Through decades of work as educators, we have observed teachers and parents struggling to teach children math because they don't have a robust understanding of mathematics themselves. They perceive math as a series of procedures, as disconnected bits of information, as steps to be relayed directly from textbooks, and as memorized techniques for getting answers. To improve student achievement in math, it is imperative that teachers and parents are provided with opportunities to deepen their own understanding of mathematics.
We are convinced that professional and personal growth in mathematical understanding can be supported by interactive and engaging online spaces for math education. In implementing best practices for teaching math, digital resources, and synchronous technologies, we hope to discover innovative methods for deepening math knowledge that is effective, ongoing and at a distance. This presentation will,
* demonstrate what kinds of digital materials best support online math learning for a wide range of learners
* provide methods for effectively managing an environment where participants can learn from one another and develop at their own pace
* Recommend what technologies and connectivity is needed for online learning to be at its highest capacity
Since 1916, Bank Street College has been dedicated to the education of children and the preparation of teachers and teacher-leaders. Since our inception, we have had a prevailing commitment to creating open and innovative communities where educators are inspired to learn about child-centered pedagogical approaches and apply this knowledge to their teaching. This presentation is a collaborative effort between the Mathematics Leadership Programs and Bank Street Online. The Mathematics Leadership Programs have been devoted to the education of teachers, math specialists, math coaches and school building leaders for almost 25 years. Bank Street Online supports the Bank Street community in the design, development and implementation of innovative teaching strategies for educating students at a distance.
The Math Place Project
The Math Place is an online community for the support of mathematical learning for teachers and parents who regularly help children learn mathematics. Consistent with Common Core Curriculum State Standards practices, we use collaborative tools (real and virtual) in a synchronous setting to support learning. These synchronous tools and digital interactive resources provide online opportunities for understanding mathematics and teaching practices. Through the implementation of this expert-managed environment for math learning, we have developed a framework for ongoing, online professional and personal growth in mathematics.
In 2001, Bank Street College founded The Math Place as a face-to-face center to provide learners opportunities to explore and understand mathematics, often for the first time. Participants included educators concerned with their capacity to teach math and parents asking how they could support their own child's math development. The Math Place educators taught the mathematics that underlies school math topics such as fractions, decimals, percents, multiplication and division, algebra and the basics of geometry. Community members learned mathematics and methodologies for teaching math to children.
Building on the success of the on-site program, The Math Place Online is an open and free online learning community for K-8 teachers and parents of elementary and middle school children. Participants work with Bank Street math faculty and fellow Math Place members to explore and reflect on math concepts through the use of digital resources and interactive activities. As the community develops, members are encouraged to discuss the challenges and successes they've had teaching math to young learners. All community engagement is through synchronous technologies to extend opportunities to participants beyond the walls of Bank Street.
Goals and Questions
Profound understanding of math is not just a challenge for young learners, but also for those leading and supporting young learners as they gain that knowledge. There is no doubt that online professional development opportunities exist for the learning of mathematics already, but this project aspires to go beyond standard professional development technologies and experiences. The goal of The Math Place is to bring teachers and parents together as an online community through conferencing and online technologies, providing peer and expert engagement for deeper math learning. The Math Place Online does not give participants access to canned materials or math testing systems, but a living community connected digitally and committed to understanding mathematics.
In presenting The Math Place as an educational space for extended collaboration and communication around math, we will provide a framework to answer the following questions:
* How does one successfully manage synchronous online communities in which teachers and parents can come to understand the mathematics of the elementary and middle school?
* What digital communication technologies are best suited for sustaining a successful learning community online?
We will also put forward best practices for employing communication technologies to teach deep mathematical understanding to diverse and disconnected groups who support young math learners.