Single Session Workshops

Bring Back That Loving Feeling: Using PERMA To Restore Joy

Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Dawn PagliaroNewman and Melissa Singer

MONDAY, FEB 13 ONLINE  MATHEMATICS

Children enter their school years filled with joy. Yet along the way, many begin to associate mathematics with frustration. PERMA, developed by Martin Seligman, outlines five components of happiness: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments. We can use this psychological theory as a lens for examining our pedagogy. Teachers will explore how this theory connects to mathematics pedagogy, plan lessons for future use, and exchange ideas. Let’s collaborate to share what we already do, what we can improve on, and what we can newly incorporate to ensure we bring back the love of mathematics in the elementary and middle grades.

Dawn Pagliaro-Newman and Melissa Singer are MƒA Master Teachers and mathematics teachers at P.S. 130 The Parkside in Brooklyn.

Building Empathy Through Origami p

Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Rebecca Johnson

TUESDAY, FEB 7 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Join us as we explore how origami can help our students develop understanding, compassion, and empathy for others and the world around them! Numerous studies have demonstrated the value of doing origami with geometry students; however, by being mindful and purposeful about the origami models, a teacher can help students form crosscurricular, culturally responsive connections that surpass geometric connections. In the first half of this workshop, we will explore ways of incorporating culturally-responsive origami lessons into a STEM class; for instance, making origami DNA double helices while learning about the mRNA science behind the vaccine or discussing the complicated contributions of Henrietta Lacks. For the second half of the session, teachers will create their own culturally responsive origami lesson, and by the end of this workshop, we will have cocreated a collection of lessons ready to use with our students.

Rebecca Johnson is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Beacon High School in Manhattan.

C. Elegans and Neural Networks: What Can a Simple Roundworm Teach Us?

Facilitator: Robert Fernandez, Ph.D.

TUESDAY, APR 4 MƒA

 SCIENCE

Would you believe a tiny roundworm helped lay the foundation for understanding how our neurons communicate and regulate behavior? Join us in this workshop as we explore the wonderful world of the model organism, C. elegans, and learn more about the workings of the human nervous system. We’ll begin by discussing research on the egg-laying circuit, a pathway composed of only three neurons regulating egg-laying in these roundworms. Next, we will conduct a few simple experiments to measure this behavior. Working in small groups, teachers will analyze actual datasets to determine how manipulating chemical neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) affects egg-laying. Finally, we’ll come back together to discuss our findings, share our conclusions on the mechanisms of egglaying, and exchange ideas on how to perform this and other C. elegans experiments in our own classrooms. This course is best suited for middle and high school life science teachers.

Dr. Robert W. Fernandez is a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at Columbia University and a Junior Fellow at the Simons Society of Fellows. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. His work focuses on the role of homeodomain transcription factors in regulating the neuronal identity and neuronal circuit assembly. He is also the co-founder of Científico Latino, a