in 2010, it won a Textbook Excellence Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association. Making it Work Regardless of the program or product you use, professional development cannot be ignored. “Even if you’ve got a good algebra curriculum, that alone won’t save you. You have to have people able to execute it with quality and skill,” says Weast. Montgomery County’s schools have tried many strategies for teaching algebra, but Weast’s advice is simple. “Invest in your workforce,” he says. One lesson he has learned is that enhancing teachers’ skills takes time and requires them to develop both content and pedagogical knowledge. Once that is achieved, however, a district will have the capacity to implement many different curricula or programs, rather than having to take a one-size-fits-all approach. Just as no educator would argue that a child should be placed into algebra without proper preparation, none of the programs and products can be effective without their being supporting resources for instructors and administrators. Workshops, online training, site visits by external program staff, and ongoing evaluation are all potential components of a successful change in curriculum or pedagogy. In the end, though, algebra alone does not guarantee success in school or a STEM career. “For every student to be able to survive any math class,” Raja says, “you’ve got to have consistent teaching, every year, every class.” DA Lindsay Oishi is a freelance writer and doctoral candidate in educational psychology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. District Administration Innovative Products and Programs for Teaching Algebra Continued Plato Learning www.plato.com This educational technology company publishes semesterlong prealgebra, algebra I and algebra II courses that can be taken entirely online or blended in multiple ways with inperson instruction. Mastery-based learning means that students must demonstrate their understanding of each lesson before continuing, and each learner sets his or her own pace. Administrators and teachers can customize content to fit national, state, local and individual standards and objectives. Power Teaching: Mathematics www.successforall.net Formerly Student Teams-Achievement Divisions, this instructional method can be used to teach algebra or other mathematical topics using any curriculum or textbook. Students are organized into teams of heterogeneous abilities and are responsible for each other’s learning and their overall team performance. This is one of only two middle and high school mathematics programs recognized by the Best Evidence Encyclopedia as having strong empirical evidence for effectiveness. Singapore Math www.singaporemath.com Singaporean students consistently score high on international mathematics assessments. With these textbooks for K10, based on Singapore’s mathematics curriculum and approach, students learn to solve problems collaboratively, using a standard diagramming technique called “bar modeling.” The company claims that Singapore Math is used in more than 1,500 schools in the United States. Texas Instruments’ TI-Navigator System www.ti.com This system enables student calculators to network wirelessly with a central device, which allows teachers to see individual students’ work in real time from a single location. The system has demonstrated benefits for learning algebra in several experimental studies, and it is compatible with multiple Texas Instruments calculators, including the TI-73 Explorer, TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and TI-Nspire. 72 October 2011 http://www.plato.com http://www.singaporemath.com http://www.successforall.net http://www.ti.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2011

District Administration - October 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Transportation Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Building a Blended Learning Program
How Are Science Fairs Fairing?
A New Age for Algebra
Early College High Schools
Changing of the Guard in Florida
CIO News
How Much Computing Power Do You Need?
An Unconventional Approach to 1:1
New Books
Problem/ Solution
Research Center
Product Focus
New Products
Professional Opinion
Going Mobile
Online Edge

District Administration - October 2011

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