We are finally en route to Denver! So far we are loving the free baggage (just made the 50 lb limit whew), drinks, and snacks on Southwest; however after leaving the runway & pulling out our NCSM packet of sessions, we are completely overwhelmed and exhausted!

Before choosing our sessions, we brainstormed a bit about what we wanted to get out of the conference as a whole, what were we definitely looking for, as well as what we were not. Nancy was looking for sessions that sounded thought-provoking, interactive and align philosophically with her beliefs on how students learn. I went more with weeding out what I was NOT looking for in a session. I did not want sessions based in “policy” or “newest trends” in education, testing, or tiers of RTI. I wanted sessions, like Nancy, centered around improving student learning and strategies to move more teachers in the direction of best math practice.

It was obviously easy to choose the big sessions led by presenters whom we have used their resources in our own practice, educators we look to for inspiration, and persons who have contributed to us becoming the math educators we are today. Jo Boaler, Marilyn Burns and Kathy Richardson were three easy session picks!

Now the tough part begins….

Monday options:

9:30-10:30
“Exploring teachers’ practices of responding to students’ ideas” – Amanda Milewski
“Constructing arguments in the elementary classroom: struggling and excelling students in the classroom community”-Susan Jo Russell
“Helping teachers implement research-based instructional practices”-Karin Lange
“Thinking beyond the content: using mathematics as a vehicle to teach reasoning”-Marilyn Trow (leaning toward this one)

10:45-11:45
“Linking problem solving and the standards for mathematical practice”-Robyn Silbey
“How to differentiate your mathematics instruction, K-5”-Jayne Bamford-Lynch (leaning toward this one-Nancy)
“Reaching all learners by differentiating instruction in grades 3-5”-Janet Caldwell
“What is fluency and why is it important”-Skip Fennell (leaning toward this one-Kristin)

12:15-1:15
“Interviewing students to learn about algebraic reasoning Grades 3-5”-Virginia Bastable
“Differentiated coaching: providing each teacher with the support to reach each student”-Jane Kise
“Defining effective learning experiences for educators in a CCSS classroom”-Marji Freeman

1:30-2:30
“Increasing teacher quality with differentiated PD”-Jennifer Taylor-Cox

2:45-3:45
“Enhancing mathematics education using the iPad”- Amanda Lambertus

4:00-5:00
“Noticing and wondering as a vehicle to understanding the problem”-Annie Fetter

As you can see we still have some narrowing down to do in our am sessions so any feedback is much appreciated! Do you know any of the presenters? Any topic jump out at you? Why?

Check back soon for our upcoming sessions and session recaps!!

Mathematically Yours,
Nancy & Kristin, Math Minds