Principles to Actions

These pages serve as a rough guide (and resources) for a Book Study facilitator. Please modify to better suit you and your participants.

About the Book

Introductions (15 min): Who's here and why? What do we hope to get from this book?
Discussion on 'Progress' (15 mins):
- What do you think about the statement "we must move from 'pockets of excellence' to 'systemic excellence' by providing mathematics education that supports the learning of all students at the highest possible level" (p.3) ? What challenges and opportunities do we see in our schools when it comes to this goal?
- Which of the five "realities" on p.3 do we think are an issue in our schools? Which are we doing better at than others?
Discussion (15 mins):
- Unpack the "Beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics" table on p. 11. Why are the "unproductive" beliefs so common among teachers? Which of these beliefs do we sometimes struggle with ourselves?
- Work through an example as a group of establishing math goals to focus learning. Choose a lesson one of the teachers plans to use soon, and refer to the table on p. 16 for guiding principles.
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.

Circle Back to Prior Meeting (15 min): What has stuck with us with the last reading? What happened when we attempted to "try-on" ideas from the reading?
Discussion (15 mins):
- Discuss the four levels of cognitive demand (p. 18-19). What do we see as the ideal mix of cognitive demand in our math classes? How might that change throughout the year?
- What do we think of the five representations listed in Fig 9 (p. 25)? Which of these does are curriculum emphasize? How might we make more connections between representations? (Consider discussing a particular topic someone is teaching.)
Example (15 mins):
- Work through an example as a group of implementing tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving. Choose a lesson one of the teachers plans to use soon, and refer to the table on p. 24 for guiding principles.
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.

Circle Back to Prior Meeting (15 min): What has stuck with us with the last reading? What happened when we attempted to "try-on" ideas from the reading?
Discussion (15 mins):
- Work through the Candy Jar task (Fig 11) as a group. Then discuss the solutions Mr. Donnelly found (Fig 13). How might Mr. Donnelly's lesson score on the rubric (Fig 11)
Example (15 mins):
- Work through an example as a group of posing purposeful questions. Choose a lesson one of the teachers plans to use soon, and refer to the four types of questions in Fig 14.
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.

Circle Back to Prior Meeting (15 min): What has stuck with us with the last reading? What happened when we attempted to "try-on" ideas from the reading?
Discussion (15 mins):
- How have we balanced procedural fluency and conceptual understanding in our teaching? Has that changed for any of us in recent years? Do the guiding principles (p. 47) help to focus our efforts?
- "For the last few decades many parents and educators have been more interested in making students feel good about themselves in math and science than in helping them achieve." (p. 50) How have we addressed this potential hazard in our teaching? In what ways do we promote productive struggle in our classes?
Example (15 mins):
- Work through an example as a group of eliciting and using evidence of student thinking. Choose a lesson one of the teachers plans to use soon, and refer to the guiding principles on p. 56.
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.

Circle Back to Prior Meeting (15 min): What has stuck with us with the last reading? What happened when we attempted to "try-on" ideas from the reading?
Discussion (15 mins):
- What are the biggest obstacles in our school(s) when it comes to the essential elements? Which are reasonable for us to address given the current constraints?
- Which of the "beliefs about access and equity in mathematics" (p. 63) do we see as most important in our work?
Discussion (15 mins):
- Which of the "beliefs about the mathematics curriculum" (p. 72) do we see as most important in our work?
- Which of the seven activities in "effective professional learning communities" (p. 103-104) do we see in our school(s)? Which can we be more effective in using?
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.

Circle Back to Prior Meeting (15 min): What has stuck with us with the last reading? What happened when we attempted to "try-on" ideas from the reading?
Discussion (15 mins):
- What are some things we noticed in the reading? What seemed most useful?
- What questions did we have?
Discussion (15 mins):
- What are some Actions that resonate most with us? How might we advocate for changes that matter most for our students? What are a few action items we can commit to now?
Closure / Wrap-up (15 mins):
- What can we (individually or collectively) “try-on” from this reading?
- Take a minute to silently reflect on the content and what you want to work on until our next meeting.