Using gather.town as an Alternative Video Conference Platform

1:50-2:05 pm - Breakout Room #1

Katherine Miller, University of Massachusetts Lowell (katherine_miller@uml.edu)

Using gather.town as an alternative video conference platform allowed me to address issues with collaborative group work in my math for elementary teachers courses. My goal was to find and utilize a platform that gave students more agency to work with others and access to more collaborative tools. On the gather.town platform, students control their own avatar, and are able to video-conference with others whose avatars are nearby. There are interactive collaborative whiteboards, and I also used google docs/slides to provide a collaborative writing space. Students told me they preferred this platform to Zoom because it "feels more natural." I also noticed that students seemed to be more on-task when using this platform than when using breakout rooms in Zoom.

Grade Band: Elementary

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

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Responding to Current Field Experience Challenges with the Virtualization of Number Talks

1:50-2:05 pm - Breakout Room #2

Candace Joswick, University of Texas at Arlington (candace.joswick@uta.edu)

Audrey Meador, West Texas A&M University

Nicole Fletcher, Fairfield University

Kimberly Conner, University of Northern Iowa

Brandon McMillan, Brigham Young University

In this presentation, we would further unpack our recent AMTE Connections (Winter, 2020) publication, "Responding to Current Field Experience Challenges with the Virtualization of Number Talks." We will share the idea of Virtual Number Talks--ways that Number Talks can be done in virtual settings--the challenges and affordances of myriad technologies for them, and some illustrations from teachers and students across the grades and country! We have hundreds of videos to share.

Further, we created a Teacher Learning Cycle (only briefly displayed in our publication) to support inservice and preservice teachers (who had a field component) to learn about Number Talks, plan for implementation of Number Talks in the virtual space during the pandemic, reflect on student learning and their own learning through their Virtual Number Talk implementation, and give and receive feedback from their peers. Teachers engaged in this cycle in online (some synchronously but most engaged asynchronously) through graduate and undergraduate courses during the pandemic. We will share more details on this Teacher Learning Cycle and some of the profound thing teachers did and said about their experience with Virtual Number Talks.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Engaging Preservice and Inservice Teachers through Flipgrid Based Activities

1:50-2:05 pm - Breakout Room #3

Ann Wheeler, Texas Woman's University (awheeler2@twu.edu)

For this presentation, attendees will learn about the application Flipgrid and classroom based Flipgrid activities that have been utilized in my classes for inservice and preservice teachers. These Flipgrid tasks include reflective introductory videos about teacher feelings about mathematics, weekly teaching videos of specific mathematics topics, and final reflection videos based on adaptions made to "Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School" articles. These videos help students to become more comfortable talking about mathematics and their feelings about mathematics. Student feedback related to these tasks have been positive.

Grade Band: Secondary

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Oral Assessment as an Alternative to Proctored Exam

1:50-2:05 pm - Breakout Room #4

Sayonita Ghosh Hajra, California State University, Sacramento (sayonita.ghoshhajra@csus.edu)

An oral assessment is an assessment technique where the instructor assesses the students verbally. This can take place in various forms, such as oral presentation, poster presentation, one-on-one dialogue, and other variations conducted verbally in whole or in parts. This assessment provides students opportunities to explain their understanding and thinking. It is a popular form of assessment in many universities in Europe and Australia. In this session, I will share the oral assessment techniques I use in my classes, including examples of tasks and student responses. I will also discuss possible variations of the oral assessment techniques.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Other

The Elementary Mathematics Project Adapts to COVID-19

2:10-2:25 pm - Breakout Room #1

Melinda Knapp, Oregon State University-Cascades (melinda.knapp@osucascades.edu)

Rachel N. Starks Chaves, Boston University

Lynsey Gibbons, University of Delaware

The Elementary Mathematics Project (EMP) is an NSF-funded curriculum development and research project. Over the past decade, the EMP team has developed, tested, and disseminated seven instructional units (57 lessons in seven units) for use in mathematics content courses for preservice elementary teachers. The EMP curriculum units were designed for face-to-face learning; we assumed that these materials would be used in classrooms where instructors would be able to support students working in groups and where regular discussions of the content would be facilitated. The design principles focus not only on the content we believe to be essential for future elementary teachers, but also on the way that content is presented in order to build these communities Äì through questions focused on making sense of concepts, procedures and mathematical structure, through building connections among mathematical ideas and the elementary classroom, and by providing daily opportunities for students to explore, discuss and debate what they are learning.

In the wake of COVID-19 and the nearly immediate necessity to transition to online learning the EMP team responded by adapting their curriculum materials to an online format. Each of the 57 lessons now has accompanying Google Slides and Jamboards that supports instructors in teaching elementary math content courses synchronously and in ways that support the original intent for this curriculum. The materials support synchronously online teaching while having students to do the thinking, the generalizing, and the justifying, with instructors providing guiding questions, support and information, when needed.

Grade Band: Elementary

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

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Cross-university discussion groups using Marco Polo

2:10-2:25 pm - Breakout Room #2

Carmen Smith, University of Vermont (carmen.smith@uvm.edu)

Barbara King, Florida International University

We are two mathematics teacher educators working in different parts of the country. Barbara teaches elementary methods at Florida International University (FIU), and Carmen teaches early childhood methods at the University of Vermont (UVM). When we both realized we would be teaching our courses remotely this fall, we decided to look for new opportunities that would enhance our instruction. Given that physical location was no longer a barrier, we decided to bring our students together via Zoom and co-teach the group as a single class.

We had two primary goals for this merger. First, we wanted to create opportunities for our students to engage with peers with predominantly different backgrounds (the majority of the FIU students were from the south Florida, Latinx, and commute daily for school, while the majority of the UVM students were from the northeast, White, and living on campus or in off-campus apartments). Second, we wanted to create an opportunity for the two of us to collaborate on a deeper level to improve our teaching.

To create opportunities for our students to engage with each other, we created asynchronous video discussion groups made up of students from both classes using the Marco Polo app. This app is similar to Flipgrid but allows for more natural conversation. Each week groups were given a discussion prompt and chatted wi

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Introducing Teachers to Mathematical Modeling

2:10-2:25 pm - Breakout Room #3

Jennifer Luebeck, Montana State University (jennifer.luebeck@montana.edu)

Matt Roscoe, University of Montana

Goals: (a) Teachers characterize the nature of mathematical modeling in secondary classrooms; (b) Teachers analyze tasks and student work to understand modeling definitions and processes.

Description: As they enter this lesson, teachers have already studied a variety of definitions, expert descriptions, and representations of mathematical modeling at the K-12 level. This lesson allows them to apply that understanding by analyzing, ranking, and comparing an assortment of tasks as well as student work samples on a single task. They view video examples to differentiate between three different interpretations of “modeling” in mathematics education. They then rank and reflect on a set of eight tasks in terms of how well they align with features and processes inherent to modeling. Finally, they solve and examine student work for one modeling task and critique its capacity to engage students in authentic modeling processes. Teachers compare and discuss their responses and reactions throughout.

Effectiveness: We use this virtual lesson in workshops and graduate courses. The teacher audience typically is aware that mathematical modeling is important but has not engaged with the modeling cycle and its processes in a meaningful way. This lesson has proven effective for adding context and depth to teachers’ personal understanding of mathematical modeling. It offers a foundation from which they can successfully engage in solving, contrasting, assessing, and even attempting to create original modeling tasks.

Grade Band: Secondary

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Using Mathematics Digital Interactive Notebooks as Authentic Online Assessments

2:10-2:25 pm - Breakout Room #4

Terrie Galanti, University of North Florida (terrie.galanti@unf.edu)

Courtney Baker, George Mason University

Instructors from a synchronous online geometry course replaced mathematics specialist course performance-based assessments (PBAs) with a digital interactive notebook (dINB). Previous PBAs were traditional papers in which teachers reflected on connections between course content and mathematical process standards (NCTM, 2000). The dINB design (Galanti et al., accepted) was informed by the four components of TPACK in mathematics education (Harrington et al., 2016; Niess, 2005). Instructor formatting of the dINB as a set of editable Google Slide templates facilitated collective content synthesis and individual reflection within each class session. The mathematics specialist candidates submitted their dINBs as summative portfolios at two points during the course. The dINB integrated formative, ipsative, and summative assessment practices and became an authentic online evaluation of content and pedagogy. We hypothesize that the dINB as a model of online assessment supports the deconstruction of traditional barriers in both mathematics teacher education and K-12 mathematics.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

Rough Drafts and Discussion Boards as Tools for Developing Conceptual Understanding

2:30-2:45 pm - Breakout Room #1

Michelle King, Western Colorado University (mmorgan@western.edu)

Based on the idea of "Rough Draft Math," by Amanda Jensen, I asked my preservice and inservice Elementary mathematics teachers to use discussion boards to develop their own conceptual understanding of key mathematical ideas with specific focus on developing their abilities to create explanations for hypothetical students. Each week, the students worked in their own discussion board, which functioned as a personal journal, to develop explanations of a mathematical task. Based on feedback from me (the instructor), then revised their explanation. They, then, shared those explanations with a small group of their classmates as part of a larger discussion board focused on a mathematical theme (e.g., addition and subtraction). Finally, the students engaged with their classmates' explanations to further develop their skills in explanation as well as their conceptual understanding.

Grade Band: Elementary

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

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Math homework videos on Flipgrid

2:30-2:45 pm - Breakout Room #2

Cathy Liebars, The College of New Jersey (liebars@tcnj.edu)

The main goal I had in mind for using Flipgrid this past semester in my Topics in Secondary Mathematics from an Advanced Viewpoint course, was to be able to go over homework solutions for my preservice teachers without taking time during the class. Flipgrid is a simple, free, and accessible video discussion experience for educators and their learners. In the course, homework was assigned regularly and each student in the class chose a homework problem to present by making a Flipgrid video. They did this a total of four times over the course of the semester. This determined their homework grade. Flipgrid allows for video responses so other students can view the homework videos and make a video comment or ask a question. One can see how many views a video received so I know my students watched the videos, some more than once. Many students commented in the course evaluations how much they enjoyed using Flipgrid and how much watching their peers' videos helped them learn.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

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Online technology-based lessons to support secondary preservice mathematics teachers' understanding of functions

2:30-2:45 pm - Breakout Room #3

Karen Hollebrands, North Carolina State University (kfholleb@ncsu.edu)

Allison McCulloch, UNC-Charlotte

Scott Steketee, 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education

Daniel Scher, 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education

Mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) across the globe are addressing the challenge of moving their undergraduate classes online. Our project is in the unique position to disseminate high-quality, open-access, technology-based activities that mathematics teacher educators can easily incorporate into an online course. The “Technology-Rich Units for Future Secondary Teachers: Forging Dynamic Connections Between Geometry and Functions” project team has developed a collection of dynamic mathematics lessons that MTEs can use with preservice teachers.

The lesson we will highlight during the online session is focused on different representations of function. It is appropriate for use in both methods courses and mathematics content courses. In the lesson, teachers explore functions in the Euclidean plane and then transition to a number line (dynagraph) and finally consider a cartesian representation of a function. These representations highlight independent/dependent variables, rate of change, and covariation. The lessons are embedded in an open-access website, and use Web Sketchpad (which is free). All activities are available on our project website; the first lesson is here: https://geometricfunctions.org/fc/unit4/cartesian-connection/

These lessons have been implemented and tested at NC State. Preservice teachers have commented on how they better understand function as a result and enjoy the dynamic nature of the representations. Experts on our advisory board have commented on how the unique representations of function challenge one to think about the behavior of a function and reconsider how functions are defined and represented. Preservice teachers can test what they have learned in the lessons using free game-like activities that have been developed by the project team and also freely available on the website we will share with participants.

Grade Band: Secondary

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Cones, Pyramids, PBI and online teaching...oh my!

2:30-2:45 pm - Breakout Room #4

Sarah Ferguson, Old Dominion University (scfergus@odu.edu)

Jada Hastings, Old Dominion University

Problem Based Instruction (PBI) is a lesson framework that capitalizes on student inquiry while promoting practical applications and the usefulness of content. The goal of a PBI lesson is to give students a problem to solve, through which they learn the content and seek further understanding to self-guide their knowledge acquisition journey. With a focus on the objectives of understanding and using cones and square-based pyramids, a three-day PBI unit was developed. Days before teaching the unit, Covid-19 closed schools and all instruction was moved to online platforms. This hands-on, inquiry driven PBI was revised from a classroom setting to an online setting while remaining student-centered, practical, and engaging. Join us as we explore a PBI lesson focusing on cones and square-based pyramids that can be completed in a virtual classroom while remaining exciting and engaging for students. (a) The goals of this lesson were to have students explore cones and square-based pyramids. With not having been previously exposed to these figures, students would first need to learn about the three-dimensional figures, formulas associated with the figures, and then the usability of the figures. (b) In this PBI, students will be constructing a playground castle for their local elementary school. Within the PBI, the students will learn about the formulas for Surface Area and Volume for a Square-Based Pyramid and a Cone. They will use these formulas, and knowledge of other 3D figures, to create a playground castle and will then write a letter for their principal to say why he should pick their castle to build at their school. (c) This lesson is hands-on, engaging and student centered. The online attributes of the lesson enhance student understanding while still giving opportunities for creativity, exploration, and collaboration. Students have a voice in their demonstration of learning, and knowledge acquisition progression. The lesson is practical and relevant while remaining enjoyable and informative.

Grade Band: Secondary

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

Teaching Scrimmages in the Online Environment: Tips and Tools

2:50-3:05 pm - Breakout Room #1

Shannon Dillard, Elms College (dillards@elms.edu)

We will explore instructional strategies that allow pre-service teachers to engage in approximations of practice through teaching scrimmages in the online environment. Students enrolled in a mathematics methods course participated in three synchronous teacher scrimmages in breakout rooms, where they practiced facilitating basic number sense routines. They also practiced giving conceptual explanations for standard algorithms in recorded video lessons that were then shared in online discussion forums. Artifacts from the course will be shared, including examples of the instructional tasks used and a brief video of students engaging in an online scrimmage cycle. Results from the research study on this same topic will also be provided, along with lessons learned along the way.

Grade Band: Elementary

Course Relevance: Methods Courses

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Using Google Apps as a Tool to Advance Student Learning Via Meaningful Small Group Discussions and Teacher Feedback in an Online Environment

2:50-3:05 pm - Breakout Room #2

Patrick Sullivan, MAT^2 (patricksullivan@missouristate.edu)

The goal of this particular strategy was to support small group discussions in an online environment (i.e., Breakout Rooms in Zoom) while also providing meaningful teacher feedback via Google Apps. In preparation for use of this strategy, the teacher would review student responses to formative assessments created using Google Forms. Screenshots of responses worthy of discussion would be entered into a Google Slide deck with target questions to advance student learning. The template deck would be copied so that each group would have their own slide deck. Using Zoom, students would be assigned to breakout rooms and each group would enter their responses to the target questions. As groups worked the teacher would have a tab open on their computer showing each group's slide deck. The teacher easily added comments/feedback in real time to each group by quickly moving between each tab. While groups worked independently without teacher interruption in the breakout rooms, the teacher was fully engaged watching/reading student responses to the target questions. This was an effective strategy for three reasons: 1) feedback was immediate; 2) instead of simply discussing student responses students had to write a response knowing that they had to use precise language because the instructor would be evaluating the quality of responses; 3) there was record of student responses that could be referred to in later classes or in preparation for summative assessments. This strategy was so effective in the online environment that it will become part of the seated instructional strategies.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Both Methods and Content courses

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Using Online-Ready VCAST Video Cases of Student Thinking to Prepare Secondary Mathematics Teachers

2:50-3:05 pm - Breakout Room #3

Tatia Totorica, Boise State University (tatiatotorica@boisestate.edu)

Kanita K. DuCloux, Western Kentucky University

Nirmala Naresh, University of North Texas

Laurie Cavey, Boise State University

Funded by the NSF Grant #1726543, "Preparing Secondary Mathematics Teachers With Video Cases of Students' Functional Reasoning," project researchers developed online, video-based curricular modules for secondary mathematics teacher preparation. The presenters represent a partnership involving thirteen different United States universities and teacher educator faculty who integrate the VCAST materials into their mathematics courses.

The goals of the VCAST project are to develop innovative online curricular modules that improve mathematics teacher attentiveness, design a scalable version of the online platform for module delivery, and share the work with partner instructors across a wide range of mathematics teacher educator preparation and professional development programs. In our presentation, we will (1) highlight how the design features of the VCAST curricular model engage teacher candidates in multiple cycles of analysis, inference, prediction, and evaluation of carefully curated and sequenced student evidence, (2) illustrate how the VCAST materials and online delivery platform have helped meet the challenges precipitated by COVID-19, and (3) share the experience and insights of two partner instructors who successfully used VCAST materials to help their own teacher candidates improve in their ability to analyze, interpret, and respond to evidence of student thinking.

Grade Band: Secondary

Course Relevance: Content Courses for Teachers

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Shifting from Letters to Learning: Rethinking Grades Through Labor-Based Grading Contracts

2:50-3:05 pm - Breakout Room #4

Josh Hertel, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (jhertel@uwlax.edu)

This presentation will focus on how I implemented a labor-based grading contract during Fall 2020. After a brief overview of labor-based contracts, I will provide a rationale for their use in mathematics education courses that draws on educational literature. I will then describe how I implemented a labor-based grading contract in one of my courses with goals of increasing student engagement, focusing on individual development, and fostering community. The presentation will end with a summary of student survey data on the success of the implementation and discussion of the adjustments I intend to make in implementation moving forward.

Grade Band: General

Course Relevance: Methods Courses