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NEWSLETTER
Issue 2 / May / 2010
Greetings!

Greetings from the Investigations projects at TERC. It's spring, a time for reflection and for looking ahead. A time to celebrate successes, reflect on challenges, and plan for improvement and renewal. This newsletter aims to support you in this process, whether your planning involves implementing Investigations, providing professional development, or working with families.

Myriam Steinback
Director of Investigations Workshops for Transforming Mathematics

Karen Economopoulos and Keith Cochran
Co-Directors of Investigations in Number, Data, and Space


Implementing Investigations
The successful implementation of any new curriculum involves thoughtful planning and hard work on many levels. Experience from the field suggests that the following are critical in successfully using Investigations to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics for all students. Workshops Paticipants
  • An Implementation Plan. Designing and implementing a long-term, well-articulated plan requires a diverse team with a strong leader and a shared vision of what effective elementary mathematics teaching and learning can and should look like. Communication about the plan needs to be clear and consistent, so that people know what is expected of them, and what resources are available to support them in their work.
    (Learn more about planning for implementation.)



  • A Plan for Professional Development. Deepening math teaching and learning requires a commitment to sustained professional development. All groups-teachers, teacher leaders, coaches/specialists, principals and administrators, etc.-will need professional development designed to meet their needs. Schools and districts also need to be building capacity-identifying, developing, and supporting leaders in each of these groups.
    (Learn more about planning for professional development.)



  • A Plan for Working with Families. In a world where most adults learned that math is about memorizing a series of facts or steps or procedures, parents and families need to know why Investigations has been chosen, how it approaches the teaching and learning of math, and how they can help at home. They need to understand that Investigations focuses on the basics, and also asks that children develop understanding, flexibility, and the ability to reason mathematically - skills that are in high demand in today's high-tech and ever-changing world.
    (Learn more about resources for working with families.)


Professional Development by TERC
For 13 years, Investigations Workshops for Transforming Mathematics has been offering professional development focused on the curriculum, the mathematics, and how children learn. Led by educators with extensive experience with Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, these Workshops and Institutes have reached over 30,000 teachers and leaders. Workshops Paticipants
Opportunities for professional development in the summer of 2010 include:

Investigations in the Classroom K-5
Grand Junction, CO, June 7-11
New York City, NY, June 14-18
Boston, MA, July 12-16
    "The entire week was full of new insights and has me energized to begin the program."

Building Computational Fluency K-5
Van Buren, AR, June 14-18
Katy, TX, July 19-23
Baton Rouge, LA, July 26-30
Canal Winchester, OH, August 2-6
Northampton, MA, August 9-13

    "I didn't realize I was using efficient strategies, I thought I was compensating for poor math skills. I realize now that I can actually do math!!"

Algebraic Reasoning K-5
Newburyport, MA, August 10-12
    "I finally understood that algebra does not need to be just formulas - amazing!"

Counting and Computation K-2
Saco, ME, June 22-24, 2010
Berkeley, CA, August 23-25
    "I learned that counting is simple but very complex and involves many skills and concepts."

Fractions, Decimals, and Percents 3-5
Saco, ME, June 22-24
Berkeley, CA, August 26-28
    "Comparing and ordering fractions gave me a whole new insight on seeing the value of fractions."
The calendar of events for Summer 2010 will be updated regularly, so check back for information about new workshop opportunities.

Also, learn more about bringing Workshops staff to your school or district for customized professional development.


Online Games and Activities
Looking for online resources to use to provide additional practice and review? The Investigations team has compiled pages of online games and activities appropriate for students in K-1, 2-3 and 4-5, as well as a page of K-5 sites and tools.
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