Welcome to the ATMALA Newsletter. We are made up of 20 middle and high school math teachers who, together with CSU Fullerton faculty, are focused on transforming mathematics classrooms to meet the needs of all students. We believe in fostering culturally responsive mathematics teaching, where the content builds on students' prior knowledge and relates to their cultural, linguistic, and community experiences, improving students' access, interest and success with mathematics. We hope to inspire other educators to take an active role in transforming mathematics education.
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Status in Action
Status in Action
Through our work in ATMALA, building a student's mathematical identity and assigning them status in the classroom has become a routine practice. As teacher leaders we strive to share this impactful practice with others as well as share success stories from our own experiences.
Through our work in ATMALA, building a student's mathematical identity and assigning them status in the classroom has become a routine practice. As teacher leaders we strive to share this impactful practice with others as well as share success stories from our own experiences.
We can disrupt our conditioning to open new possibilities in our classrooms.
“Our conditioning shapes whom we call on to speak in class discussions, whose thinking we carefully scaffold, whom we provide with open-ended challenges, and whom we provide with basic practice—in sum, who gets opportunities to engage with rich, rigorous mathematics and see themselves as mathematically capable." (Louie 2017)
ATMALA fellow, Scott Johnson (BOUSD), plans to share his knowledge of status and competence with the elementary teachers at his district, Brea-Olinda Unified School District. We asked Scott: What information are you planning on sharing with teachers in your district and what impact do you hope it will make?
ATMALA fellow, Scott Johnson (BOUSD), plans to share his knowledge of status and competence with the elementary teachers at his district, Brea-Olinda Unified School District. We asked Scott: What information are you planning on sharing with teachers in your district and what impact do you hope it will make?
My leadership goal involves creating and implementing math training for the elementary teachers in our district. Working with the math TOSA, we will strategize and implement plans to effectively create and/or support socially just learning environments by creating professional development opportunities that focus on Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teaching for the elementary teachers. The training will focus on mathematical identity and mathematical practices. I plan on calling it "Mathematical Strengths and Where to Find Them." I will provide the elementary teachers information from the ATMALA created MCM's, specifically the Treating Status Issues in the Mathematics Classroom MCM, as well as resources for collaborative problem solving. The focus will be on the fact that there are many different mathematical strengths beyond speed and accuracy and that through collaborative problem solving the students will have the opportunity to utilize and develop a variety of mathematical strengths. Ultimately this will hopefully help the students to realize that they all have something to contribute in the math classroom.
ATMALA fellow, Lacy Knight (NLMUSD), shares a testimonial of two students who have gone from disengaged, passive students to engaged leaders in the math classroom. She supports students' identities and status by publicly recognizing strengths to encourage participation, also known as status injections.
ATMALA fellow, Lacy Knight (NLMUSD), shares a testimonial of two students who have gone from disengaged, passive students to engaged leaders in the math classroom. She supports students' identities and status by publicly recognizing strengths to encourage participation, also known as status injections.
When some students come to my classroom, I notice it is out of their comfort zone to really engage in the learning. It may be that they are used to being a passive learner who only takes notes or they do not have a positive mathematical identity and think they are "bad at math". Whichever is the case, I strive to make math engaging and relatable for students so they can begin to develop a positive identity in mathematics.
The first story I want to share is about a student named Abigail. Abigail was an extremely quiet student in class. She noted in her autobiography that she is a good student because she does her work; however, when I talked to Abigail she would express "I don't like math because I'm not very good at it." She determined she wasn't good at math because sometimes she would get the wrong answer. I saw Abigail had a strength with creating diagrams to break down problems to make them more simple. One day during a problem solving task using patterns to predict what size a pig pen would be to fit n amount of pigs, I noticed Abigail used the concept of area to represent her pattern. This was a strategy no other student had used, but many students had mastered area so I highlighted this strategy to the class. "Abby's area strategy", as we called it, was referenced throughout the lesson and each time a student pointed back at it, Abby would look left and right with a huge smile on her face. This status injection gave her the confidence to share her thinking from that day forward. Today, Abigail is a different student in class. She is an engaged, frequent participator and most importantly, a leader in the classroom with a positive math identity who has the confidence to share out whether or not she has the "correct answer."
Abby's work is in orange and the orange writing to the left shows how Abby's strategy relates to other strategies shared.
Many students feel incompetent in math if they lack basic foundational skills or if they are not as "fast" as the other students. This is true for the student in my next story, Juan. Juan can be described as a student who needs extra time and assistance when working on math problems. He receives RSP support in math and he frequently notes he is "dumb in math" because he "just doesn't get it." Juan was frequently disengaged and seeking attention elsewhere during math tasks.
Fractions can be a daunting concept for 6th graders, especially for students who don't have a positive mathematical identity and are afraid of making mistakes or taking risks. The topic of the task was using a double number line to solve one-step equations with fractions (ie. 3/7x=15). At first, Juan approached this task with hesitancy. "I don't get it," he said within 10 seconds of seeing the problem. "Tell me everything you know about fractions, Juan." He proceeded to tell me some things about fractions and then asked if he could draw it for me. Once he drew the fraction as more of a tape diagram model, a lightbulb turned on for Juan. "Oh wait, can't I just do this?" he asked as he began to separate the visual into the appropriate sections. I was impressed with his perseverance and his connection to an alternate method. I interrupted the class and stated "Juan just used a tape diagram visual to represent the fraction! Would that help anyone else get started?" Many students began to chatter things like "Oh yea, that makes more sense." "That's so easy now." Juan was very proud of the work he had begun and by the end of the day he said "Mrs. Knight, I can teach my neighbor this. I know how to do it for every problem." Juan no longer saw himself as "dumb in math." He is now taking risks and helping others. He isn't afraid to try alternate methods even when something seems tough at first!
"When I see a student light up in math class because they feel they are good at math, it motivates me to make that moment happen for every single student! I wonder what the impact would be for ALL students if we only broadened the definition of what it means to be 'good at math.'"
Lacy Knight
Teacher Leaders Spotlight
Teacher Leaders Spotlight
Leadership roles are not limited within our school sites, or even districts. ATMALA fellows consistently present at conferences to share their work with other teachers. Spotlighted below is the most recent session presented at the Western Regional Noyce Conference in San Diego in March 2022. This session was presented by ATMALA fellows Phil Turner (NLMUSD) and Jairo Aguayo (AUHSD) along with two members of the leadership team, Dr. Armando Martinez-Cruz and Dr. Gavin Tierney.
Leadership roles are not limited within our school sites, or even districts. ATMALA fellows consistently present at conferences to share their work with other teachers. Spotlighted below is the most recent session presented at the Western Regional Noyce Conference in San Diego in March 2022. This session was presented by ATMALA fellows Phil Turner (NLMUSD) and Jairo Aguayo (AUHSD) along with two members of the leadership team, Dr. Armando Martinez-Cruz and Dr. Gavin Tierney.
Session Title: FROM CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO LEADERS TO UPSTANDERS FOR STUDENTS: SAMPLES FROM INCLUSION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This session included testimonials and samples focused on work from developed micro-credential modules; Assigning Competence and Treating Status Issues in the Math Classroom and Using Technology to Enhance Student Engagement in Mathematical Reasoning and Communication. Phil and Jairo shared their leadership work of inclusion in the middle- and high school honors courses. Gavin shared the work ATMALA has been doing with Project Based Learning and Armando engaged participants in problem solving.
The participants at the Noyce Conference are mainly Noyce Scholars and pre-service teachers. We asked Phil Turner: Tell us about your presentation and what impact do you feel it had on the participants?
The participants at the Noyce Conference are mainly Noyce Scholars and pre-service teachers. We asked Phil Turner: Tell us about your presentation and what impact do you feel it had on the participants?
At the WRNC, we had the opportunity to share some of our ATMALA work with other NOYCE scholars and hoped to inspire pre-service teachers. Our presentation was centered on culturally responsive mathematics teaching inspired by this powerful quote (see image to right).
There are two parts that I feel were most impactful. First being the math identity and status portion. Since most participants were pre-service teachers our goal was to help them reflect on their own identity as a way to recognize that each students' identity impacts their learning and participation in the mathematics classroom.
Click the picture above to access the presentation
We wanted to share that you have the power to redefine a student's identity. We shared information from the Micro-credential Module Assigning Competence and Treating Status Issues in the Math Classroom which gave these teachers ideas for things they could immediately implement in their classroom. The participants showed extreme interest in this portion of the presentation.
The second thing Jairo and I shared was about inclusion and how tracking impacts student status. We shared with them a little bit of reading about this issue and I noticed the participants leaned in when we brought up inequities in honors classes. We could tell they were intrigued. After the reading, although they didn't say anything, we could tell they were really thinking about this idea of inequity. I mean, these are all pre-service teachers with positive math identities. They probably never realized the label of honors could be bad for students. So as we shared data about status and tracking and the negative impact tracking has on status, we shared actions we've made to dismantle these inequitable policies both at middle schools and high schools. We made references to the new CA math framework in which only one of the participants was from CA so this was something new for most participants. We hope the new information from the framework will open their minds to these ideas and will inspire them to become leaders in dismantling inequitable practices.
We helped tie this portion back to the statement about CRMT, and we know tracking contributes to students seeing themselves in a negative way.
Jairo Aguayo highlights his work with creating the MCM Using Technology to Enhance Student Engagement in Mathematical Reasoning and Communication. We asked Jairo: What part of your presentation do you feel was most impactful for pre-service teachers?
Jairo Aguayo highlights his work with creating the MCM Using Technology to Enhance Student Engagement in Mathematical Reasoning and Communication. We asked Jairo: What part of your presentation do you feel was most impactful for pre-service teachers?
I felt our presentation at WRNC related to classroom instruction was most impactful for pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers leaned in (literally) when we shared about ATMALA’s PBL design and our MCM work attending to status and the use of technology to enhance student engagement. They really want to know what they don’t know. Their enthusiasm to want to know more about what we do made me feel like they are going to be one the best teachers out there.
From left to right: Dr. Gavin Tierney, Jairo Aguayo, Dr. Armando Martinez-Cruz, Phillip Turner
"Mathematical identity has to do with how one sees themselves as doers of, or learners of mathematics, the knowledge, skills, habits, attitudes, beliefs, and relationships that students need to develop as successful mathematics learners." (Aguirre, et al. 2007)
Leading Beyond the Classroom Spotlight
Leading Beyond the Classroom Spotlight
We strive to share our work with educators through conferences and publications. Spotlighted below is an article published in the NCTM journal: Mathematics Teacher, Learning and Teaching PreK-12: Ear to the Ground written by four MTF's: Amtul Chaudry, Lacy Knight, Susie Min, and Tor Ormseth. The article highlights the session Rehumanizing Mathematics through Ethnic Studies Pedagogy which was presented at the Ethnic Studies Summit in May 2021.
We strive to share our work with educators through conferences and publications. Spotlighted below is an article published in the NCTM journal: Mathematics Teacher, Learning and Teaching PreK-12: Ear to the Ground written by four MTF's: Amtul Chaudry, Lacy Knight, Susie Min, and Tor Ormseth. The article highlights the session Rehumanizing Mathematics through Ethnic Studies Pedagogy which was presented at the Ethnic Studies Summit in May 2021.
Article Title: Working Together to Rehumanize Math
Article Overview: “Middle- and high-school math teachers from ATMALA (Advancing Teachers of Mathematics to Advance Learning for All) share their identity and reflective practices to create student-centered classrooms that rehumanize math learning. Learn how culturally responsive math teaching (CRMT) and ethnic studies pedagogy are integrated to transform their students’ view of mathematics and their identity as math learners.”
Click on the image to access the entire presentation
Access the NCTM article here: Working Together to Rehumanize Math
Volume 115 - Issue 2 - Departments: Ear to The Ground
"Teaching can be lonely work, especially where changing traditional practices is concerned. The collaboration highlighted in this article was one of the most meaningful and helpful experiences of my teaching career."
- Tor Ormseth (ERUSD)
"Finding a new purpose of learning and teaching mathematics has been truly rewarding for my students and myself as a teacher. Using mathematics to identify, understand, and address the relevant issues in society has reignited my students’ love and interest for the subject. In addition to empowering my students with the new purpose of learning math, I was able to broaden my own horizons as a math educator.”
- Susie Min (AUHSD)
"I hope the readers see that math at all levels can transform to be meaningful and relevant to students. Allowing students to use their previous knowledge and experiences to drive the learning in my math class has been inspiring for all, myself included. I see students develop a love for math they didn’t have before because it finally means something to them and they are using it to make a difference in their community. I hope this article inspires others to do the same.”
- Lacy Knight (NLMUSD)
''Relationships with students need to be established and nurtured before content can become meaningful.''
-Amtul Chaudry (AUHSD)
"How can we connect ethnic studies pedagogy with math instruction? More generally, how can we make our classrooms more student-centered, engaging, and equitable? These are difficult questions, but fortunately we have found power in tackling them as a collaborative team and in networking with others in a variety of ways."
What's Coming Up?
What's Coming Up?
ATMALA Summer Institute
ATMALA Summer Institute
The week long professional development institute is planned by ATMALA fellows, for ATMALA fellows.
It will take place June 13-17, 2022
SPRING 2022 Micro-Credential Modules
SPRING 2022 Micro-Credential Modules
IN PROGRESS: Developing Lessons to Promote Conceptual Understanding in Mathematics
Dates: February 6 - March 20, 2022
Promoting and Supporting Students’ Productive Struggle During Rich Math Tasks
Dates: April 3 - May 5, 2022
Register here: Link
National Board Certification News
National Board Certification News
Any teacher who has attained NBPTS certification is eligible to receive an award of $5,000 a year for five years if they teach at a high-priority school.
In addition, the program provides a $2,500 subsidy to cover the cost of certification for teachers at high-priority school to initiate and complete the program.
Visit California's Department of Education National Board site for more information
Frequently asked National Board Certification Questions link
2022 Upcoming Conferences
2022 Upcoming Conferences
NCTM Annual Conference - Los Angeles Convention Center - 9/28-10/1/22
Register at nctm.org
Deadline to apply as a speaker has passed
Noyce Summit 2022 - Washington, D.C. - July 18-20
MTF's Nicholas Navarro and Angela Reed presenting with CSUF Faculty
Visit nsfnoyce.org for more information
TODOS
Anticipated Summer 2022
Visit todos-math.org for more information
CMC South Conference, Palm Springs - November 4 & 5
Visit cmc-math.org for more information
This work is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, award #1660809. To learn more, see http://atmala.weebly.com
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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