WAETAG Gifted Conference and SEL

 

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to present at the WAETAG gifted conference.  My friend and coworker, Cameron, is on the board and asked me to give a speech on math discourse.  I was pretty nervous about it, as I always want to do my best in front of a group if people and it can be intimidating presenting in front of people who you don't know.

Luckily, my friend and TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) Rowena, was kind and gracious and willing to present with me.  She has so much background knowledge about best math practices and research, that it was very helpful to have her as a co-presenter.  She is also very positive and puts a smile on my face. 

Rowena and I developed a presentation that included Math Talk Images, 3 Act Math Routines, and also Choral Counting.  The people readily shared, talked with one another, and before long we became a small math community- if even for a little bit.  Participants talked about connections to Building Thinking Classrooms and thought about how the classroom inquiry process is flipped in a thinking classroom.  We dug into some math together, and then had a little bit of time to work as well.

As I was presenting, I reflected on how important math talk really is.  My students are from Issaquah and Sammamish and many of them have lots of advantages.  They live in wealthy areas, they often time have lots of love and support at home and get to go to math competitions, clubs, dances, sports, tutors, etc.  They are extremely bright.  The world is their oyster, so to say.  So, I think it is so important that my students in particular learn how to communicate effectively and kindly, because one day they will be running the companies and the meetings and making decisions tomorrow that could affect all of our future.  

I believe that we need citizens who listen, are compassionate and caring, and who are creative and can think outside of the box to solve problems.  Ultimately, these are the values I hope my students walk away from my class cultivating and math talk, a time to discuss, disagree kindly, think critically, is one way to cultivate those goals. This is my "Why." This is why I teach gifted kids, presented at the conference, and come to school everyday.  I hope to help make a small impact in someone's life to nudge them in this direction.

If you are looking for SEL Learning targets, click here.

If you are looking for a Math Talk Behavior Reflection checklist, click here.

If you would like to see our WAETAG presentation on Math Talk, click here.