Conference Program Information 

Breakout Session A: 9:00-10:15am

[K-6] Ticketed Session - You Don’t Have to Finish to Share Your Strategy!  

Angela Chan Turrou -- UCLA

Room MPR

Facilitating a whole class strategy share requires teachers to be simultaneously thoughtful about both the strategy author and the rest of the class. This session will dive into the in-the-moment decisions that teachers make to both support eliciting and engaging in others’ ideas.

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[Pk-2] Yes They Can: Debunking Misconceptions in the Preschool World 

Dolores Torres & Natali Gaxiola -- Lennox State Preschool

Room 3102

Through video and student work we will explore how preschoolers make sense of mathematical concepts and how they apply them to interactions with peers through play. We will also engage in conversations about the adult’s role in introduction to concept development and skill building.

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[Pk-2] Joyful Journeys in Numeracy: Problem Solving, Counting, and Place Value 

Alicia Jackson & Lyndon Catayong -- Cotsen Foundation 

Room 3103

Get ready for a hands-on, high-energy session where your curiosity around student work leads to awesome task creation! Together, we'll explore the powerful connections between problem-solving, counting collections, and intentional number choices—all designed to deepen students’ understanding of place value and numeracy in fun, meaningful ways. Expect to play, collaborate, and celebrate as we dive into real student thinking, share classroom strategies, and even design a task or two you can use right away. Whether you're new to this work and a long-time CGI practitioner, come prepared to be inspired and walk away with joyful practices you can bring to your students tomorrow! This session is geared towards grades 1-2, but all PK-2 are welcome!

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[Pk-2] Beyond Counting Collections: Using CGI to Unlock the Magic of Math in the Early Years 

Alex Hamada -- LAUSD

Room 3104

Let's make a pitstop at counting collections—one of the cornerstones and jumping off points of children's mathematical thinking in this UTK/K combo —then dive deeper and challenge our notions of what young minds can think and do when we leverage number sense routines within math-rich environments. See how one group of four- and five-year-olds led themselves to equations like 5+3-2=6, without ever touching a worksheet; swap ideas for enhancing your math routines; and wonder at the brilliance of young mathematicians when we remember that the standards are a floor and not a ceiling. 

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[3-6] From Mild to Spicy: Adding more flavor to your favorite routines

Barbara Tank, Shari Kaku & Joy Zimmerman -- UCLA Math Project

Room 3105

You thought Megan’s Taco Night was spicy! Join us as we engage in spicy versions of some familiar number sense and reasoning routines. These routines will infuse cultural and personal relevance to create opportunities for students to both see themselves and others as capable doers of mathematics.

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[3-6] Nope, Math isn't a Competition!: Imagining Anti-Racist Math Classrooms

Brittany L. Marshall, PhD -- San Diego State University

Room 3106

Societally, we are taught the myths that math is individualized and competitive. These myths are sometimes supported by teacher practices, which often perpetuate stereotypes impeding marginalized students' chances at success. When teachers work against these myths, they are creating a classroom environment that is safe for all students to make mistakes and engage in more collaborative work. In this session, we will discuss real-life examples (via video) from teachers that build a collective sense of responsibility in predominantly Black classrooms and show various ways in which students normalize difficulty in mathematics as a way to challenge norms of competition between students.

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[3-6] Yes or No? How Narrowing the Question Can Widen the Sense-making

Sumita Soni -- Berkeley USD

Room 3201

When solving routine word problems, students will often model and calculate quantities superficially, operating on the numbers without truly attending to the story context or without relating the answer to the problem situation. Problematic problems are designed to break that routine and nudge students towards deeper sensemaking. But even when faced with problematic problems, students’ answers often neglect to address the context of the story (e.g., “They needed to order 31 remainder 12 buses”). This session draws from scholarly research on revising story problems to include some uncertainty about a resulting answer by adding a “yes or no” question. While “yes or no” questions seem counterintuitive to engaging student thinking, I spent the fall of this year playing around with this approach. What I found was that “yes or no” questions (e.g., “Were enough buses ordered for the trip?”), plus a prompt to explain, set my students up to more deeply engage in sense-making and modeling with the mathematics of a problem situation than with a more traditionally written story problem. In this session, we’ll work collaboratively to solve revised versions of problems from the CGI problem types matrix, and step back to reflect on the teaching and learning opportunities that surface when we change the way we pose the question and ask, “Yes or no?”

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[PK-6] Know Where You Want Your Students to Go; Let Your Students Lead You There

Seth Cutler -- LAUSD

Room 3202

Student work and videos serve as the portal to seeing into the mathematical souls of our students.  We will explore mathematical tasks, questioning, what do you do when your student does not know how to start and how to get your students to engage in each other’s thinking. We will watch and discuss a variety of examples (1st grader getting stuck with number bonds; 2nd and 4th graders who don’t know how to get started; K and 3rd graders developing place value through counting collections; 5th graders engaging in fractions fair sharing). We will see how when we stop “teaching” the math and allow our students to problem solve and construct their own mathematical thinking, the learning is deeper and organic. Our students will guide and lead us to facilitating a rigorous mathematics community in our classrooms and they will always surprise us along the way. By the end of the session you will have a few tools to help sharpen your CGI facilitating skills and a deep understanding of what is worth doing.

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[PK-6] Nurturing Children's Curiosity 

Jody Guarino -- Orange County Dept. of Education and UC Irvine

Room 3203

Through video and student work we will explore how children’s understanding of equivalence can be developed by reasoning about relationships, rather than following procedures. We will explore nurturing wonder and curiosity with students as they engage in mathematics through the lens of argumentation. Building upon the intuitive knowledge children bring to our classrooms and their sense-making, we will consider ways to leverage wonder and instructional routines that open opportunities for argumentation. Investigate the layers of argumentation; noticing and wondering, conjecturing, justifying, and extending through experiences and vignettes of students engaged in argumentation to grow wonder in your own setting.

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[Leadership] Can Assessment be Joyful? 

JoAnn Isken -- UCLA Center X

Room 3204 

This session explores how CGI supports schools and districts to reimagine the status quo of assessment practices to instead focus on the details of children’s mathematical thinking. Coaches, administrators, leaders, etc. will collaborate together to gain the knowledge to understand, explain and lead discussions of assessment and results in ways that highlight the assets of students.

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[Leadership] Supporting Classroom Teachers on their CGI Math Journey 

Michelle Baldonado & Liz Romero -- LAUSD

Room 3205

This session is designed specifically for instructional leaders to help guide and support classroom teachers in the successful implementation of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) in math. Join us to enhance your leadership in supporting teachers on their CGI Math journey and promote a deeper, more meaningful math experience for students.

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Breakout Session B: 10:35-11:50am

[3-6] Ticketed Session - Growing Multiplicative Thinking of Whole Numbers and Fractions Over a School Year 

Brandon McMillan -- Brigham Young University

Room MPR

Developing multiplicative thinking is a critical mathematical concept, yet it takes time and a multitude of sense-making experiences. We will explore students' mathematical thinking over a school year to understand their growing multiplicative thinking with whole numbers and fractions while engaging in grouping problems.

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[PK-2] Counting Collections: Empowering Students to Share and Explore Ideas

Eileen Rawcliffe -- LAUSD

Room 3102

Learn with me and my TK students as we dive into all things counting collections - how children begin to engage in playful ways, how they represent their thinking on paper (and how this grows over time), and how we work hard as a classroom community to create space for children to share their ideas with each other and most importantly listen and engage with the ideas of others.

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[PK-2] Building Math Minds: Engaging Young Learners Through Dramatic Play

Liz Franchi & Marissa Jauregui -- Santa Monica- Malibu USD

Room 3103

Discover how play in TK-1st Grade, such as playing house, running a pretend store, or opening a theater, provides rich opportunities to explore foundational math skills like counting, representational thinking, and problem-solving. Learn how to leverage the joy and creativity of play to enhance your math block. Teachers will develop skills to observe and engage with children, guide problem-solving in real life situations and pose questions to encourage recording tasks. Learning how to make noticings clear and connecting play moments to math concepts, teachers can deepen students' understanding, fostering creativity, ownership, and a love for learning.

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[Pk-2; Leadership] Leveraging Assessments for Teacher and Student Learning

Christine Roberts (CA Ed Partners) & Stephanie Ahumada (Dinuba USD)

Room 3104

Explore how the "Learning from Children" assessment supports teachers in better understanding the development of children's mathematical ideas and creates opportunities for teachers to build on children's ideas in their instruction. Learn how one district shifted their focus from proficiency levels to student growth, supporting both teacher and student learning.  [Session designed for both teachers and leaders]

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[3-6] Leveraging Neurodivergent Students’ Thinking in CGI Classrooms

Janet Lee-Ortiz -- LAUSD

Room 3105

In this interactive session, we will explore how neurodivergent thinking can enrich the CGI approach. By examining student work, we will engage in thoughtful discussions around the unique ways neurodivergent students approach problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, and real-world connections. Participants will be invited to reflect on and expand their understanding of neurodivergent students' learning needs, exploring practical strategies for fostering an inclusive and supportive classroom environment. Through collaborative analysis and dialogue, we will work together to build a deeper understanding of how to better support young mathematicians.

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[3-6] Choral Counting in the Upper Grades – It’s a Vibe!

Lindsey Sanders -- UCLA Mathematics Project

Room 3106

You’ve heard of choral counting and maybe even tried it once. But is it really effective for the upper grades? Your students already know how to count and skip count—so what’s the point? The truth is, choral counting isn’t just about counting; it’s about uncovering patterns, deepening number sense, and sparking rich mathematical discussions. In this session, you'll experience firsthand how this powerful routine can help students review key concepts, make connections, and explore new ideas—all while having fun. Come see why choral counting in grades 3-6 isn’t just relevant—it’s a whole vibe!

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[PK-6] Threading Algebraic Thinking throughout the Day Is “Sew” Essential

Susan Tate & Julie Yearsley -- Downey USD

Room 3201

Routines, Counting Collections, and Problem Solving help develop deep understandings in algebraic thinking while engaging ALL students. We will share video and student work of children from a 3rd grade classroom to illustrate how these ideas can be woven into your mathematical day. Participants will explore the importance of supporting students’ thinking and making mathematical connections across Pk-6 through their students’ explorations with number and discussions in a seamless fashion.

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[PK-6] Sketching Success: Empowering Mathematical Thinkers through CGI Problem Solving

Kim Morchower -- UCLA Lab School

Room 3202

Join us for an insightful session on integrating sketching into CGI problem-solving. We will focus on using sketching to enhance student understanding when unpacking problems and support them to develop more effective strategies for solving them. Together we will explore student work to highlight the benefits of sketching and share easy ways to integrate it into your daily classroom math. We will also discuss how sketching helps engage all types of learners to gain tools to foster critical thinking and support learners who may struggle in math.

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[PK-6] Magical Moments: When the Math Belongs to the Creator of the Story

Lori Rosales -- UCLA Mathematics Project

Room 3203

Our mission has to change the focus of math class from something that's done to kids to something that comes from kids. See how we moved counting collections into art and layered story problems on top of students' work. The work isn't magic, but it felt magical.

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[Leadership] You're invited! Noticing & Building Upon Student Genius & Joy to Invite Adult Learning for Site & System Change

Kim Duenas & Michelle Torres

Room 3204

In this session, we will center student thinking and joy as the foundation for shifting adult beliefs and systemwide practices. By deeply noticing and lifting up the brilliance of our students—especially those historically underserved—we can create powerful invitations for adult learning that lead to meaningful site and system growth. Participants will explore strategies for designing and communicating professional learning rooted in student assets and shared experiences that spark collective efficacy. Together, we’ll examine how to lead with invitation, challenge assumptions, and sustain momentum for change through intentional adult learning opportunities. The session will conclude with a set of reflective leadership scenarios that invite participants to reimagine how they might approach professional learning differently to inspire and empower educators across their site or system.

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[Leadership] Cognitive Coaching: Making Space for Teacher Thinking

Lisa Ward & Raymond Little

Room 3205

Might we apply the CGI Principled Ideas to teachers, as well as to students? Find out how to support teachers in being their best, taking them from where they are, to where they wish to go, using an admiring lens.

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Breakout Session C: 1:00-2:15pm

[PK-2] Ticketed Session - Connecting Preschool and Elementary School Through Counting*

Nick Johnson -- San Diego State University

Room MPR

Counting is at the center of making sense of what the operations are and how they relate to one another. In this session, we will trace the power of young children's mathematical thinking from counting to problem solving and beyond.

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[PK-2] More Than Words: Leveraging Varied Resources to support Multilingual Learners

Multilingual Learner Working Group

Room 3102

What are the varied ways children communicate their mathematical ideas (academic and informal language, English and beyond, through tools, gesture, movement, etc.)? In this session, we will collaborate around videos of children doing a range of mathematical work. We invite participants to share about the power of multilingualism and to collaborate around “problems of practice” we encounter as we seek to deepen our own teaching. Our goal is to build our pedagogical practice to support multilingual learners and every student in our learning spaces.

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[3-6] Developing Children’s Understanding of Equivalent Fractions

Joan Case

Room 3103

Through video and student work we will explore how children’s understanding of equivalence can be developed by reasoning about relationships, rather than following procedures.

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[3-6] Supporting Students Without Saving!

Stephanie Sullins -- San Diego State University

Room 3104

How do we support children's thinking without telling them what to do? When a student is struggling, our teacher's inclination is too often to jump in and save the day, which can result in leading questions or taking over the student’s thinking completely. We will explore specific teacher moves and questions to support the productive struggle of all of our students, even when they’re stuck! Videos and student work will be focused on fractions, but ideas lend themselves to all content areas.

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[3-6] The Power of Constructing Equations From Students’ Ideas

Alicia Chest, Cathy Nguyen & Chelsea Schneider -- Lawndale ESD

Room 3105

How can teachers formalize students’ math ideas from meaningful contexts such as images, choral counts, counting collections, and strategy shares? Together we will explore how to extend activities you already do in order for students to understand grouping symbols, equality, and other important algebraic understanding with whole numbers and fractions.

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[3-6] Forever Young: Integrating Play into Upper Elementary

Kathy Minas -- LAUSD

Room 3106

Play-based learning doesn't have to stop in primary elementary. How can we harness curiosity, exploration and problem solving to engage older learners in games that promote deepening understanding, collaboration, and student thinking?

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[3-6] Becoming One: The Story of a Mathematical Investigation into a Hidden Big Idea 

Joseph Espinosa -- LAUSD

Room 3201

Journey through the mathematical landscape in grades 3-5 as we explore the math idea of Becoming One. See how purposefully selected student-centered math instructional activities as part of an investigation provide opportunities for all students to explore, make sense of, and form initial mathematical conjectures around this important math idea.

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[PK-6] Bridging Math Content and IEP Goals: Personalizing Instruction for Every Learner

Suzanne Huerta -- Buena Park SD

Room 3202

In this session, we will explore the significance of personalizing mathematics instruction to foster an environment where students thrive, engage, and gain confidence in their mathematical abilities. You will gain insight into Suzanne's deep understanding of her students, her strategies for designing compelling word problems and routines, and her work on revising IEP goals to align with the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs). Leave with inspiring and practical ideas to transform your students' math experiences and empower every learner in your classroom.

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[PK-6] CGI Meets Building Thinking Classrooms: Collaborative Problem Solving as Never-Ending Strategy Share

Vivian Quan -- LAUSD

Room 3203

Often we have students solve problems on their own first, and then we have them engage in each other's ideas. What if they could solve AND share at the same time? In this session, we dive into the HOW and WHY of collaborative problem solving.

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[PK-6; Leadership] Meeting the Moment: Nurturing Relationships with and Through Mathematics

Theo Sagun & Joy Zimmerman -- UCLA

Room 3204

In this session, we will center student thinking and joy as the foundation for shifting adult beliefs and systemwide practices. By deeply noticing and lifting up the brilliance of our students—especially those historically underserved—we can create powerful invitations for adult learning that lead to meaningful site and system growth. Participants will explore strategies for designing and communicating professional learning rooted in student assets and shared experiences that spark collective efficacy. Together, we’ll examine how to lead with invitation, challenge assumptions, and sustain momentum for change through intentional adult learning opportunities. The session will conclude with a set of reflective leadership scenarios—grounded in real school experiences—that invite participants to reimagine how they might approach professional learning differently to inspire and empower educators across their site or system.  [Session designed for both teachers and leaders]

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[Leadership] A Common Approach: CGI Across Campus

Andrew Jenkins -- LAUSD

Room 3205

In this session, participants will develop systems and structures for leveraging Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) as a school-wide approach. Because CGI is at its core a professional development model, participants will learn how they can develop a learning path for teachers so that practices are shared across classrooms, yielding opportunities for students to see themselves as viable mathematicians with an understanding that mathematics is joyful, creative, collaborative, and inclusive. Strategies will be shared by the facilitator based on his own experiences leading this work for 12 years as a school-site principal.