Plenary Talks

Friday

Engaging Plenary Session #1 5:45-7:30 pm

Drs. Angie Hodge-Zickerman and Victoria (Tori) Damjanovic from the NAU College of Education will kick off the fourth annual AWSiM event with a session on the power of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in mathematics classrooms. With years of experience using IBL at all educational levels, from preK to professional development for university instructors, Angie and Tori will actively involve the audience in the inquiry process. They will help participants think about the inquiry process through authentic and contextualized learning experiences across a lifetime of learning mathematics. This session will especially focus on how IBL can support and inspire women in STEM fields starting in early years to inspire all learners, helping to build a more inclusive and diverse scientific community. Attendees will leave with practical insights into best practices, challenges, and the impact IBL can have on student learning and participation. 

Saturday

Engaging Plenary Session #2 9:05-10:05 am

Data Science Education: What is it? What is it not? What should it be? How does it enable diversity?

Dr. Jennifer  Broatch, Arizona State University

In this presentation, I will explore key questions surrounding data science education, aiming to clarify its scope, boundaries, and its potential to promote diversity and equity. The urgency for effective data science education is undeniable as technology rapidly advances and the importance of data-driven decision-making grows exponentially. Neglecting the development of data skills in all students threatens our country’s future and exacerbates inequities. Additionally, I will highlight recent data science education endeavors by national and local changemakers, including the AZ Math Collaborative, Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative, and Data Science 4 Everyone. Despite these efforts, there's still considerable ground to cover in the development and implementation of data science education in the state of Arizona and beyond. 

Teaching and Equity Plenary Workshop 3:00-4:30 pm

Launching and Landing Tasks: Teaching in a Thinking Classroom

Dr. April Strom, Chandler-Gilbert Community College 

As we consider how to increase student engagement and active learning in a mathematics classroom, we need to focus on energy on launching and landing tasks that elevate students’ motivation to learn and opportunity to make critical mathematical connections. In this presentation, we will experience ways to launch mathematical tasks in the classroom as well as ways for landing (mathematically) the task to support student understanding.