MƒA Fall 2019 Professional Development Course Catalog by mathforamerica

Professional Development Catalog Fall Semester: September 2019 - January 2020

Contents General Information & Registration

MƒA Programming

Annual MƒA Events

Summary of Core Learning Opportunities

Summary of Additional Learning Opportunities

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

Mini-Courses

Extended Length Courses

Single Session Workshops

Chancellor’s Day Workshops

Fellowship Meetings

Interest Groups

Thursday Thinks

Community Contributions

MƒAdventures

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

GENERAL INFORMATION All MƒA workshops run from 5:30–7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).

Most MƒA programming takes place at the MƒA office, 915 Broadway, on either the 14th or 17th floors. Some events are held at other locations throughout the city. Please check course listings for details. The MƒA office houses a lounge and library for all MƒA community members as well as classrooms and conference rooms for workshops.

The MƒA lounge is available for teachers to work after school starting at 4 p.m. Pizza arrives by 5 p.m. and workshops begin promptly at 5:30 p.m.

In the event of a NYC DOE public school closing, all MƒA programming will be canceled that day.

Please note the following DOE Parent Teacher Conference Dates and check your school calendar before registering for MƒA courses.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Curriculum Nights

Elementary School

November 13 & 14

September 12

Middle School

November 6 & 7

High School

November 21 & 22

September 19 September 26

REGISTRATION Registration is required for all MƒA professional development and must be done on the Small-World Network. September 3, 4 p.m. - Limited Registration During the two-day Limited Registration Period, you may register for two credit-bearing courses and add yourself to two waitlists. You are free to register for as many non-credit bearing as you can commit to attending. September 5, 4 p.m. - Open Registration When Open Registration starts, you may register for as many additional courses as you can commit to attending in full.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

MƒA Core Learning Opportunities The following professional development opportunities are central to how MƒA teachers learn and grow during their fellowships. These offerings satisfy minimum attendance requirements. Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) are a series of four connected workshops that meet monthly over the course of the semester and consist of small teams of teachers who come together to explore a specific problem of practice in depth. Please watch our PLT video here: bit.ly/MfAPLT.

Mini-Courses are a series of three connected workshops in which experts from outside academic institutions and from the MƒA Master Teacher community engage MƒA teachers in a topic at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

Extended Length Courses are a series of six to eight connected workshops that meet throughout a semester or school year. Experts from outside academic institutions and from the MƒA Master Teacher community engage MƒA teachers in topics at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

Single Session Workshops are one-time workshops in which experts from the MƒA Master Teacher community, as well as outside academic institutions, engage MƒA teachers in a topic at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

Chancellor’s Day Workshops are full-day workshops for MƒA teachers in which experts from the MƒA Master Teacher community, as well as outside academic institutions, engage MƒA teachers in topics at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

MƒA Additional Learning Opportunities The following meetings and events provide additional opportunities for MƒA teachers to expand their professional networks, develop leadership skills, and explore their STEM passions. These offerings do not satisfy minimum attendance requirements. Fellowship Meetings are one-time information sessions designed specifically for certain cohorts of teachers.

Interest Groups are one-time workshops in which small groups of teachers meet informally around a common interest. They provide opportunities to make connections and begin conversations with MƒA colleagues.

Thursday Thinks are monthly events, open to both MƒA teachers and their colleagues from the larger math and science community. This speaker series features engaging and accomplished experts who delve into cutting edge topics in math, science, and education.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

MƒA Additional Learning Opportunities cont. Community Contributions are opportunities for MT II+ (teachers in their second, third, or fourth Master Teacher Fellowship) to deepen their connections within the MƒA community by becoming involved with admissions, recruitment, communications, facilitation, supporting new MƒA teachers, and other leadership activities. Please review each contribution for its unique structure and requirements.

MƒAdventures are offsite events organized by MƒA teachers that allow teachers to explore shared interests. They are a great way to meet members of the MƒA community outside of the MƒA office.

Annual MƒA Events Events that happens annually at MƒA throughout the year. MƒA Fall ƒunction is an annual celebration of teaching, honoring the entire MƒA community of 1,000+ New York City public school mathematics and science teachers. Each year, MƒA teachers and a guest, as well as other leaders in STEM education, gather for the evening gala. The night consists of a cocktail reception, dinner, and program, and is a rare moment for all members of the MƒA community to be together in one space. The Fall ƒunction is held in November, and invitations are sent out via email in early fall. This year the date is November 9 - mark your calendar!

End of Year Celebration and Muller Award Ceremony is an evening in June in which MƒA teachers come together to mark the end of the school year. The End of Year Celebration is also when we honor the winners of the MƒA Muller Award for Professional Influence in Education, an annual award given to two extraordinary teachers from within the MƒA Master Teacher community who influence the teaching profession in exceptional ways. Registration for this event occurs through the Small-World Network in the spring.

MƒA Summer Think is a three-day long teacher-designed, teacher-focused, and teacher-led conference held each July. From hands-on events to deep dives into specific topics, the MƒA Summer Think empowers teachers to explore and collaborate over the summer. Registration for the Summer Think occurs through the Small-World Network in the spring.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Summary of Core Learning Opportunities COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

MATHEMATICS

Compassion Fatigue Awareness and Prevention for a Safe and Satisfying Career (MINI)

Mindfulness Practice in your Science or Math Classroom (SSW)

Cooperative Learning Structures for the Diverse Classroom (SSW)

(SSW)

Algebra for All: Teaching Eighth Grade Algebra with Interleaved Practices (PLT)

Creating a Bigger Tent (SSW)

Preparing for Master Teachers on Teaching (MINI)

Building Bridges Through Computational Thinking (SSW)

Creating STEM Tool Boxes: Providing Access to Low Floor Entry Points (SSW)

Puzzles, Play, and Problem-Solving: Breakout EDU in the STEM Classroom

Building Durable Understandings in Pre-Calculus (PLT)

Culturally Responsive Protocols in Math and Science (SSW)

(MINI)

Instructional Routines in a Blended Classroom (SSW)

Decluttering Your Teaching Schedule

Reality Pedagogy and #HipHopEd

(SSW)

(PLT)

LEGO EV3: Programming and Teaching with Smart Sensors (PLT)

Empowering Students to Take Action on Climate Change with Eco-Audits

Scientists and Mathematicians Like Me: Teaching Racially Expansive Histories (PLT)

The Amazing Micro:bit: Creative Projects for a Variety of Classroom Settings (SSW) Coding and 3D Modeling with BlocksCAD (SSW) Creating Review Games with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (SSW) Getting to Know Unity (MINI)

Living in the Learning Zone (MINI) Modeling in CAD (MINI) Python in the City (MINI) Talk Less, Teach More: Using Video to Create a Blended or Flipped Classroom (MINI) Teaching Programming Using Jupyter (MINI)

Using Project-Based Learning to Teach Computer Science (SSW) VEX IQ: Robotics for Beginners (MINI)

INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

(SSW)

Facilitation as Leadership (MINI)

Queer your Classroom! (SSW)

Giving Effective Feedback (PLT)

Silk-Screening: Putting the “A” in STEAM (MINI)

Global to Local: Creating Equitable Spaces in Our Schools (PLT)

STAMP! Performing Arts in the Math and Science Classroom (PLT)

Hard Conversations on Race and Equity: Facilitation Support for Teacher Leaders (MINI)

Strategies for Effective and Equitable Groupwork (PLT)

How to Design Project Based Learning Curriculum (ELC) Illuminating the Blind Spots in Teaching (PLT) Infusing Social Justice in Mathematics and Science Classrooms (PLT) Infusing Sustainability into STEM (SSW)

Action Research: Incorporating it into Your Pedagogy (ELC)

Integrating Protocols into Classroom Practice (MINI)

ALL-ED is Back! (MINI)

The Interaction of Color (SSW)

The Anatomy of Questioning: The What’s and Why’s of Crafting Better Questions (MINI)

It Gets Better, Cultivating Resilience Throughout the Year (ELC)

Building and Re-Building Authentic Relationships (MINI)

Math and Science in Morning Meeting

Pencil to Paper - Writing Productivity

Making with Meaning (PLT) (SSW)

Supporting Multilingual Students in STEM through Strategic Inquiry (PLT) Sustainability and Design Thinking for the 21st Century (CDW) Toward Humanizing Pedagogies for Mathematics and Science Education (MINI)

Calculus: Investigating Teaching (PLT) Creating Discovery-Based Lessons with GeoGebra’s Activity Builder (SSW) Desmos Activity Builder (PLT) Developing Mathematics through Models: A Journey of Three Models Across K-12 (MINI) Discrete Mathematics in your Classroom (MINI) Engaging Activities in Statistics (PLT) Examining Student Talk in the Context of Rich Tasks (PLT) Exploring Disproportion with Barbie, Batman, and Middle School Students (SSW)

Exploring Multiplication and Division from K-12 (SSW) Formative Assessment in Mathematics Classrooms (PLT)

Trauma-Informed Teaching in Healing-Centered Classrooms (MINI) Your Classroom, Your Voice, Write Now: Reflective and Persuasive Writing Group (PLT)

KEY Professional Learning Teams (PLT) Mini-Courses (MINI) Extended Length Courses (ELC) Single Session Workshops (SSW) Chancellor’s Day Workshops (CDW)

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Summary of Core Learning Opportunities cont. Friends Don’t Let Friends Derive Alone: Pythagoras and the Buddy System (MINI) Geometry for All: Interactive Tasks to Encourage Access for ALL Students (PLT)

Graph Theory: Finding Optimal Solutions to Modern-Day Problems (SSW)

Group Theory for Rubik’s Cube and Other Permutation Puzzles (MINI)

Options Trading and Profit-Loss Graphs (SSW) Parametric Equations and Vectors Inside and Outside the Bounds of AP Calculus (MINI) Problem Posing in Algebra Assessments: A Model for Modification (MINI) Problem-Solving in Mathematics (PLT)

Changing Us - Editing our Genes: Exploring the Emerging Field of CRISPR (SSW)

Goggles, Yes. Google, No. Chemistry Lab Support for Early Career Teachers

Chemistry Co-Design: Tinkering with Emulsions to Build a Better Chemistry Class (MINI)

Harlem DNA at MƒA: An Introduction to Gel Electrophoresis (MINI)

Chemistry Demo Derby-a Phenomena(lly)-Oriented Edition (SSW)

(MINI)

Have You Ever Seen a Crowd Go APES? (PLT) Indigenous Communities: The Earliest Organic Chemists (SSW)

Proof Through Play: Exploring Axiomatic Proof Through Combinatorial Games (MINI)

Crafting Case Studies in Physical and Earth Science: A Lens for Teaching

Proofs Without Words (SSW)

Crickets in the Classroom (SSW)

Letting the Data Speak to You (MINI)

Instructional Routines in Mathematics Classrooms (PLT)

Rigid Motions Through Islamic Art

Demystifying the Chemistry Lab (PLT)

Living Environment Phenomena Based NGSS Aligned Units (PLT)

Integrating Authentic Projects into a Mathematics Curriculum (PLT)

Should I Insure my Phone? Games and Mathematics for Modeling Risk

Help Students Find Their Mathematical Voice (PLT)

Introduction to Game Theory: Prisoner’s Dilemma of Catan (SSW) InvesTI(LE)gations! (MINI) Ka-pow! From Explosions to Mathematical Insight (SSW) Leveling Up with the Desmos Calculator (SSW) Leveraging Quantities and Relationships to Think and Reason Mathematically (ELC)

(MINI)

(SSW)

Statistics Made Simple: All You Need For Algebra I and II (MINI) Taxicab Geometry: An Introduction

(PLT)

Designing Science Curriculum to Liberate Students in the Consortium (ELC)

Designing Tools to Support All Students’ Science Skills (PLT) Digital Choose Your Own Career Adventure: Designing a Treatment for HIV (MINI)

Physics Demo Derby (SSW)

Uncovering the Greek Discovery of the Pythagorean Theorem (SSW)

Drink Your Trees: Connecting your Students to their Forest-Filtered Water Supply (MINI)

Planning for 2100: Facilitating Student-Led Climate Action in NYC Schools (PLT)

Where Are the Roots? (SSW)

Eclipses: Science, History, and Pedagogy (MINI)

Mathematical Language Routines

3D Learning in the Science Classroom, 2.0 (PLT)

Epigenetics and Survival (MINI)

Modular Origami: Making Math from Paper (SSW)

Advanced Biology: Incorporating Authentic Data Analysis into Your Classroom (PLT) An Introduction to Einstein’s Special Relativity (MINI) Anchors Away (MINI) Biology Demo Derby (SSW)

Next Generation Chemistry (PLT)

(SSW)

Electric Art (SSW)

(SSW)

Mysterious Meteorites (SSW)

Teaching for Student Achievement in Algebra II (PLT)

SCIENCE

The Mathematics of the Zodiac Killer

The Molecular Taxonomy of Innocence or Guilt (SSW)

Night at the Museum: Designing Science Fieldwork at AMNH (MINI)

Making Math Class More Like Mathematics (CDW)

The Mathematics of Gerrymandering - Gerryrig Your Classroom! (MINI)

Make: Physics (SSW)

Dive Into the Hudson River Estuary

(MINI)

Making Algebra Accessible to All (PLT)

(PLT)

Learning Progression for Heredity: Inheritance and Variation Across Grades (PLT)

Exploring the Human Eye Through a Student-Generated, Hands-On Science Curriculum (MINI) Facilitating Student-Designed Case Studies in the Life Sciences (PLT)

KEY Professional Learning Teams (PLT) Mini-Courses (MINI) Extended Length Courses (ELC)

Fossils in the Classroom (SSW)

Single Session Workshops (SSW)

Global Warming? Shark Surge? Evaluating Claims & Evidence in 6-8 Grade Science (PLT)

Chancellor’s Day Workshops (CDW)

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Summary of Core Learning Opportunities cont. Putting Argument-Driven Inquiry into Action (PLT) Signs of the Seasons: An Introduction to Plant-Based Citizen Science (CDW) Space: The Final Frontier (SSW) Structural DNA Nanotechnology: The Union of Information Theory and Biochemistry (SSW) Taking The Stress Out Of Science Investigations (SSW)

Urban Gardening: Getting Dirty for STEM!

(MINI)

Utilizing Inquiry to Engage Students in the Physics Classroom (PLT) What’s That Bug? Exploring the Creepy Crawlies of NYC (SSW)

KEY Professional Learning Teams (PLT) Mini-Courses (MINI) Extended Length Courses (ELC) Single Session Workshops (SSW) Chancellor’s Day Workshops (CDW)

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Summary of Additional Learning Opportunities FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS

The Mathematics of Backgammon

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

K-5 Teachers Community Night

Mathematics Outside of the Classroom

Elementary Community Night Organizers

Mid-Fellowship Check In

MƒA Game Night

Equity Advisory Committee

2016 Master Teacher Information Session: Applying for Your Next Fellowship

MƒA Matchmaking

MƒA Tech Night Organizer

MƒA Trivia Night!

Mid-Fellowship Check-In Organizers

2016 Early Career Teacher Information Session: Working Toward Master Teacher

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Affinity Group

Praxis Warm-Up Facilitator

Musicians Meet-Up

Recruitment Information Session Host Small-World Network Community Mobilizer

INTEREST GROUPS

National Geographic Educator Certification

American Sign Language for Beginners

Overbooked

AP Chemistry Meet-Up

Park City Mathematics Institute Information Session

AP Environmental Science Meet-Up

Recreational Math

Asian-American Educators Affinity Group

Science Research Experiences for Teachers

Black, Latino, & POC Educators Affinity Group Charter School and DOE Partnerships

So You Decided to Get Nationally Board Certified Component 1

Chemistry Meet-Up

Sound Meditation - Exploration and Experience

Escape Room Club

Chess Club

Start an Envirothon Team Today!

Family Science Outings

Creative Coding in the Classroom

Study Abroad: Organize and Fund an International Trip for Students

Glass in the Class

Earth Science Meet-Up Exploring a Plant Path

Think Tank for Future Facilitation

Summer Think Planner

MƒADVENTURES Bikram Yoga Bronx River Canoeing Central Park Running Group

Hydroponic Tour & Tasting at Dewitt Clinton High School

UFT Chapter Leaders and Delegates: Fostering Leadership

Monthly Trivia at Caveat

Fund for Teachers Information Session Grant It and It Shall Be Yours!

Video Games for Virtual Field Trips

Teachers, Take a Hike!

How to Craft a Good Mathematics Test

West Indian/Caribbean Affinity Group

Interactive Notebooks: Student Ownership of Learning

Working with the CASIO Calculatory

An Introduction to Math Teams Let’s Go Write a Grant LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Living Environment in Eighth Grade Classrooms Living Environment Meet-Up Making Field Trips Part of Your Science Curriculum

The Secret Science Club at The Bell House

THURSDAY THINKS When Content Meets Context: Toward a Revolution in STEM Education Our Dogs, Ourselves: How We Live with Dogs Now Master Teachers on Teaching (MT2)

Math Dance: Exploring Whole Body Movement in the Mathematics Classroom 9

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) are a series of four connected workshops that meet monthly over the course of the semester and consist of small teams of teachers who come together to explore a specific problem of practice in depth.

MÆ&#x2019;A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

improve design and facilitation of 3D lessons through

important to find colleagues who are also navigating this

reflection and revision. This PLT is open to all middle

shift. In this PLT, we will discuss how we can confidently

school science teachers, including those who have

adapt our curricula to Algebra I in a meaningful way

previously participated in this PLT.

and will explore the academic supports necessary as students transition from 7th grade to Regents Algebra

Advanced Biology: Incorporating Authentic Data Analysis into Your Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Umang Desai and Marisa Wagner, Ph.D.

in 8th grade. We will focus primarily on exploring and trying out algebra tasks that use an interleaved approach, a practice that not only increases motivation through autonomy but also allows students to develop

MONDAYS, SEP 23, OCT 21, NOV 18, DEC 16

multiple skills. Research shows that the increased

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effort required from an interleaved approach “produces

 SCIENCE

How might we use diverse types of primary data with an eye towards strengthening our students’ science skills? Over the course of this PLT, we will design and experience a data-driven activity. We’ll begin by forming teams based on what we will be teaching later in the semester. Then we’ll find appropriate articles, consider the data that is being interpreted, and create activities

longer-lasting learning and enables a more versatile application of it in later settings,” (Make it Stick, Peter C. Brown). By the end of this PLT, we will have built a network of 8th grade Algebra I teachers who face a unique set of curricular challenges, explored interleaved algebra tasks with each other and our students, and developed shared tools that we can each bring to our Algebra I classrooms.

that will allow us to bring the authentic work of data

3D Learning in the Science Classroom, 2.0 Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Grace Bennett, Ph.D., and Danielle DeBenedetto

analysis into our classrooms. In our last session, we will report back to the group to iterate and strengthen the activities for future use. Our goal is to create a

Building Durable Understandings in Pre-Calculus Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Stephen Mazza and Raul Saenz

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 23, NOV 20, DEC 18

shared bank of student-centered, data-driven biology

TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 22, NOV 19, DEC 17

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activities which are aligned with NGSS/AP/IB standards.

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 SCIENCE

This PLT is appropriate for biology teachers of AP, IB, or

 MATHEMATICS

How might we transform our science classrooms into

other advanced courses who wish to incorporate more

How might we improve student engagement in pre-

three dimensional learning environments? Did you

student-centered data analysis into their lessons.

calculus? This PLT will focus on developing a durable understanding of pre-calculus concepts in our students

know that the rollout timeline to start implementing the new 3D instructional shifts in NYC officially began last fall? This PLT is designed for middle school science teachers who have some familiarity with three dimensional learning (the basis for the New York State

Algebra for All: Teaching Eighth Grade Algebra with Interleaved Practices Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Andy Brockmann and MƒA Early Career Teacher Gavin Rodgers

through engaging problem sets. Together, we will pool our resources to examine our pedagogy and classroom activities (new and refined), and work to create focused tasks. We will collaborate to build a more successful

Science Learning Standards and NGSS), but would

MONDAYS, SEP 23, OCT 21, NOV 18, DEC 16

classroom by taking a critical look at student work,

like to explore and build concrete phenomena-based

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assessment data, and other artifacts from our own pre-

learning experiences that integrate the science and

 MATHEMATICS

calculus classrooms. All pre-calculus teachers working

engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and

How might we leverage interleaved practices in the

in any school context are welcome.

crosscutting concepts. Together, we will plan 3D

8th grade Algebra I classroom to successfully achieve

learning sequences to use in the classroom. After

the goals set by the Algebra for All initiative? As middle

working through these lesson sequences with our

schools across the city transition to a model where

own students, we will return to the PLT to collectively

Algebra I in 8th grade is becoming the norm, it’s

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

the content? Addressing these problems requires a deep understanding of science - from climate change to resource allocation, and alternative energy sources to environmental racism. As science teachers, we

Calculus: Investigating Teaching Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Bruce Samuels and Carlyn Sherman WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 16, NOV 13, DEC 11 MƒA  MATHEMATICS + PLEASE NOTE: NOV 13 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

How might we share or create focused calculus tasks that are worthwhile to everyone and that also help our students draw connections between conceptual understanding and algebraic fluency? In this PLT, we will come together to improve our calculus pedagogy by sharing our knowledge with one another. We will do this by sharing classroom activities, investigating pedagogical methods, and creating focused tasks. We will work together to build a more successful classroom by taking a critical look at student work, assessment data, and other artifacts from our own classrooms. We will also share and contribute to a wealth of resources from past and present calculus PLTs. Since our work is centered on both student performance and teacher growth, this PLT is open to those who currently teach calculus - both AP and non-AP teachers are welcome.

try to help our students learn how to apply the daily content of our classes to solve these complex issues,

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and case studies are an incredibly useful tool to do this. In this PLT, we will analyze a current science case

How might we best support the development of all

study to determine its components and identify the

students’ science skills knowing that we have limited

criteria for designing such a study. By the end of this

time and students with such a wide range of knowledge

PLT, we will design a potential case study for our own

and abilities? In this PLT, we will work together to first

physical or earth science classroom - including the

identify the skills that students need to be successful

scientific concepts learned, the problem being solved,

in middle and high school science classes (e.g. data

the background information, and the deliverable that

analysis, vocabulary acquisition, reading science texts,

students will be producing.

test-taking). Then we, along with some outside experts, will use a design thinking arc to develop, test, and refine

Demystifying the Chemistry Lab Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Steven O’Malley, Ph.D., and Paul Thompson

tools and resources which students can use to practice or hone these skills over the course of the PLT. These tools could take the form of hyperdocs, webquests, or

THURSDAYS, SEP 12, OCT 3, NOV 7, DEC 5

organizers. Ultimately, we hope to build more self-aware

OFFSITE

and self-sufficient learners in our science classrooms.

 SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS. ALL FOUR SESSIONS OF THIS PLT WILL TAKE PLACE AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL.

How might we transform our students into effective data scientists? How do we position the lab as an instrument for students to differentiate measurements, calculations, and results? And how can lab activities move past the cookbook to give students authentic opportunities to on four different quantitative labs that are related to a variety of topics in chemistry. We will perform the labs firsthand, collaborate on how to improve them, bring them back to the classroom, and share our students’

MONDAYS, OCT 28, NOV 25, JAN 6, JAN 27

experiences with the group. While the focus will be

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related to the AP curriculum, this PLT is open to anyone

 SCIENCE

THURSDAYS, OCT 3, NOV 7, DEC 5, JAN 9  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

hone their analytical skills? In this PLT, we will focus

Crafting Case Studies in Physical and Earth Science: A Lens for Teaching Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Lucy Robins and Molly Shabica

Designing Tools to Support All Students’ Science Skills Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Beth Mowry and Raka Spoerri

who teaches chemistry.

Desmos Activity Builder Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Matt Baker and Deborah Barnum WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 30, NOV 20, JAN 8 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

How might we use Desmos Activity Builder to design classroom instruction, pace slides, get instant feedback, and start classroom discussions? The goal of this PLT is to delve deeper into all that Activity Builder can do and find ways to specifically integrate it into a mathematics curriculum. During each session, there will be time to consider the potential benefits of a Desmos activity and time to build and troubleshoot activities as a group. This PLT is designed for mathematics teachers who already have some familiarity with Desmos Activity Builder and

How might we use case studies to prepare our students

are looking for additional ways to integrate it into their

to understand, confront, and solve some of the world’s

classrooms.

most pressing problems, while still ensuring they learn

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

How might we use inter-visitations to enhance our ability to understand and support our students’ mathematical development? In this PLT, we will use inter-visitations to create a shared classroom experience

Engaging Activities in Statistics Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Doug Shuman and Paul Liebler TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 22, NOV 19, DEC 17 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

where we explore how focusing on student talk can enable our understanding of students’ mathematical reasoning and allow us to better respond in the moment. During the two sessions at MƒA, we will discuss what makes a task rich and how student talk can shed light on their mathematical thinking. We will

Facilitating Student-Designed Case Studies in the Life Sciences Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jeffrey Horenstein, Ph.D., Vincent Joralemon, and Susie Kang THURSDAYS, SEP 12, OCT 17, NOV 14, DEC 19 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

also share moves and structures to better facilitate

How might we increase student empowerment and

How might we capture students’ imaginations through

student talk, preview tasks at different grade levels, and

student engagement in the life sciences by helping them

great statistics activities? According to the pioneering

anticipate student responses in order to plan for our

design and implement their own case studies? Case

statistician John Tukey, “Doing statistics is like doing

inter-visitations. In our two full-day sessions, we will

studies can be powerful tools for students to engage

crosswords except that one cannot know for sure

visit one another’s classrooms, trying out the task work

with and learn about various real-world topics, ranging

whether one has found the solution.” Many students

and talk moves, listening to and conferring with small

from health and disease to environmental issues. Often

find statistics unsettling after the comforting certainty

groups of students, and debriefing what we observe.

times, the work of creating and engaging in a case study

of algebra. Great statistics activities capture students’

Our goals are to enhance our ability to understand

is done through the teacher. While this is already an

imaginations, enlighten them to big ideas, and stoke

our students’ mathematical reasoning, to support

engaging learning model, we want to push the envelope

their curiosity about the more technical aspects of

students in mathematical discussion, and to think

and have students research, design, and implement

the subject. We will share our most engaging activities

about how teacher moves help students make sense of

their own case studies to be experienced by their peers.

with the goal of designing, executing, and critiquing

mathematics.

This PLT is for middle and high school life science

them to allow students to master both conceptual and procedural content. Come ready to share, improve, and, with the help of your peers’ collaborations, return to your class with a new set of engaging activities. We will be using resources and materials from the AP Statistics curriculum, however, all high school statistics teachers are welcome.

Examining Student Talk in the Context of Rich Tasks Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Dee Dee Dyer, Susie Harter, and Bushra Makiya WEDNESDAYS, OCT 16, DEC 4 & TUESDAYS, OCT 22, DEC 10 MƒA & OFFSITE  MATHEMATICS + SESSIONS TWO AND FOUR ARE FULL DAY, ONSITE INTERVISITATIONS ON TUESDAYS. LOCATIONS OF THE SCHOOL VISITS ARE TBD, BUT ARE A REQUIRED COMPONENT OF THE PLT.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

Geometry for All: Interactive Tasks to Encourage Access for ALL Students Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Sarah Geist and Carol Kinney, Ph.D., and MƒA Early Career Teacher Rebecca Guarino

Your Students by Susan M. Brookhart. We will practice the strategies suggested by Brookhart in our own classrooms and bring artifacts to subsequent sessions in order to unpack and explore the components of effective feedback. After giving and receiving feedback

teachers who want more student-driven learning in their

THURSDAYS, SEP 12, OCT 3, NOV 7, DEC 5

classrooms, and who want to collaboratively investigate

regarding these in-class experiences and artifacts, we

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will curate a resource that could be shared with other

and implement methods for doing so over the semester.

Formative Assessment in Mathematics Classrooms Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Alex Cristando and Elizabeth Melore THURSDAYS, NOV 7, DEC 19, JAN 2, JAN 30 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

How might we use formative assessment in the mathematics classroom? Have you ever caught yourself telling your class “there is only one of me?” Perhaps you wish you had multiple clones of yourself so you could hear every rich student conversation that occurred in your classroom. In this PLT, we will explore formative assessment lessons (FALs) using the MARS tasks developed by the Shell Centre. We will accomplish this goal through the use of video-cases of student conversations. As a group, we will explore the goals of a specific FAL and dig deeper into understanding “the math” within these lessons. We will then reflect further on the lesson by watching a video of student work and discussion. Based on our reflections, we will discuss possible next steps and changes we might make in the future. Teachers will be encouraged, but will not be required, to volunteer to have a FAL videotaped in their classroom so that a video-case can be created.

 MATHEMATICS + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

How might we make geometry content accessible for all learners in our classrooms? Join us in this PLT as we focus on creating innovative, cognitively demanding, and interactive tasks that illuminate high-level geometry

colleagues interested in improving their classroom feedback.

Global to Local: Creating Equitable Spaces in Our Schools Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Wendy Menard and Shaniece Mosley

concepts and encourage all students to engage and

WEDNESDAYS, OCT 16, NOV 13, DEC 11, JAN 8

participate fully. We will work together to share and

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adapt lessons, problems, projects, and materials so

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

that we can explore ways to help all students access

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 13 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

and probe geometry. The goal is to help students who struggle to comprehend and use geometric principles and those who feel confident to push themselves deeper. The course is geared for both Regents and non-Regents classes, and for classrooms with diverse learners, including English Language Learners and students with IEPs.

How might we work to create more equitable practices and policies in our schools? This PLT is for teachers who are committed to examining and dismantling inequitable systems in their schools, who are ready to create local structures for accomplishing that work, and who are familiar with social justice and anti-racist work. This PLT will be a supportive space for teachers

Giving Effective Feedback Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Scott Gallagher, Ph.D., and MƒA Early Career Teacher Kimberly Dempsey

as they take the “next step” in bringing this work to schools. We will identify specific practices, policies, and situations in our school environments that are inequitable; and we will explore case studies in which

TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 29, NOV 26, JAN 14

schools have enacted plans and programs to advance

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equity, employed counter-racist policies, and promoted

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: TEACHERS WILL NEED TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN COPY OF HOW TO GIVE EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO YOUR STUDENTS. THEY MAY SAVE THEIR RECEIPT AND SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT THROUGH FLEX FUNDS.

social justice for all students and teachers. We will also craft individualized goals for developing strategies to dismantle identified inequities, create workable action plans with realistic timelines to address their specific

How might we leverage the power of effective feedback

goals, and form partnerships and/or groups based

to help our students learn math and science? This

on common needs, issues, and strategies. We plan

PLT is for all teachers committed to making feedback

to use a variety of texts and resources to anchor our

a fundamental part of their practice to push student

work including, but not limited to, Teaching Tolerance

learning and growth. Together, we will engage in an

from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Courageous

active book study of How to Give Effective Feedback to 14

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

our daily instruction? In this PLT, we will work together

thinking, shift student social status, and bring issues

to analyze the science practices outlined in the new

of equity and student voice to the forefront of our

APES Course and Exam Description and to better equip

classrooms.

our students with the skills needed to be successful Conversations About Race by Curtis Linton, and Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks.

Global Warming? Shark Surge? Evaluating Claims & Evidence in 6-8 Grade Science Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Andrew Holz and Ben Lewin WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 16, NOV 13, DEC 11 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: NOV 13 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

How might we help students become more critical

in college-level science courses. We will begin by becoming familiar with the science practices and the revised course units. We will then form groups to create and adapt classroom activities that incorporate the

TUESDAYS, SEP 10, OCT 15, NOV 12, DEC 10

science practices and test them out in our classrooms.

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By the last session, we will assess what we have implemented by reflecting on our work, sharing student work and classroom experiences, and planning for continued work in the next semester. This course is open to AP Environmental Science teachers who are interested in revising their current courses, and to any teacher who is interested in teaching AP Environmental Science in the near future. Like Captain Planet, let our powers combine!

consumers of information? How do we know that the Earth is round, the climate is changing, or that you’re no more likely to get bitten by a shark now than you were 50 years ago? And how do we find places for our

Illuminating the Blind Spots in Teaching Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Robert Andruskiewicz and Brooke Nixon-Friedheim

Help Students Find Their Mathematical Voice Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Sarah Ahmed, Daniel August, and Pearl Ohm

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

How might we create classrooms that match our vision through peer-supported reflection? Much of the day is spent evaluating decisions of others, but how much do we dedicate to exploring our own decisions? In this PLT, we will use various reflection tools to explore our core values as teachers. Based on the results, we will craft visions for our classrooms, reflect on classroom habits that either reinforce or go against those visions, and develop plans of action to make each of our visions a reality. The PLT is perfect for anyone - teachers of math, science, computer science, high school, middle school, elementary school - who feels crunched for time, but

students to answer these and other questions? If you are

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 2, OCT 30, NOV 6

a middle school science teacher looking to help your

wants to build meaningful, effective, long-term teaching

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practices. Teachers will be encouraged to bring an open

students strengthen their evidence-based claims while

 MATHEMATICS

also evaluating others, we hope you’ll join us. Over the

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS.

four sessions of this PLT, we will engage with authentic data sets that can be used as evidence to form claims, design tools and lessons to help students develop and evaluate evidence-based claims, and use student work to identify where our students need the most help.

Have You Ever Seen a Crowd Go APES? Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Zachary Itzkowitz and Peter Mulroy

How might we create opportunities for students to talk about mathematics in ways that feel practical and meaningful? Getting students to speak about mathematics allows them to strengthen connections between mathematical concepts, shifts intellectual

mind and willingness to help each other.

Infusing Social Justice in Mathematics and Science Classrooms Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Sheana Powell and Erika Stafne WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 2, OCT 30, DEC 4 MƒA

authority from teacher to student, helps other students

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

better understand the material, and makes the class

How might we meaningfully integrate social justice

more engaging. At the same time, it can also be difficult

issues and practices into our STEM classrooms? This PLT

to find practical ways to get students to talk about

will offer an opportunity for teachers to explore how

mathematics. In this PLT, we will learn and practice

social justice can be woven into project-based learning

structures for generating mathematics talk in the

and into Common Core and NGSS aligned curricula.

classroom. The goal will be to develop our toolbox of

We will have the opportunity to share projects, lessons,

How might we work collaboratively to implement the

practical structures for generating student talk and to

and classroom practices that support this endeavor.

new AP Environmental Science (APES) Practices into

consider how these structures develop mathematical

Additionally, we will design and test ideas in our

THURSDAYS, SEP 19, OCT 17, NOV 14, DEC 19 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 19 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) classrooms, and then share student outcomes in small groups. Together, we will continue to build a substantial toolkit of projects, tasks, and strategies to support the infusion of social justice into our curricula.

question. During the PLT, we will all experience routines

to incorporate interwoven, conceptual, and rigorous

as students, plan out how to implement them in our

mathematics content. Together, we will develop

classrooms, and rehearse what they might look like.

protocols to revise and revitalize existing projects and

We will then teach a lesson using a specific routine

bring great project ideas to life so they can become the

in our classrooms, and collect artifacts (chart paper,

centerpiece of our curricula.

student work, video clips) to examine together. Finally, we’ll come together to reflect on and consider ways to improve our practice. Over the course of the PLT, we will focus on the Contemplate then Calculate and Connecting Representations routines developed by Amy

Instructional Routines in Mathematics Classrooms Facilitators: Ben Blum-Smith, Ph.D., and MƒA Master Teacher Liz Clark-Garvey

Lucenta and Grace Kelemanik and the Parse and Buy routine developed by Ben Blum-Smith. Ben Blum-Smith has spent the last eighteen years teaching and studying the teaching of mathematics. He graduated from Yale

MONDAYS, SEP 16, OCT 7, NOV 4, DEC 2

University and obtained a Master’s in Teaching Mathematics from

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Tufts University before teaching for six years in the public schools of

Learning Progression for Heredity: Inheritance and Variation Across Grades Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jean Hourihane, JoEllen Schulman, and Meng-Ping Tu, Ph.D. MONDAYS, SEP 16, OCT 7, NOV 4, DEC 2 MƒA  SCIENCE

How might we make connections from K - 12 to develop conceptual understanding of disciplinary core

Boston, Cambridge, and New York City. Subsequently, he worked as a

ideas (DCIs)? In this PLT, we will explore the disciplinary

mathematics coach and faculty member of Bard’s MAT program, then

core idea of Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of

How might we increase student voice and student

completed a Ph.D. in mathematics at NYU. He currently teaches at The

Traits as an example of a learning progression. Our goal

sense-making in our mathematics classrooms? In this

New School.

 MATHEMATICS

PLT, we will investigate Instructional Routines, which are “specific and repeatable designs for learning that support both the teacher and students in the classroom” (fosteringmathpractices.com) to help us answer this

is to foster a dialogue between elementary, middle, and high school teachers that provides insights on

Integrating Authentic Projects into a Mathematics Curriculum Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Brandon Lotti and Mathew Sullivan

student struggles, teacher expectations, and science misconceptions. We will break into teams and examine our own practice as we work together to present lessons, receive feedback, and share student work,

TUESDAYS, OCT 29, NOV 26, JAN 7, JAN 28

while focusing on heredity as a central concept in

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science. Ultimately, we hope to build bridges between

 MATHEMATICS

the grade bands to ensure better student outcomes for

How might we increase the mathematical rigor of

all learners. Teachers across all grade levels who teach

projects and use them to explore deeper content with

heredity are welcome.

our students? Have you ever invested time and energy into a great project only to realize that you’ve used up a lot of class time and only addressed one specific topic or idea? Instead of feeling like we have to interrupt or rework our curriculum to make room for projects, why not rework our projects to better meet the content needs of our students? An authentic project can be mathematically rigorous and worth every minute if it connects to multiple concepts, addresses more

LEGO EV3: Programming and Teaching with Smart Sensors Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Greg Sciame and MƒA Early Career Teacher Kelsey Siegel TUESDAYS, SEP 24, OCT 29, NOV 26, JAN 7 MƒA  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

content, and provides opportunities for students to

How might we use LEGO EV3 robots to develop

use mathematics to analyze, critique, and synthesize

robust and engaging STEM lessons? In this PLT, we will

complex ideas. In this PLT, we will plan curricula with

program LEGO EV3 robots using the LEGO Mindstorms

the project in the foreground, and work backward

EV3 software and develop methods to teach students

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) how to use smart sensors with their robot designs. We

Making Algebra Accessible to All Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Neil Garguilo and Christina Varghese, Ph.D.

Mathematical Language Routines Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jason Garofalo and Jeffrey Hamilton

THURSDAYS, OCT 24, NOV 14, DEC 19, JAN 16

MONDAYS, OCT 28, NOV 25, JAN 6, JAN 27

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 MATHEMATICS

can detect color, light, rotation, touch, and distance

How might we develop interventions for struggling

How might we make mathematics more accessible

to more accurately control the robot’s behavior. We

algebra students? Besides additional time, what other

to all of our students, especially those who struggle

will collaboratively develop teaching practices that

resources and preparation can we provide our students

with mathematical language? In this PLT, we will

encourage students to imagine how their sensing

to ensure they pass the Algebra Regents exam and

refine instructional routines around language and

robots can solve problems out in the world. In order to

prepare them for higher level mathematics? As high

incorporate them into our classrooms. These routines

maximize our time together, we will work with pre-built

school mathematics teachers, we all know students

can provide our students with opportunities to use

robots so we can focus on learning the software and

who enter the 9th grade below grade level and are still

language to deepen their conceptual understanding

exploring applications for both robotics and sensors in

expected to pass the Regents by June. Often, these

of mathematics. During each session, we will study

mathematics and science classrooms.

same students end up graduating without taking Algebra

different routines using readings and live models,

II or earning a college ready score. In this PLT, teachers

plan routines to implement in our classrooms, and

will research, explore, and discuss strategies that are

discuss the results of the activities with one another.

effective in engaging struggling students in learning

The purpose of this reflective cycle is to learn the best

activities that are accessible to all students. Let’s work

strategies from one another and grow in our teaching

together to address this problem in our schools.

practice. We will use the article “Principles for the

will explore and learn how to use smart sensors that

Living Environment Phenomena Based NGSS Aligned Units Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Deborah Reich and Program Officer for Professional Development Uzma Shah WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 16, NOV 20, JAN 8 MƒA  SCIENCE

Design of Mathematics Curricula: Promoting Language

Making with Meaning Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Paul Kehoe and Mallory Womer

How might we use phenomena, storylines, and three

TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 22, NOV 19, DEC 17

dimensional learning to make biology more engaging

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and meaningful to our students? We’ll begin this PLT by exploring the foundations of NGSS with an immersive experience and through the lens of our students. In sessions two and three, we will work in teams to modify and align existing units to include elements of NGSS. By the end of this PLT, we will have a toolbox of engaging anchor phenomena, possible storylines, and accompanying units to implement in our own classrooms. This PLT is for Living Environment, Biology, and life science teachers interested in learning more about NGSS and how best to prepare for the future rollout.

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

How might we maximize design challenges to engage students in authentic STEM learning experiences that simultaneously develop key soft skills such as resilience and collaboration? We all love the classic egg drop experiment or dream of having a makerspace, but these might not fit within the content we have to teach or our limited resources. This PLT is for anyone who teaches mathematics, science, or technology and is looking to incorporate engineering design challenges into their practice. In this PLT, we will engage in design thinking, analyze our own curricula for opportunities to include meaningful design challenges, try them out in our classrooms, reflect on the challenges and the student work produced, and hopefully leave with a passion for teaching engineering!

and Content Development” from the Stanford Graduate School of Education to support the work of the PLT. This PLT is geared towards high school mathematics content, but teachers of all grade levels can benefit from the routines.

Next Generation Chemistry Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Peter D’Amico and Theresa Stanley THURSDAYS, OCT 24, NOV 14, DEC 19, JAN 16 MƒA  SCIENCE

How might we adapt our current chemistry curricula to better reflect the new NGSS standards? In this PLT, we will work together to unpack and start implementing the innovations of NGSS, ahead of the widespread adoption into the Chemistry Regents in 2024. We will begin by experiencing and defining what makes good anchor phenomena in order to select an appropriate anchor for our own classrooms. In the second and third sessions, we will design a unit around this phenomena, MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

to spearhead the passage of several city and state laws and to advance citywide sustainability and climate resilience planning efforts. She has received several national awards in recognition of her work to protect and enhance environmental quality and public health in New York, and has twice been named “Top 40 under 40 in NYC Politics” by City and

and between the third and fourth sessions, we will implement portions of the unit in our own classrooms. We’ll conclude by sharing out and reflecting on our respective successes and challenges. We hope to develop a community in which to share experiences on differentiation, misconceptions, and the effectiveness of implementing the same content as we prepare for the shift to NGSS. No previous experience with implementing phenomena is necessary.

State New York.

Problem-Solving in Mathematics Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Matthew Fleck, Ron Lodetti, and Melissa Singer WEDNESDAYS, SEP 18, OCT 23, NOV 20, JAN 8 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

How might we prepare our K-12 mathematics students to become creative problem solvers? The World

Planning for 2100: Facilitating Student-Led Climate Action in NYC Schools Facilitators: Kizzy Charles-Guzman, MƒA Master Teacher Lynn Shon, and MƒA Early Career Teacher Andy Zimmermann

Economic Forum recently reported the top ten skills needed to thrive in the 2020 workplace. Want to know what number one is? Complex problem-solving! In this PLT, we will continue to build a library of non-routine problems, explore how to explicitly teach problem-

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 23, NOV 20, DEC 18

solving strategies, and discuss how to review student

framework successful, create and adapt activities to

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work and use it to facilitate a class share. Join us as

align with ADI principles, and implement our ADI-

we seek to enrich our classrooms with the goal of

generated activities into our own classrooms. We’ll

empowering the creative and critical-thinking problem

conclude by reflecting on the successes and challenges

solvers that walk through our doors every day. Please

of implementation and revising our activities for future

note that although this PLT will continue the work of last

use. This PLT is for science teachers at every grade

semester’s PLT, it is still open to all K-12 mathematics

level who want to create classrooms that are more

teachers regardless of whether or not they previously

student-centered and foster higher-order thinking skills.

participated.

Teachers should come prepared with a topic of their

 SCIENCE

How might we engage our students as ambassadors for climate change resilience in New York City? In this PLT, we will design and implement a student-led climate resilience action project using a framework developed by the facilitators and aligned with NOAA’s Climate Resilience Toolkit. Over the course of four sessions,

choice through which to explore the ADI process.

we will explore various forms of student-led climate action ranging from climate striking to advocating for green infrastructure in their neighborhoods. In our third session, we will also explore climate resilience resources from Kizzy Charles-Guzman, Deputy Director of Social and Economic Resiliency in the NYC Mayor’s Office. This course is for teachers who want to translate

Putting Argument-Driven Inquiry into Action Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Grace Hu and Brent Lawrence WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 16, NOV 20, JAN 8 MƒA  SCIENCE

Reality Pedagogy and #HipHopEd Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Sharon Collins and MƒA Early Career Teacher Genesis Grullon TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 22, NOV 19, DEC 17 MƒA

climate literacy into urgent climate action, and for those

How might we implement argument-driven inquiry

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

who want to take an active role in building community

into our classrooms? The goal of this PLT is to support

resilience through civic engagement and advocacy.

each other in using the framework of Argument-Driven

Kizzy Charles-Guzman leads efforts to ensure that New Yorkers

Inquiry (ADI) to increase engagement in our classes and

+ PLEASE NOTE: TEACHERS WILL NEED TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN COPY OF FOR WHITE FOLKS WHO TEACH IN THE HOOD... AND THE REST OF Y’ALL TOO. THEY MAY SAVE THEIR RECEIPT AND SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT THROUGH FLEX FUNDS.

are ready to withstand and emerge stronger from the impacts of

to develop students’ identities as science researchers.

How might we elevate students’ engagement and

climate change. For over 12 years, Kizzy has worked with advocacy

We will work together to discuss what makes the ADI

voice in their own education, while “unleashing the

organizations, city and state government agencies, and policymakers

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) brilliance” of all of them? Dr. Christopher Emdin has developed both Reality Pedagogy and #HipHopEd to empower students. In this PLT, we will read and discuss excerpts from two of Dr. Emdin’s texts, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...and the Rest of Y’all Too and #HipHopEd: The Compilation on Hip-hop Education. Returning teachers to this PLT will share artifacts and experiences implementing some of the 11C’s from Reality Pedagogy into their classrooms, including Cogens, Co-teaching, Cosmopolitanism, and Competition. New teachers will be introduced to these practices through an in-depth discussion of selections from both texts and collaboration with teachers currently implementing Reality Pedagogy. The co-facilitators will also share their experiences from the #HipHopEd Conference. We will all engage in honest, thoughtful, and actionable discussions of how to take these practices back to our classrooms and schools to transform education for New York City students.

Scientists and Mathematicians Like Me: Teaching Racially Expansive Histories Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jae Berlin and Nasriah Morrison THURSDAYS, OCT 24, NOV 7, DEC 19, JAN 2

into our respective classes. Through this work, we aim

learning and doing. Using excerpts from Elizabeth

to challenge our own internalized stereotypes (as well

Cohen’s Designing Groupwork, as well as other

as our students’) while simultaneously building deeper

resources, we will explore what useful groupwork

understandings of how our identities contribute to and

means and how to support it in the classroom. We

expand our masteries of STEM content.

will collaborate to build routines that can shift the way students view themselves in our classrooms, explore

STAMP! Performing Arts in the Math and Science Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Courtney Ferrell and Joshua Wickline TUESDAYS, SEP 24, OCT 29, NOV 26, JAN 7 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

How might we engage students in mathematics and science classrooms using performing arts initiatives that empower student voice, student choice, and

How might we help our students identify as scientists and mathematicians, ensuring that they see themselves reflected in our curricula? In this PLT, we will work toward these goals by (1) examining several historical anthologies centering on the accomplishments of

which all can grow and shine.

Supporting Multilingual Students in STEM through Strategic Inquiry Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Laura Antunez Rodriguez and Pedro Placido Jr. WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 30, NOV 20, JAN 8 MƒA

transformational authority? Join us in this PLT grounded in STAMP (Science, Technology, Arts, Mathematics and

How might we support multilingual (ML) students in

the Performing Arts), as we explore how performing

our mathematics and science classrooms? Join us

arts can be leveraged to deepen content understanding

for an inquiry-based PLT in which we will explore the

and maximize student participation. Facilitators will

necessary tools to effectively teach ML students. This

present examples of STAMP curricula and student work

PLT will be guided by three core questions: (1) What

from their own classrooms, and together, we will use

does school data say about MLs and how can we use

analytical routines to help extend and apply STAMP

this data to improve instruction? (2) How can we enact

strategies to fit our unique classroom contexts. We will

explicit language and research-based literacy strategies

also turnkey these strategies and share student work

in our STEM classrooms? (3) How can we use strategic

after experimenting with a performing arts activity with

inquiry as a key to close the achievement gap that

our own students. As a group, we will use the iterative

many ML students experience? By the end of the four

design process to refine our practice.

sessions, we will have created high-leverage, evidencebased practices and literacy strategies to support MLs,

Strategies for Effective and Equitable Groupwork Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Matt Pastore and former MƒA Early Career Teacher Laura Wang

tried them out in our classrooms, and shared what we have learned.

TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 22, NOV 19, DEC 17 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

mathematicians and scientists of color (including

How might we design groupwork that promotes equity

members of our local communities), giving particular

of voice and engages all students? Complex Instruction

emphasis to works related to our own classroom

(CI) is a teaching approach focused on collaborative

content; and (2) developing tools and strategies for

groupwork that elevates student status in the classroom

meaningfully and consistently integrating these histories

so that all students can make contributions to the

for using CI to engage students in group-worthy tasks in

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

strategies for monitoring status shifts, and develop tools

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)

and create activities for Regents and AP Physics which position students to do more than follow procedures. As students come up with strategies, hypotheses, and procedures on their own, we believe that learning

Teaching for Student Achievement in Algebra II Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Alice Brea, George Ludovici, and Scott Taylor THURSDAYS, SEP 12, OCT 3, NOV 7, DEC 5 MƒA  MATHEMATICS + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

and buy-in will increase as well. We will begin by demonstrating various inquiry activities that give students opportunities to create their own procedures and determine the relationships between physical variables they want to explore. We will then collaborate to create new inquiry activities that allow students to study an aspect of a topic that most interests them. We’ll conclude with classroom implementation and reflection of our work. All physics teachers are welcome.

How might we improve student achievement in Algebra II? The goal of this PLT is for teachers to gain a deeper understanding of the most effective ways to teach Algebra II curriculum, including in-depth analysis and use of past Regents questions, reinforcement through Delta Math, and careful planning and sequencing of the calendar. We will spend time sharing resources and

Your Classroom, Your Voice, Write Now: Reflective and Persuasive Writing Group Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers John McCrann and Brian Palacios WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, OCT 16, NOV 13, DEC 4 MƒA

working collaboratively on lesson plans, activities, and

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

units. We will then try out these shared resources in our

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 13 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

classrooms, and reflect together on our successes and challenges. Many of us devote a great deal of effort to figuring out how to succeed in teaching a given course. By taking a shared approach, built upon a successful foundation, we will all become more effective educators.

Utilizing Inquiry to Engage Students in the Physics Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Bruce Greenspan and MƒA Early Career Teacher Joshua Paugh TUESDAYS, SEP 10, OCT 15, NOV 12, DEC 10 MƒA  SCIENCE

How might we use writing as a tool to deepen our practice and expand the impact of our voice? This PLT is for any teacher who wants to develop a habit of writing and story-telling as a reflective practice, believes that classroom-based knowledge should inform the public on issues in education and the society-at-large, holds passionate beliefs about the issues facing students today, wants a chance to develop new ideas, and desires to expand the network of people with whom they share these ideas. Each session will begin with group members sharing impactful experiences or critical questions they are facing. We will then work together to write reflective or persuasive essays about these

How might we motivate students to work through

experiences. We will have time each session to write and

activities that are open-ended, challenging, and aligned

workshop a piece with one another. For those interested

with physics curricula? In this PLT, we will explore how

in getting published, we will use our contacts in the

to engage physics students through non-prescriptive

world of journalism at outlets like Education Week,

inquiry activities that challenge them to become part of

ASCD, the Gotham Gazette, Chalkbeat, and our personal

the experimental design process. We will also modify

blogs.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses Mini-courses are a series of three connected workshops in which experts from outside academic institutions and from the MƒA Master Teacher community engage MƒA teachers in a topic at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

question-askers? Together, we will take a deep dive

course with a framework for a new unit and a deep

into the anatomy of questioning. Working backwards

understanding of anchor phenomena, driving question

from questions that inspired game-changing real

boards, performance expectations, and performance

world innovations in science, business, and society,

tasks. All science teachers are welcome!

we will explore (1) the power of the artful question,

Laryssa Kramarchuk is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

FRIDAYS, SEP 20, OCT 18

(2) common teacher mistakes when asking questions,

Frank Mccourt High School in Manhattan.

MƒA

ALL-ED is Back! Facilitator: Rhonda Bondie, Ph.D.

(3) why student questioning trails off in school,

Zachary White-Stellato is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

(4) how we can better support diverse learners in

New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II in

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A TWO SESSION MINI-COURSE.

developing critical thinking and questioning skills using

the Bronx.

Teachers know that students come into their classes with divergent experiences, understandings, interests, strengths, and needs. However, finding sustainable ways to respond to student diversity on a daily basis is among teachers’ greatest challenges. All Learners Learning Every Day (ALL-ED) is a framework that brings together practical, research-based learning routines enabling teachers to think on their feet to tailor instruction for every learner. In this mini-course, we will tackle new and old ALL-ED routines, plan instruction for inclusion, and adjust curriculum to further equity in our classrooms. Teachers who are new to the ALL-ED framework, as well as teachers who are already practicing it in their classrooms, are welcome to participate. Rhonda Bondie is a lecturer on education in special education for the Harvard Teacher Fellows program, and the Director of Professional Learning at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She enjoyed being a classroom teacher and administrator in public schools for over

a culturally-responsive perspective, and (5) researchbased strategies for designing more purposeful questions and capturing student understanding. Our work will be grounded in the research of the Teaching for Robust Understanding Framework (by the Mathematics Assessment Project), culturallyresponsive pedagogy, and the relevant Danielson

Building and Re-Building Authentic Relationships Facilitators: Rachel Lissy, Ph.D., and Luis Alejandro Tapia WEDNESDAYS, JAN 15, JAN 22, JAN 29 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Rubric components. What can a question do? Join us

Relationship building is an essential piece of teaching;

and find out!

how can we do it better? In this mini-course, teachers

Lavonne Hunter is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at High

will explore both the challenges and possibilities of

School M560 - City As School in Manhattan.

building authentic and equitable relationships with

Diana Lennon is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

students. In the first session, we will look at relationship

Columbia Secondary School in Manhattan.

building strategies and identify and practice strategies that deepen and complicate our relationships with

Anchors Away Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Laryssa Kramarchuk and Zachary White-Stellato

young people. We will practice sharing some of ourselves, modeling vulnerability, and acknowledging and exploring differences and similarities in our

MONDAYS, DEC 2, DEC 9, DEC 16

experiences, cultures, and identities. In the second

MƒA

session, we will identify both systemic and individual

 SCIENCE

barriers to relationship building, with a focus on bias-

As we transition to the new science standards over

based beliefs and practices that hinder relationship

the next several years, our curriculum should be

building, particularly with students of color. In the final

changing as well. But how? If you’re unsure of where

session, we will focus on how biases and personal

to begin in this process then “Anchors Away!” is the

beliefs may show up in moments of student-teacher

mini-course for you. In session one, teachers will

conflict and power struggles. We will identify strategies

develop an understanding of what counts as anchor

for responding to conflict with increased self-

TUESDAYS, NOV 12, DEC 3, DEC 10

phenomena using NYSSLS/NGSS criteria. After coming

awareness and authenticity so that conflicts become

MƒA

to a consensus about anchors, in session two, we will

opportunities for repairing, rebuilding, and deepening

select an anchor for a future unit and experience how a

our relationships with young people.

driving questions board can be used to launch it. We’ll

Rachel Lissy is the Senior Program Officer for Ramapo for Children.

conclude by synthesizing all of our work and aligning

She has a doctorate in Social and Cultural Studies in Education from

twenty years. Rhonda has served on the faculty of Project Zero for many years developing an expertise in Teaching for Understanding, Making Thinking Visible, and Multiple Intelligences.

The Anatomy of Questioning: The What’s and Why’s of Crafting Better Questions Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Lavonne Hunter and Diana Lennon

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are we rewarding students for knowing the answers to questions they never even asked? How might we transform our students from question-answerers into

performance expectations to the performance tasks of our newly aligned units. Teachers will leave this

the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University School of Education, and a B.A. in English from Brown University.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses Luis Alejandro Tapia, a son of Dominican immigrants, brings almost two decades of experience in community and youth development. He has facilitated unique programs for a range of agencies in New York City, including the Department of Juvenile Justice, NYC’s Department of Youth and Community Development, Harlem Children’s Zone, the Police Athletic League, and Public Allies, to name a few. Luis Alejandro is also the founder of BlackBoyRise.

Compassion Fatigue Awareness and Prevention for a Safe and Satisfying Career Facilitator: Taryn Hughes

landscape of development” — noting how the model changes as the mathematics deepen. Throughout the

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

models in inclusive classrooms, particularly in the lives

caring” and has been cited as an occupational hazard

of students with disabilities and emergent bilingual

in care-based professions. Research tells us that

students.

to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considering how often teachers hear

Street College and a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University.

symptoms of secondary traumatic stress in themselves

+ PLEASE NOTE: THE FIRST SESSION OF THIS COURSE WILL TAKE PLACE OFFSITE AT ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY. THE FOLLOWING TWO SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AT MƒA.

and others, obtain new coping methods, develop a personal log of prevention strategies, and will leave knowing what to do when they or a colleague are in the red zone. Taryn Hughes has supported groups and individuals in coping with or

and internationally, led her to found Forest Hughes & Associates, an

Program where she creates neuroscience educational materials for high

Developing Mathematics through Models: A Journey of Three Models Across K-12 Facilitator: Kara Imm

Jeanne Garbarino is the Director of RockEDU Science Outreach at

three critical mathematical models (the open number line, the open array, and the ratio table) from their

community members to develop an appreciation for science as a human

introduction through their later iterations. First, we will

endeavor, and to provide equitable access to scientific resources and

frame our work in research and theory to understand

opportunities that genuinely reflect the process of science. Jeanne is

what counts as a model, why models are so vital,

formally trained as a lipid biochemist, earning her Ph.D. in metabolic

how students begin to think with models, and what

teachers who would like to learn a new and exciting way to teach about HIV, biomedical careers, and the development. Teachers will learn how to teach HIV

In this mini-course, we will trace the development of

studies on cholesterol transport at Rockefeller.

is aimed for middle school to high school science

MƒA  MATHEMATICS

How do students make sense of mathematical models?

biology from Columbia University, then conducting postdoctoral

How can we design scalable, authentic experiences

multi-step and multi-stakeholder process of drug

which draw on her experiences in the lab and the classroom.

science outreach within the scientific community, open channels for

 SCIENCE

MONDAYS, JAN 6, JAN 13, JAN 27

school students and runs teacher professional development sessions

The Rockefeller University, where she works to promote and support

Digital Choose Your Own Career Adventure: Designing a Treatment for HIV Facilitators: Berri Jacque, Ph.D., and MƒA Master Teacher Mimi Prabhu

to engage students in STEM careers? This course

new and fun ways to present these concepts in the

Disan Davis works with Rockefeller University’s Science Outreach

numeracy blog numberstrings.com.

MONDAYS, SEP 16, SEP 23, OCT 7

and suffering at work.

chemistry can impact our environment.

several publications for and with teachers, as well as a co-founder of the

MƒA

understandings of intermolecular forces to develop

ingredients, and use case studies to explore how this

Graduate Center, The City University of New York. Kara is the author of

worked in grassroots nonprofits and on educational projects nationally organization committed to servicing professionals exposed to trauma

emulsion types, make our own lotion using accessible

She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the

overcoming physical and emotional trauma for the past 15 years. Having

of familiar emulsions, applying our current

classroom. We will use specialized dyes to determine

school-based coaching to K-12 public schools throughout New York City and beyond. Kara earned a M.S. Ed in Early Adolescence from Bank

 SCIENCE

In this mini-course, we will explore the chemistry

City (City College, NY). She provides professional development and

to understand the high rates of secondary traumatic Teachers in this mini-course will gain skills to identify

materials and the amazing chemistry behind them?

Kara Imm is a K-12 math educator and the Co-Director of Math in the

about or witness suffering each school year, it’s easy

MƒA & OFFSITE

our students know the link between these everyday

course, we will pay ongoing attention to the role of

Compassion fatigue is often referred to as the “cost of

stress, also known as compassion fatigue, in education.

and creams…Emulsions are all around us, but do

the course progresses, we will follow the models “up a

MƒA

THURSDAYS, SEP 12, SEP 19, OCT 17

Ice cream. Milk. Latex paint. Mayonnaise. Lotions

of the models and the role of context and inquiry. As

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 18, OCT 2, OCT 23

even hearing about suffering can cause the listener

Chemistry Co-Design: Tinkering with Emulsions to Build a Better Chemistry Class Facilitators: Disan Davis, Ph.D., and Jeanne Garbarino, Ph.D.

will investigate how young children first make sense

teachers must do to ensure this development. Then we

through a new web-based curriculum, BioSCANN, that integrates career awareness and data analysis. During each session, teachers will experience the curriculum as students, taking on roles as members of a drug discovery team and using data to make decisions as they progress through five key stages of the drug discovery process. After experiencing each activity, teachers will reflect on the key aspects of facilitating a digital case study like BioSCANN in their classrooms. All curriculum and resources will be shared throughout the course. MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

the NYCDOE, and an understanding of the value of teaching discrete mathematics topics in their schools. Susan Picker taught for more than 28 years as a mathematics teacher

Berri Jacque is an Associate Professor of Medical Education and Director of the Center for Translational Science Education at Tufts University. After completing his doctorate in immunology, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in curriculum design and evaluation. His work focuses on broadening participation in science and understanding approaches that engage high school students and teachers in authentic biomedical science. His current work is designing and disseminating

and coach. She worked for MƒA as an Early Career Advisor for five years, and she continues to provide mathematics support in NYC DOE schools. She met discrete mathematics first as a participant and then as a lead

literacy. Mimi Prabhu is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

 SCIENCE

A total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most amazing

in Discrete Mathematics. She has authored a number of articles and

spectacles. “Eclipse Chasers” from around the globe

book chapters and has presented workshops and talks in the U.S., The

travel thousands of miles to experience just a few

Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Germany, and England.

minutes of daytime darkness. Why? In this mini-course we will delve into the many aspects of both solar

Drink Your Trees: Connecting your Students to their Forest-Filtered Water Supply Facilitator: Tyler Van Fleet TUESDAYS, SEP 10, SEP 24, OCT 15 MƒA

Discrete Mathematics in your Classroom Facilitator: Susan Picker, Ph.D.

MONDAYS, NOV 25, DEC 2, DEC 16 MƒA

teacher and instructor at Rutgers University’s Leadership Program

biomedical and health-science curricula that teaches critical healthrelated concepts with the goal of increasing scientific and health

Eclipses: Science, History, and Pedagogy Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Neil Farley

 SCIENCE

and lunar eclipses. We’ll begin with an exploration of the science behind eclipses and how the Saros cycle is used for eclipse prediction. In the second session, we will look back on the history of eclipses, how they shaped major scientific discoveries, and how researchers today use eclipses to study solar

What do healthy forests have to do with clean drinking

phenomena. We’ll conclude by discussing how to

water in New York City? In this mini-course, we’ll

teach eclipses and share classroom applications for

explore the NYC Watershed, water supply system, and

all grade levels. Throughout the course, we’ll use

the critical role healthy forests play in filtering and

discussion, simulation software, and modeling to better

Have you ever heard your students say, “When am I

protecting our world-famous water. The benefits of

understand and teach the topic of eclipses. This course

ever going to use this?” When students say they don’t

urban forests will also be investigated as we practice

is designed for elementary and middle school science

like mathematics or that they can’t see its relevance,

indoor and outdoor hands-on STEM activities that

teachers as well as high school earth science and

they usually are expressing a dislike of the arithmetic

bring earth science, forestry, and engineering concepts

physics teachers. However, anyone who wants to gain

they may have struggled with over many years. Discrete

alive. We’ll also delve into the suite of watershed

knowledge about and appreciation for one of nature’s

mathematics topics enable students to experience real

forestry education programs offered by the Watershed

most awesome celestial exhibitions is welcome.

mathematics on a level playing field. This mini-course

Agricultural Council, including grant funding for

will provide a hands-on introduction to the Discrete

NYC Watershed field trips, regional professional

Mathematics course created for the NYCDOE when

development offerings, and a year-long partnership

there was a Regents exam devoted to this branch

program that connects upstate watershed and

of mathematics. We will explore a variety of topics

downstate city students for shared discovery of the

including vertex coloring, network theory, fair division,

scientific and human dimensions of their water supply

MONDAYS, NOV 18, DEC 16, JAN 6

and codes. The problems in these workshops can stand

system.

MƒA

alone, are appropriate for all grade levels, and never

Tyler Van Fleet delights in teaching students, teachers, and landowners

result in students asking, “When am I ever going to

about the fascinating (and life-sustaining!) connections between healthy

use this?” The discrete topics we will cover require no

forests and clean drinking water. A former high school science teacher

prerequisites, enable students to see what mathematics

and forest conservation outreach specialist, Tyler has spent the past

no exception. New research has helped to uncover

five years as the Watershed Educator with the Watershed Agricultural

how our brains adapt to different life experiences and

Council engaging hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in

how the memory of those experiences can live on in

MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 4, NOV 18 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

really is, and what it can allow one to do. By the end of the course, teachers will have the materials they need

watershed forestry discovery through field trips, workshops, tours, and

to begin teaching a number of discrete mathematics

classroom lessons.

topics, a copy of the original curriculum created for

Neil Farley is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at The Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx.

Epigenetics and Survival Facilitator: Bianca Jones Marlin, Ph.D.

 SCIENCE

Every organism struggles to survive and humans are

future generations and impact their ability to survive. In this course, we will discuss how the brain, behavior, and epigenetics all play a role in survival. We will begin

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses by using modern case studies to learn the different mechanisms organisms use to survive. We will also discuss how epigenetic changes in a parent can be passed down to offspring to promote survival and examine novel biological approaches used to study epigenetics. We will conclude by examining how these changes are governed by neuromodulators in the brain that change the way neurons communicate with each other, eventually dictating survival behavior. Join us in this exploration of the epigenetics of survival!

to help test, refine, and adapt the curriculum. In this

increase voice, manage group dynamics, and receive

course, we’ll begin by examining the structure and

guided feedback about creating and customizing

function of the eye by utilizing a DIY microscopy kit to

protocols that we can experiment with in our PLTs.

build a model of the human eye. In session two, we’ll

Alan Cheng is a former MƒA fellow and co-facilitator of the MƒA School

explore both infectious and non-infectious diseases,

Leader Fellowship. Alan is currently a superintendent for NYC high

and in session three we’ll delve into case studies and

school’s in the Consortium after serving as the Principal of City-As-

evidence-based thinking to diagnose eye diseases. This course is for any teacher who teaches physiology, disease, or optics, is interested in learning more about the human eye, and is eager to take a leadership role in curriculum testing and design. Francesca Anselmi is the Chief Scientist of the BioBus Harlem team. Microscopist and neuroscientist by training, she loves learning by making and is the co-creator of a Do-It-Yourself microscope, which has

Bianca Jones Marlin is an award-winning neuroscientist and

been the basis of projects for BioBus interns and new curriculum. At

postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University. She holds a Ph.D. in

BioBus, Francesca hopes to help shape the next generation of scientists

neuroscience from New York University, and dual bachelor’s degrees

and citizens, aware and proud of the environment they live in, eager to

from St. John’s University, in biology and adolescent education. Dr.

observe their reality first hand, challenge their common knowledge, and

Marlin is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel

help them to formulate their own ideas to shape the world around them

Laureate Dr. Richard Axel, where she investigates transgenerational

into a better place for everyone to share.

epigenetic inheritance, or how traumatic experiences in parents affect the brain structure of their offspring.

Exploring the Human Eye Through a StudentGenerated, Hands-On Science Curriculum Facilitators: Francesca Anselmi, Ph.D., and Latasha Wright, Ph.D. TUESDAYS, OCT 15, OCT 29, NOV 12

Latasha Wright is the Chief Scientific Officer of BioBus. She has coauthored numerous publications and presented her work at national

School High School for many years. In his free time, he is pursuing his doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership at Teachers College.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Derive Alone: Pythagoras and the Buddy System Facilitators: Neer Asherie, Ph.D., and MƒA Master Teacher Michael Paoli WEDNEDAYS, OCT 30, NOV 6, NOV 13 MƒA  MATHEMATICS + PLEASE NOTE: NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS. NOV 13 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS.

Learning with a buddy can increase one’s understanding, clarify thinking, and lead to unexpected

and international conferences. BioBus enables Latasha to share her love

insights. It not only compels a learner to organize and

of science with a new generation of scientists. Latasha spearheaded

explain their own thoughts, but also asks them to listen

the creation of the first BioBase community lab, the BioBus internship

and respond to a buddy’s thoughts and ideas. This

program, and the Harlem expansion. Every day that Latasha spends teaching students about science in this transformative environment helps her remember that science is fun. She loves sharing the journey of

promotes mutual respect and can help to refine one’s own thinking. That is why learning with a buddy has

discovery with students of all ages.

OFFSITE  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: ALL THREE SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AT BIOBASE.

BioBase promotes a model of education where students actively participate in shaping their own education and that of their peers. In fact, the curriculum in this course was developed by high school students who identified a topic they were

Facilitation as Leadership Facilitator: Alan Cheng WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, SEP 18, OCT 30, DEC 4 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE FACILITATING PLTS IN THE FALL 2019 SEMESTER. THIS IS A FOUR SESSION MINI-COURSE.

interested in--physiology and diseases of the human

Facilitation plays an important role in supporting the

eye. The students explored that topic through a

learning of teaching communities and in ensuring

social justice lens by highlighting ophthalmological

equity and access for all students. In this mini-

diseases relevant to their own communities, and have

course, teacher-leaders will deepen their knowledge

created lessons and resources on this subject. They

of processes and protocols for building learning

have laid the foundation for this exciting project and

communities within their MƒA PLTs. We will explore

now, BioBase is looking to collaborate with teachers

responsive facilitation and will build a toolkit to

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

for a great unit after the AP tests. No programming experience is required. Richard Sullivan is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science

a long history—going back over 2000 years with the chavrusa (Aramaic for ‘friendship’ or ‘companionship’), the buddy system for studying Jewish texts. In this mini-course, teachers will use the chavrusa approach to derive the Pythagorean theorem. This theorem, with its hundreds of proofs, is accessible to teachers

teacher at New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School in Manhattan.

Group Theory for Rubik’s Cube and Other Permutation Puzzles Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Gary Rubinstein MONDAYS, NOV 25, DEC 2, DEC 9 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Goggles, Yes. Google, No. Chemistry Lab Support for Early Career Teachers Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Sara Heymont, Erin Ratz, and MƒA Early Career Teacher Jenn Leyva

Want to solve a Rubik’s Cube without using memorized algorithms? Look no further than group theory. Group theory can be made accessible to teachers and students by applying it to permutation puzzles. In

of all levels and backgrounds. By deriving the theorem

TUESDAYS, SEP 10, SEP 24, OCT 15

with a buddy in different ways (geometry, algebra,

this course, teachers will study concepts from group

MƒA

theory in the context of popular permutation puzzles.

trigonometry, and calculus), teachers will learn new

 SCIENCE

They will work through a series of 26 challenges,

Safety regulations...no lab space…small inventory…

in order to learn the principles behind permutation

no other chemistry teachers to ask... are you finding

groups for solving puzzles like The Cube. Each

yourself overwhelmed or unsure as you try to design

challenge introduces a new concept like the order

and M.A. in natural sciences (physical) from Cambridge University and

and implement engaging chemistry labs? Teaching

of a permutation, conjugations, and commutators.

a Ph.D. in physics from MIT. He was awarded grants from the National

labs can feel challenging when you’re new to teaching

Mastering all of the challenges will enable teachers to

Science Foundation to support his research on the self-assembly

or when you feel like an island in your small school.

solve these puzzles and others using group theory. All

of globular proteins and has published numerous scientific articles.

Maybe you turned to Google to find lab activities, but

challenges are accessible through an app the facilitator

and Within Reason. The Interview won a Best of the Festival Award at

were unsure of how they would work in your school?

created which can also be shared with students.

the Short Play & Musical Festival at The Players Theatre. His science-

In this mini-course, we’ll be your Google as we share

Teachers will also have the opportunity to bring their

in-theater play, A Dialogue about Protein Crystallization and Phase

best practices and resources for making awesome

own puzzles to analyze and conquer.

Diagrams, was published by Bentham Science.

and safe chemistry labs happen in any setting. We will

Gary Rubinstein is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

Michael Paoli is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at The

also discuss what makes a great investigation, how

Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

Ella Baker School in Manhattan.

to support students with safety protocols, and work

skills and deepen their appreciation for this wonderful theorem. Neer Asherie is a physicist and playwright. He is a professor of physics and biology at Yeshiva University in New York. Neer received a B.A.

His one-act plays include The Interview, A Killer Day, A Full Apology

collaboratively to develop an individualized toolkit of

Getting to Know Unity Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Richard Sullivan WEDNESDAYS, SEP 11, SEP 25, OCT 16 MƒA  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

labs and demonstrations to support the needs of your students. Sara Heymont is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at New Design High School in Manhattan. Erin Ratz is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at The Brooklyn

Have you ever wanted to make a 3D video game or a

Latin School in Brooklyn.

VR app, or do so with your 7th to 12th grade students?

Jenn Leyva is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at East

In this mini-course, we will explore the basics of Unity,

Side Community School in Manhattan.

Hard Conversations on Race and Equity: Facilitation Support for Teacher Leaders Facilitator: Lindsey Charles THURSDAYS, OCT 3, OCT 17, OCT 24 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE FACILITATING GROUPS OF EDUCATORS AT MƒA OR AT SCHOOL IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE AND EQUITY. IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS WORK, PLEASE CONSIDER A DIFFERENT COURSE.

a powerful 3D gaming engine that allows you to build

Facilitating conversations at MƒA or with your school

and program 2D and 3D worlds. We will see curricular

community on issues of equity, race, and anti-

tie-ins across the board: physics (gravity, forces, and

oppression work is extremely important and can be

torques), algebra and geometry (variables, rotations,

very difficult. This mini-course will provide space to

translations, dilations, and coordinate systems), and

learn, build on, and practice skills that can help us

computer science and AP computer science (logic,

lead these conversations. We will learn activities that

conditionals, variables, and arrays). Unity also makes

support equity work, and consider how they may

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

Melissa Lee is the manager of the Harlem DNA Lab, an operating unit

embark on a detailed conceptual and quantitative

of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center. She is both

exploration of Einstein’s Special Relativity. In our first

an educator and researcher with experience as a former NYCDOE high school teacher and as a lab technician who studied mouse brain

impact the culture of professional spaces. In addition,

development at New York University.

to engage in hard conversations, and explore how to work with folks who are entering into the conversation around equity from different perspectives. This course is a great opportunity to share space and resources with colleagues who are taking the lead in facilitating

including length contraction and time dilation. Next, we’ll introduce Lorentz transformations and spacetime

we will identify the risk levels associated with each activity, (low, medium, and high risk), learn protocols

session, we’ll cover all of the fundamental effects,

Integrating Protocols into Classroom Practice Facilitators: Tina Glover and MƒA Master Teacher Lauren Couto

diagrams to analyze those effects and to discuss some of the classic paradoxes, like the Twin and TrainTunnel. Finally, we will tie everything together with

MONDAYS, NOV 25, DEC 2, DEC 16

several interesting applications and consequences. The

MƒA

materials and methods used in this mini-course can be

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

easily adjusted for students at any high school level.

these crucial conversations around equity, racial

Protocols are ways of organizing conversation to

This course is appropriate for any teacher, regardless of

justice, and anti-oppression work in our schools and

support rigorous discourse in the classroom. The three

background, who is interested in learning more about

professional communities.

sessions of this mini-course will be an exploration of

Special Relativity or for teachers hoping to integrate

protocols that can be used in a variety of educational

the content into their classrooms.

Lindsey Charles is a consultant for Vision Change Win where she works with clients on a variety of issues including conflict resolution and

contexts to promote meaningful and efficient

Josh Ilany and Ghada Nehmeh are MƒA Master Teachers and science

mediation, restorative practice policies and protocols, diversity and

communication, problem-solving, and learning. We

teachers at The Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx.

inclusion strategies, and physical and verbal de-escalation. She is a

will use protocols developed by the National School

licensed social worker and a certified health coach with over 10 years of nonprofit experience. She is also the Associate Director of Support

Reform Faculty (NSRF) which increase opportunities

InvesTI(LE)gations! Facilitator: Alissa Crans, Ph.D.

Services at FEGS (Federation Employment Guidance Services) where

for learning and build a space for all voices to be heard.

she supports 13 teachers in the NYCDOE with trainings, technical

Each teacher will have the opportunity to engage in

WEDNESDAYS, DEC 11, DEC 18

and explore several protocols, choose at least one to

MƒA

assistance, and innovative protocols to more effectively work with young people.

Harlem DNA at MƒA: An Introduction to Gel Electrophoresis Facilitator: Melissa Lee

try out in their classroom, and bring back results to

 MATHEMATICS

debrief with the group.

Practically speaking, large-scale tilings have to be

Tina Glover has worked at the American Museum of Natural History’s

periodic. So, does this mean we’re limited to patterns

partnership program, Urban Advantage, for over 15 years. She has more

like the white rectangles on the subway station walls,

than 20 years of experience working with students and teachers in both

hexagons outside the Natural History Museum, and

MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 4, NOV 18

formal and informal settings. She has her coaching certification and

MƒA

facilitator certification from the National School Reform Faculty.

 SCIENCE

In this mini-course, teachers will explore one of

Lauren Couto is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at the Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx.

Harlem DNA’s footlocker labs, an experiment that examines the DNA of bacteriophage lambda through gel electrophoresis. In session one, teachers will use restriction enzymes, the scissors of molecular biologists, to cut bacteriophage lambda DNA. In session two, teachers will perform gel electrophoresis to analyze digested lambda DNA fragments, and in

An Introduction to Einstein’s Special Relativity Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Josh Ilany and Ghada Nehmeh, Ph.D.

more exotic possibilities in the world of periodic tilings? This mini-course will take a systematic look at periodic tilings of the plane, beginning with questions about regular polygons. We’ll discover the regular and semi-regular tilings, proving our results as we go. Our investigation will quickly progress to general

TUESDAYS, SEP 10, SEP 24, OCT 15

polygons, looking for criteria to determine when

MƒA

they do, or do not, tile the plane. A brief excursion

 SCIENCE

session three, teachers will learn how to modify and

Space and time behave in mind-bending ways

incorporate this lab into Living Environment, Forensics,

when high speeds are involved, but a thorough

or AP Biology courses. Teachers who complete the

understanding of spacetime only requires some

course are eligible to borrow and rent the kits for future

algebra and an open mind. Through lessons, thought

classroom use.

experiments, exercises, and simulations, teachers will

the Guastavino tiles in Grand Central? Or are there

into non-periodic tilings will allow us to see a pattern discovered by mathematician, John Conway, in which the same triangular tile occurs in infinitely many different orientations! We’ll conclude by illustrating how tiling questions remain an active area of research mathematics by exploring recently published results solving a century-old open problem about pentagonal MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

a teacher, geneticist, and life-long learner, she is constantly exploring new topics from a scientific perspective to grow her mind and feed her passions. Although she travels to different schools each week to help them achieve their faculty development goals, she has made Asheville,

tilings. Along the way, we’ll engage in various hands-on

NC home.

activities, many appropriate for a K-8 audience. Alissa S. Crans has been recognized nationally for her enthusiastic ability to share and communicate mathematics, having been honored by the

Living in the Learning Zone Facilitators: Jeff Olson and Taylor Want

Mathematical Association of America with the Hasse Prize for expository

MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 4, NOV 18

writing on mathematics, as well as with the 2011 Henry L. Alder

MƒA

Award for distinguished teaching by a beginning college or university mathematics faculty member. Additionally, much of her work involves actively mentoring and supporting women and underrepresented students in mathematics. She is currently a professor of mathematics at Loyola Marymount University, where her research interests lie in the

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY + PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WITH CODING EXPERIENCE. PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP WITH CHROME OR FIREFOX.

field of higher-dimensional algebra and are currently being generously

Are you providing spaces for your computer science

supported by The Simons Foundation.

(CS) students to grapple with the big ideas of CS? This Python mini-course will explore how to design

Letting the Data Speak to You Facilitator: Kristen Dotti

lessons and independent practice that maximize the time students spend engaged in productive struggle

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 16, OCT 30

(in their zone of proximal development) in a CS

MƒA

classroom. We will spend time working through sample

 SCIENCE

Do your students sometimes miss the story their data is telling? Are they distracted by large data sets, outliers, and changing trends? This mini-course is designed to give teachers a scaffolded method to help students wade through their data to uncover the story it tells. In our first session, teachers will look at how to generate data with games, simulations, and models. In subsequent sessions, teachers will play with raw data to see how the message conveyed can be altered by the choice of graph or descriptors of central tendency. Throughout the course, teachers will address common misconceptions and typical errors students make when choosing a graph or drawing data-based conclusions as we practice applying a t-test, chi-squared test, and a test of correlation to communicate the significance

lessons, discussing how you can support students with varying levels of proficiency through advanced content, and then sharing starter content to offer teachers an opportunity to build their own labs and lessons. This course is designed for teachers with coding experience, but they do not necessarily need to know Python. The topics explored in this course will data types, collections, functions, and control flow.

mathematics students? In this mini-course, we will dive

Teachers should bring a laptop with either Chrome or

into the mathematics of gerrymandering, potentially

Firefox installed.

including apportionment, election decision methods,

Jeff Olson is a former high school language arts and mathematics

efficiency gap, and historical and legal contexts. We

Education from Arizona State University in 2014. He currently works as

will primarily focus on gerrymandering activities and

the Director of Curriculum & Instruction for Upperline Code.

will see examples of how the content has been adapted

Taylor Want taught high school physics in Fall River, MA and Austin, TX

for the high school mathematics classroom. If time

for four years, during which time she received her M.Ed. in Curriculum

allows, we will work to adapt these instructional ideas

Director of Operations for Upperline Code.

training for teachers who enjoy using student-centered techniques. As

compactness, fairness, partisan symmetry, the

teacher from Nashville, TN. He received his M.Ed. in Secondary English

and any teacher who supervises student-designed

Kristen Dotti writes curricula and leads professional development

 MATHEMATICS

Do you wish you could discuss politics with your

and Teaching from Boston University. She currently works as the

ease created by playing with data in this mini-course.

TUESDAYS, NOV 19, NOV 26, DEC 3 MƒA

be limited to foundational CS principles like variables,

of collected data. Teachers of AP or IB science courses research projects will benefit from the comfort and

The Mathematics of Gerrymandering - Gerryrig Your Classroom! Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Kate Belin, Lauren Brady, Courtney Ferrell, and Keith Lau

into curriculum and tasks suitable for our high school mathematics classrooms. Additionally, we will consider potential cross-curricular connections. This course is best for Algebra II, Statistics, Geometry, or high school elective mathematics teachers.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses Kate Belin is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx. Lauren Brady is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Park East High School in Manhattan. Courtney Ferrell is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Bronx Theatre High School in the Bronx. Keith Lau is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in Manhattan.

Modeling in CAD Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Joseph Buro and Everton Henriques

Night at the Museum: Designing Science Fieldwork at AMNH Facilitators: MƒA Early Career Teachers Jessica Sharoff and Caitin Tully FRIDAYS, SEP 20, OCT 18, NOV 15 OFFSITE  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: ALL THREE SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAYS AT THE AMNH. SESSIONS WILL RUN FROM 5:15-7:15 PM, AFTER THE MUSEUM CLOSES, TO ENABLE EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE HALLS.

Have you ever wanted to explore the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) after hours? If so, here is your chance! In this mini-course, teachers will explore museum exhibits to develop meaningful fieldwork and investigations. Teachers will also sample

MONDAYS, NOV 25, DEC 2, DEC 9

AMNH-based lessons that utilize museum resources,

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then work together to design fieldwork that can be

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Do you want to bring CAD (Computer-Aided Design) into your classroom? In this course, we will learn and apply the common modeling techniques that are used to generate virtual designs and industrial specs by engaging with the Autodesk Inventor and Revit CAD platforms. We will create and render real objects of interest to experience, develop, and explore realworld applications, including biomedical modeling and green architecture. We will develop CAD models that are compatible with 3D printers, laser cutters, and

implemented to strengthen their own curriculum. This course is for any middle or high school science teacher who wants to incorporate more fieldwork into their science curriculum. It will focus specifically on the use

CAD applications for personal and classroom use. This course is designed for teachers that would like an

Teachers will apply all of these concepts to a Precalculus, AP Calculus, and beyond an AP Calculus level. Applications to the sciences, especially physics, will also be emphasized in this course. Teachers will spend much of their time solving interesting problems individually and in groups. In addition, we will make strong use of technology to explore and solve problems. This mini-course is directed at teachers interested in calculus and topics that apply these calculus techniques. Thomas Blozy is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn.

Preparing for Master Teachers on Teaching Facilitator: MƒA Master Teachers Michael Paoli and Molly Shabica TUESDAYS, NOV 5, NOV 19, NOV 26 MONDAY, DEC 2 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

to, the Hall of Planet Earth, Hall of Ocean Life, Rose

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WHO WILL PRESENT AT MASTER TEACHERS ON TEACHING.

Center for Earth and Space, and Fossil Halls. Jessica Sharoff is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at

This workshop is for Master Teachers selected to

Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in Manhattan.

speak at this year’s Master Teachers on Teaching (MT²)

Caitlin Tully is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at

event on December 12, 2019. We will use protocols

The James Baldwin School: A School for Expeditionary Learning in

to develop, practice, and hone (and practice again)

Manhattan.

our presentations. Please see the listing for the MT² Thursday Think for more information on this year’s

Parametric Equations and Vectors Inside and Outside the Bounds of AP Calculus Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Thomas Blozy

introductory experience in CAD as well as experienced

THURSDAYS, JAN 2, JAN 9, JAN 23

teachers that would like to refine their modeling

MƒA

techniques and develop relevant applications.

 MATHEMATICS

Joseph Buro is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science teacher at

Parametric equations allow us to graph curves that

Staten Island Technical High School in Staten Island.

are not functions, as well as provide us with additional

Everton Henriques is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

information about functions and non-functions. In this

Staten Island Technical High School in Staten Island.

be developed as examples of parametric equations.

of the physical science halls including, but not limited

CNC fabrication systems. Finally, we will learn about and set up a free site license for the major Autodesk

will be graphed and investigated and vectors will

course, teachers will examine the history of parametric

theme. Michael Paoli is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Ella Baker School in Manhattan. Molly Shabica is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx.

Problem Posing in Algebra Assessments: A Model for Modification Facilitators: Elizabeth Brennan, Ph.D., and Benjamin Dickman, Ph.D.

equations and vectors through their development in

MONDAYS, SEP 16, SEP 23, OCT 7

mathematics and the sciences. Parametric equations

MƒA  MATHEMATICS

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses How can we encourage students to view themselves as active generators, rather than passive consumers, of mathematics? How can we ensure that students, when engaged in problem-solving, attend to mathematical structure (e.g., this is a problem about quadratic growth) rather than superficial features (e.g., this is a problem about swimming pools)? For over three decades, there has been a call from mathematics education scholars to view problem posing as both a goal of instruction and also as a means of instruction. In this mini-course, we will respond to this need and, in particular, to how problem posing can be incorporated into assessments in the Algebra I and II classrooms. This mini-course will begin by reviewing the meaning of problem-posing anchored by the text, The Art of Problem Posing by Stephen Brown and Marion Walter. We will explore assessments, authentic student work, and how we might adapt the general model to our own specific classrooms and learning sites. Although the focus will be on Algebra I and Algebra II, our hope is to imagine an approach to assessments that can transfer across subjects in a manner that deepens conceptual

Proof Through Play: Exploring Axiomatic Proof Through Combinatorial Games Facilitators: Phil Dituri, Ph.D., and MƒA Master Teacher Paul Gray

Philip Dituri is currently the director of Education at the not-for-profit, FiCycle, and an educational consultant to various schools around the New York area. He was a teacher, mathematics instructional coach, chairperson of the mathematics department at New Design High School, and a Visiting Professor at Fordham University. While in public

TUESDAYS, OCT 15, OCT 29, NOV 12

school, he was an MƒA Master Teacher and a Big Apple Award finalist.

MƒA

Phil has a B.A. in Mathematics from NYU and a Ph.D. in Mathematics

 MATHEMATICS

Education from Columbia University.

mathematical self-perceptions.

Proof is the foundation of mathematics. However,

Paul Gray is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at New

Elizabeth Brennan majored in Mathematics summa cum laude at Stony

unless you teach geometry, it is possible that you

Brook University and received her M.A. in Mathematics and Urban

haven’t done a proof since college or ever taught

Education from Adelphi University and her doctorate in Mathematics

one. In this mini-course, we will explore the nature

Education from Columbia University. Currently in her 15th year

and structure of mathematical proof through the lens

understandings and positively shifts students’

teaching, Elizabeth began her career as a New York City Teaching Fellow in 2003. After finishing the Fellows program, she taught six additional

of simple and familiar games. We will learn about

years in public schools and is now in her seventh year at The Hewitt

different methods of proof, axiomatic systems, how

School in New York, NY, where, for the past five years, she has been the

mathematicians build upon axioms to create theorems,

Mathematics Department Chair.

and how theorems themselves can lead to the

Benjamin Dickman majored in Mathematics at Amherst College and

construction of more complex proofs. Teachers will

received his doctorate in Mathematics Education from Columbia

do all of this through playing games like NIM and Tic-

University. He studied as a Fulbright Fellow in Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Nanjing Normal University in Nanjing, China,

Tac-Toe! By reconceptualizing the rules of the game

and worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Mathematics Education at

as axioms, we will create an experience in which we

Boston University. Benjamin is currently a mathematics teacher and

learn about proof, stimulate our thinking around proof

teacher coach at The Hewitt School in New York, NY, and co-edits the

writing, and explore related best practices. All teachers

“Delving Deeper” section of The Mathematics Teacher, NCTM’s grades 8-14 journal.

interested in proofs are welcome.

Design High School in Manhattan.

Puzzles, Play, and Problem-Solving: Breakout EDU in the STEM Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Emily Hart and Kate Litman MONDAYS, SEP 16, SEP 23, OCT 7, OCT 28 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FOUR SESSION MINI-COURSE.

How might we develop Breakout EDU challenge puzzles to assess and extend mathematics and science content knowledge? This mini-course is open to all teachers who want to engage their students in dynamic problem-solving scenarios much like Escape MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

Katherine St. John, is a professor of computer science at Hunter

With applications in engineering, chemistry, and

College, City University of New York and a research associate at the

mathematics, printmaking is a way to integrate art into

American Museum of Natural History. She is passionate about increasing the diversity of students pursuing computing degrees and has designed

Room games found throughout the city. The goal of the course is for each teacher or teacher team to

learning how to create a screenprinting operation in

into the classroom. Her research focuses on computational models of

our science or mathematics classrooms and provide

evolution and tree structures.

space for thinking about how this work supports the

utilize the design process to brainstorm, prototype, test, and share a Breakout EDU puzzle for their content. Teachers will explore various Breakout EDU games available on their digital platform and create their own puzzles. This course will utilize the Breakout EDU kits with extension packs and the digital resources on breakoutedu.com, as well as alternative platforms.

your STEM instruction. This mini-course will focus on

curriculum for middle school through college, bringing real-world data

learning of key STEM topics. For example, science

Rigid Motions Through Islamic Art Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Abigail Kirchman and David Price

teachers might be interested in thinking about screen printing as an entry point into the concepts of solubility and light sensitivity as they apply to photo emulsions.

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 18, OCT 2, OCT 23

Math teachers, on the other hand, might ask students

MƒA

to consider the calculations involved in designing

 MATHEMATICS

a print operation. In this mini-course, we will think

Through the hands-on construction of Islamic

about these content connections and more. In the first

art designs, teachers will gain a more concrete

session, teachers will practice printing with prepared

understanding of rigid motions, their properties, and

screens and learn how to stretch their own screens.

how they connect to one another. Each session will

In the next three sessions, teachers will work with

focus on different sets of designs highlighting a specific

emulsions and burn their very own print. Throughout

class of rigid motion transformations: translations,

the course, we will share the resources and tools

reflections, and rotations. There will be opportunities

needed to set up a workshop in a school setting, as

to use various tools including a straightedge, a

well as work together to make connections to NGSS

compass, and computer software. No prior knowledge

and Common Core standards.

of these tools is necessary. While most of this mini-

Ashraya Gupta is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Harvest

course will be spent creating the designs seen in

Collegiate High School in Manhattan.

traditional Islamic art, we will also spend time posing

Abigail Kirchman is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher

questions and wonderings about the underlying

at The James Baldwin School: A School for Expeditionary Learning in

Where is the noisiest street in the city? Which

mathematical structures, which can be starting points

Manhattan.

streets have the most collisions? What trees are

for further exploration.

Jamie Munkatchy is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

most commonly planted in the streets of your

Abigail Kirchman is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher

neighborhood? What parts of the city are above the

at The James Baldwin School: A School for Expeditionary Learning in

Emily Hart is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the Bronx. Kate Litman is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teachers at Quest to Learn in Manhattan.

Python in the City Facilitator: Katherine St. John, Ph.D. WEDNESDAYS, NOV 6, NOV 20, DEC 11 MƒA  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY + PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON MINI-COURSE OR WHO HAVE AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL UNDERSTANDING OF PYTHON. NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS.

100-year flood level? We will explore these and related questions using Python and publicly available data about New York City. This mini-course is organized into three sessions, each focused on a challenge that introduces intermediate programming concepts, using the Python programming language, and popular packages that allow the analysis of structured data and the visualization via graphs and HTML navigable maps. This course (via the challenges and variations) will provide a multitude of scalable projects for use in the classroom.

The James Baldwin School: A School for Expeditionary Learning in Manhattan.

Manhattan. David Price is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Bard High School Early College Queens in Queens.

Silk-Screening: Putting the “A” in STEAM Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Ashraya Gupta, Abigail Kirchman, and Jamie Munkatchy THURSDAYS, SEP 19, SEP 26, OCT 3, OCT 24 OFFSITE

Statistics Made Simple: All You Need For Algebra I and II Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Melanie Battles and Melanie Pflaum MONDAYS, SEP 16, SEP 23, OCT 7 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Are you teaching Statistics for the first time? Are you

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

anticipating the statistics unit in Algebra I or Algebra

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FOUR SESSION MINI-COURSE THAT TAKES PLACE AT THE JAMES BALDWIN SCHOOL. SEP 19 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

II and want to improve your materials? In this course, teachers will receive a refresher on statistics content

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses

Joshua Wickline is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Talent

narratives. It was used, for example, to disseminate the

Unlimited High School in Manhattan.

analysis used to validate the detection of gravitational waves by the LiGO collaboration. Even though Jupyter

while developing ways to make statistics exciting and applicable for their students. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of statistical literacy and reasoning through four themes: probability, normal models, regression, and inference. All algebra and statistics teachers (especially non-AP) are welcome as we dive into activities to enhance curriculum, sharpen content knowledge, and discover the beauty of statistics through various activities, applets, and simulations, all of which you can take back to your classroom. Melanie Battles is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn. Melanie Pflaum is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Talk Less, Teach More: Using Video to Create a Blended or Flipped Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Ryan Bittman and Joshua Wickline

Taxicab Geometry: An Introduction Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Patrick Cox and Melissa Rodriguez

user interface and supports programming using easy (but powerful) programming languages, such

 MATHEMATICS

as Python and Javascript, and it is freely available

Imagine a world where the distance between two

for all uses. This two session mini-course begins by

points is found by summing the horizontal and vertical

illustrating basic programming concepts within the

distances just like traveling in New York City. There

Jupyter notebook interface and explaining the basics

are no diagonal distances because one cannot drive

of how to use the Jupyter environment. The course

through buildings! How many ways could one travel

proceeds to illustrate how to experiment with more

from 19th street and 5th avenue to 23rd street and

complex algorithmic methods within Jupyter and

8th avenue? This is the world of Taxicab Geometry

concludes by explaining how to build interactive data

(sometimes called Manhattan Geometry). In this

visualizations that explore data sets and mathematical

course, teachers will learn about this fascinating

concepts using Jupyter interactive widgets.

geometry, one that assumes a different definition of

Aaron Watters is a senior software engineer at the Flatiron Institute

distance to the typical Euclidean definition. We will

of the Simons Foundation. He works with scientists to develop

explore what circles, ellipses, and parabolas look like

visualizations, scientific workflows, and tools for scientific collaboration.

with these new definitions, consider if the Pythagorean Theorem and triangle congruence are still feasible,

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ideas, along with big ideas in calculus and more, will be

Supplemental videos help support blended-learning experiences in our classrooms. Teachers can use

the middle or high school level. It has an accessible

MƒA

and find the value of pi (it may not be irrational). These

+ PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS. TEACHERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO BRING A TABLET OR IPAD TO EACH SESSION.

platform for teaching and learning how to program at

TUESDAYS, OCT 22, OCT 29, NOV 12

THURSDAYS, SEP 12, OCT 3, OCT 17  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

is used as a professional tool, it provides an excellent

explored throughout the course. Patrick Cox and Melissa Rodriguez are MƒA Master Teachers and mathematics teachers at Central Park East High School in Manhattan.

Toward Humanizing Pedagogies for Mathematics and Science Education Facilitators: Jasmine Y. Ma, Ph.D., and Daniela Della Volpe MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 4, NOV 18 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Teaching Programming Using Jupyter Facilitator: Aaron Watters, Ph.D.

Schooling in general, but in mathematics and science classrooms in particular, have the power to reproduce

an iPad or tablet to create and deliver video lessons

THURSDAYS, NOV 14, DEC 5

or disrupt inequities for young people. How does the

to enhance instruction ranging from explanatory

MƒA

institution of schooling and STEM disciplinary content

help videos to a fully flipped classroom. In this mini-

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

serve to humanize or dehumanize teachers and

course, the facilitators will guide teachers through

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS FOR TEACHERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN WRITING PROGRAMS IN PYTHON, JAVASCRIPT, C, C++, JAVA, OR OTHER SIMILAR LANGUAGES AS A PREREQUISITE. THIS IS A TWO SESSION MINI-COURSE AND TEACHERS SHOULD BRING A LAPTOP TO EACH SESSION.

learners alike? What can teachers do to construct more

video learning. We will be using a variety of platforms

Shouldn’t students learn to program using professional

of schooled interactions, and existing lesson plans to

to guide the mini-course including Explain Everything,

tools used by data scientists, astrophysicists, biologists,

ground discussion of pedagogies that are not simply

Edpuzzle, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

and engineers? The Jupyter notebook computational

inclusive, but liberating for young people and their

interface is a standard tool for doing computational

communities. Teachers will share and consider a range

exploration and developing scientific workflows or

of classroom practices (e.g., management techniques,

the production of videos, explore different methods of presenting the videos to students, and look at methods for holding students accountable for their

Ryan Bittman is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at NYC iSchool in Manhattan.

humanizing spaces for themselves and their students, through their pedagogical practices? This minicourse will make use of classroom scenarios, video

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Mini-Courses language use, how disciplinary content is positioned, routines for orchestrating discussion, or assessment) that serve to humanize or dehumanize students.

sessions, a combination of mindful awareness practices and social and emotional skills will be introduced, discussed, and practiced.

TUESDAYS, OCT 29, NOV 19, NOV 26, DEC 3

Marieke van Woerkom has worked with students, educators, and

MƒA

administrators for over 20 years. With a background in social

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

psychology, she has worked in schools across the city to help

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FOUR SESSION MINI-COURSE. TEACHERS SHOULD BRING A LAPTOP TO EACH SESSION.

strengthen classroom communities and create learning environments

Teachers will also have opportunities to reflect on

that are more conducive to teaching and learning for all. Her focus

how to continue designing their own practices toward

is on how social and emotional learning (SEL) impacts the academic

more humane ends, in the context of their particular institutional and disciplinary constraints. Jasmine Y. Ma is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at NYU Steinhardt. Her research considers how young people engage in everyday activity across settings, and the ways this can inform

VEX IQ: Robotics for Beginners Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Pravin Jammula

Robotics inspires students to be problem-solving

environment and how restorative practices help break the school to

heroes of tomorrow, and we need it. Robot-building

prison pipeline.

is a fun and exciting way to immerse students in STEM concepts. The underlying pedagogy and content of this

Urban Gardening: Getting Dirty for STEM! Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Aida Rosenbaum

mini-course is inspired by robotics training programs available at Carnegie Mellon. The objective of this PD is

designs for supporting their learning in the mathematics classroom.

WEDNESDAYS, SEP 25, OCT 23

to prepare teachers to offer a comprehensive, NGSS-

As a part of this work, she investigates how dominant forms of

MƒA

aligned, introductory robotics course. This course is

mathematics instruction, as well as the assumption that modern academic mathematics is the only mathematics of value, actively and systematically marginalizes particular populations of learners.

 SCIENCE

designed for teachers who are programming novices

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A TWO SESSION MINI-COURSE.

or know just a little bit of block programming like

Daniela Della Volpe is a doctoral student in the Department of

Everyone knows students learn best through hands-on

Teaching and Learning at New York University and a former high school

activities that have real-world applications. Gardening

mathematics teacher in Italy.

is the perfect hands-on and real-world activity to get your students engaged in STEM content. This

Trauma-Informed Teaching in Healing-Centered Classrooms Facilitator: Marieke van Woerkom FRIDAYS, OCT 18, NOV 15, DEC 13, JAN 24 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FOUR SESSION MINI-COURSE THAT MEETS ON FRIDAYS.

Recent research has shown that traumatic childhood experiences are much more common than previously known or recognized. These experiences have a profound impact on a student’s ability to function in the classroom and learn. In this interactive mini-

mini-course will provide a space for all teachers who are involved with school garden programs to

Scratch, but anyone interested in developing a robotics course is welcome. This course will be platformindependent and teachers can apply the skills we will practice to VEX, FIRST Tech, or any Robotics platform. Pravin Jammula is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher for Home Instruction in Manhattan.

share curriculum, troubleshoot, and plan for the preservation of the harvest. We will share how we use our gardens to teach, discuss how to expand gardening curriculum into the winter months, and learn how to vermicompost. We will also celebrate the harvest with a lacto-fermentation activity; teachers will be encouraged to bring in and share some of their harvest to learn about food preservation. Aida Rosenbaum is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Bronx Latin in the Bronx.

course, teachers will learn what trauma is, how it affects the young people in our care, and how it shows up in the classroom. We will look at how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact the still-developing brain and what skills and practices we, as adults, can employ to create more trauma-aware, sensitive, and healing-centered classroom spaces to support all student learning. Over the course of four 33

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Extended Length Courses Extended length courses are a series of six to eight connected workshops that meet throughout a semester or school year. Experts from outside academic institutions and from the MƒA Master Teacher community engage MƒA teachers in topics at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Extended Length Courses

Action Research: Incorporating it into Your Pedagogy Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Nancy Buck and Queila Cordero T HURSDAYS, SEP 19, OCT 17, NOV 7, DEC 5, JAN 9, JAN 30 JAN 9 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Action research is a way for teachers of any subject matter to focus on their own learning and pedagogy. It is a process where teachers investigate a pedagogical choice in order to reflect on and deepen their practice. In this course, we will spend the first session learning more about action research and spend the following five sessions implementing action research plans, experimenting in our classrooms, and sharing our findings with our colleagues. This will include developing research questions, deciding on methodology, providing one another with meaningful feedback, and analyzing our data. We will also be taking time in this course to consider how to turn our research into proposals for conferences. In the last session, we will share our work and reflect on the process as a whole. Nancy Buck is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx in the Bronx. Queila Cordero is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Hamilton Grange Middle School in Manhattan.

Designing Science Curriculum to Liberate Students in the Consortium Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Rayhan Ahmed and Nicole Beall THURSDAYS, OCT 24, NOV 14, DEC 19 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: THIS EXTENDED LENGTH COURSE WILL MEET FOR THREE SESSIONS IN THE FALL AND THREE SESSIONS IN THE SPRING (DATES TBD). ADDITIONALLY, TEACHERS IN THIS COURSE WILL BE EXPECTED TO VISIT ONE ANOTHER’S CLASSROOM DURING THE CONSORTIUM INTER-VISITATION DAYS IN NOVEMBER AND APRIL.

Jal Mehta, of the Learning Policy Institute at Harvard, writes, “rather than act on students, teachers, and communities, we would work with them.” During this course, we will do just that as we develop a shared understanding of high-quality science curriculum and then design this curriculum through the lens of racial equity, where those who are farthest removed from opportunity can fully experience deeper learning. With this lens, science teachers at consortium and international schools will develop a model of intervisitation and communication to cultivate our PBAT community of practice. Our goal for this year-long course is to discuss, develop, and implement a curriculum that is personalized, student-driven, and framed around students’ interests and passions. Rayhan Ahmed is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Gotham Performing Arts Academy in Brooklyn. Nicole Beale is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Lyons Community School in Brooklyn.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Extended Length Courses How to Design Project Based Learning Curriculum Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher John Derian

It Gets Better, Cultivating Resilience Throughout the Year Facilitators: MƒA Early Career Teachers Jamie Kubiak and Anoopa Singh TUESDAYS, SEP 17, OCT 15, NOV 12, DEC 10, JAN 7

TUESDAYS, SEP 24, OCT 22, NOV 12, DEC 10, JAN 7, JAN 28

MƒA

MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 4, NOV 18, DEC 16, JAN 6

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

MƒA

+ PLEASE NOTE: TEACHERS WILL NEED TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN COPY OF ONWARD: CULTIVATING EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE IN EDUCATORS. THEY MAY SAVE THEIR RECEIPT AND SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT THROUGH FLEX FUNDS.

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in project-based learning (PBL) but

Leveraging Quantities and Relationships to Think and Reason Mathematically Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Kit Golan and Kate Smallberg

 MATHEMATICS

Are you interested in teaching your students to reason quantitatively and abstractly? We will begin with the work of Susan Lamon and others to understand the

don’t know where to begin? Do you already use PBL in

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the demands

importance of identifying quantities in a situation, and

your classroom and want to strengthen your existing

of teaching? Have you ever wondered how to make

we will explore how to support students in developing

curriculum? In this course, teachers will have the

teaching more sustainable? Have you ever imagined

their analytical abilities to identify relationships between

opportunity to do both. By the end of the five sessions,

what it would be like to find a better work-life balance?

these quantities. We will use the routine, Capturing

teachers will collaborate and support each other to

If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions,

Quantities, from Amy Lucenta and Grace Kelemanik’s

develop a project they will use in their classrooms. To

you might be struggling with resilience. This year-long

book, Routines for Reasoning, to support and guide

accomplish this, we will consider how to incorporate

book club is for any teacher who has felt like giving up,

our work, as instructional routines are specific and

specific PBL design elements, how to ensure the

has needed a push to get their teaching/personal life in

repeatable designs for learning that support both

assessment and deliverables are hitting learning

order, or has struggled with how to sustain themselves

the teacher and students in the classroom. Teachers

targets, how to scaffold projects for ALL the learners

throughout the school year. The goals of this course are

will spend a few sessions experiencing the routine as

in the classroom, and how to identify and incorporate

to build our resilience in a supportive space by reading

learners and will then plan and implement the routine in

structures that support project management and

and discussing Elena Aguilar’s book Onward: Cultivating

their own classrooms. The second half of the course will

facilitation. Throughout the course, we will experience

Emotional Resilience in Educators. We will meet once a

be spent planning, rehearsing, and troubleshooting tasks

protocols and routines to strengthen the development

month for the duration of the school year, reading one

to implement in our classes.

of our projects which can also be incorporated into the

chapter per month and developing strategies and tools

project design process with students. PBL is about more

to help us make teaching a sustaining and rewarding

than hands-on activities, it’s about creating experiences

career choice.

where all students feel like their learning is purposeful,

Jamie Kubiak is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at Park

meaningful, and frankly, fun.

East High School in Manhattan.

John Derian is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Brooklyn

Anoopa Singh is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at

International High School in Brooklyn.

Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in Manhattan.

Kit Golan is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teachers at Hunters Point Community Middle School in Queens. Kate Smallberg is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teachers at Academy of the City Charter School in Queens.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops Single session workshops are one-time workshops in which experts from the MƒA Master Teacher community, as well as outside academic institutions, engage MƒA teachers in a topic at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

detailing the topic, materials, and procedure so that other teachers can replicate the demo in their own classrooms. The goal of this workshop is for every

The Amazing Micro:bit: Creative Projects for a Variety of Classroom Settings Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Alise Braick and Emily Fields THURSDAY, JAN 9 MƒA  COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Are you interested in programming for the physical

teacher to walk away with several new ideas and activities to immediately bring into their classrooms.

programming and circuits to create interactive projects that can be applied in a variety of classroom settings.

WEDNESDAY, OCT 2 MƒA

This workshop is for any middle school life science, high

 SCIENCE

school biology, or environmental science teacher.

Gene editing is an emerging technology that has

Olivia Ramirez is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Marble

profound potential to cure genetic diseases but

Hill High School for International Studies in the Bronx.

also raises significant concerns regarding its ethical

Deborah Reich is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at World

applications to human and animal populations. We are

View High School in the Bronx.

at a unique point in human history where the ability to

world using the fantastic Micro:bit? Join us for this workshop, in which we will combine the basics of

Changing Us - Editing our Genes: Exploring the Emerging Field of CRISPR Facilitator: Tshaka Cunningham, Ph.D.

change our germ line DNA now lies within our hands.

Building Bridges Through Computational Thinking Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Patrick Honner

Thus, it is imperative that everyone in our society become familiar with gene editing technology and gains a better understanding of how it will shape our lives,

Teachers will learn an easy block-based coding

WEDNESDAY, NOV 6

our health, and the environment in the years to come.

language to develop projects for their own classrooms.

MƒA

During this workshop, we will review the history and

Projects may include a compass, countdown timer,

 MATHEMATICS

biology of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, look at

thermometer, electric switches, and so much more.

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS.

promising applications towards curing specific genetic

Help us explore the possibilities! No prior coding experience required. We will use elements of both the Make Code Microsoft Curriculum and NYC BluePrint CS Curriculum. Alise Braick is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at I.S. 392 in Brooklyn. Emily Fields is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science teacher at Young Women’s Leadership School, Astoria in Queens.

Biology Demo Derby Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Deborah Reich and Olivia Ramirez WEDNESDAY, JAN 22 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: TEACHERS SHOULD BRING ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS TO PRESENT THEIR DEMO AT MƒA.

Good demos can keep lessons relevant, make learning exciting and engaging, and help make conceptually challenging concepts more accessible. In this workshop,

Looking for new ways to engage students with procedures and formulas? Or perhaps you’re seeking an outlet for those coding skills your students are developing? In this workshop, we will do both, as we

disorders (such as sickle cell anemia), and consider the social and ethical concerns of gene editing. Biology teachers will benefit most from this course, however, all teachers interested in learning more about the technology are welcome to attend.

take a computational approach to topics in algebra

Tshaka Cunningham is a molecular biologist with a passion for precision

and geometry by asking the question, “How could we

medicine, gene therapy, and all things genomic. He is a co-founder of

get a computer to solve this mathematics problem?” In

TruGenomix Health Inc., a precision genomics company developing solutions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for active-duty

doing so, we will build bridges between procedures and

military, veterans, and civilians. Previously, he served as the Program

formulas, theory and practice, and the simple and the

Manager for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the U.S. Department of

complex...and we will uncover new ways to think about

Veterans Affairs and provided subject matter expertise for the VA’s

old problems. This workshop will focus on algorithmic

Million Veteran Program (MVP). He earned a BA in molecular biology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from

and computational thinking, not programming, so no

Rockefeller University. He completed his postdoctoral training in

computers will be used and no prior programming

immunology and tumor immunotherapy at the Pasteur Institute in Paris,

experience is required. The workshop is suitable for

France, and at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Tshaka

mathematics and computer science teachers of all levels.

enjoys teaching, reading, and engaging in public forums regarding genomics, gene editing, gene therapy, and the future of medicine.

Patrick Honner is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn.

each teacher will share a demo or activity illuminating a principle from biology or environmental science. Teachers will submit a short written description 38

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops Chemistry Demo Derby-a Phenomena(lly)Oriented Edition Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Denice Gamper and Emily Hart THURSDAY, SEP 19 OFFSITE  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: SEP 19 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS. TEACHERS SHOULD BRING ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS TO PRESENT THEIR DEMO DURING THE SESSION IN THE CHEMISTRY LAB AT BARD HIGH SCHOOL EARLY COLLEGE.

Our instruction is more powerful when we infuse it with compelling phenomena that students can investigate and attempt to explain. Really good phenomena can anchor a unit as a reference point and foundation through which students can question, explore, and build deeper knowledge over time. In this workshop, teachers will share demos (demo-derby style!) that illustrate a phenomenon and lead to investigations that can be used to surface and question student thinking. Some examples of demos that relate to deeper phenomena

Coding and 3D Modeling with BlocksCAD Facilitators: Jonah Boucher and MƒA Master Teacher Jonathan Rothman

include ice-cream making (which can engage students

WEDNESDAY, NOV 20

in thinking about solubility, phase changes, and freezing

MƒA

point depression), the non-burning water balloon (which highlights specific heat and energy transfer), and objects deflating in colder temperatures (which illustrates gas laws, the relationship between temperature, and pressure). Teachers should be prepared to share an innovative chemistry demo with the group.

that teaching coding and 3D modeling in the context of mathematics, engineering, and CS helps students draw deeper connections to concepts within all three areas! Jonah Boucher develops building and mathematics curriculum for BlocksCAD. He leads training to help schools and districts integrate 3D

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

design and computational thinking into their STEM curriculum.

Would you like to help your students develop a deeper

Jonathan Rothman is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science

understanding of mathematics and engineering,

teacher at the Academy for Software Engineering in Manhattan.

build a founding of coding concepts, or incorporate 3D modeling into your curriculum? Join us in this introductory workshop to BlocksCAD, a browser-based

Cooperative Learning Structures for the Diverse Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Alan Kadlec and Jake Liebold

Denice Gamper is an an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

programming tool that students can use to code CAD

Bard High School Early College in Manhattan.

models for the exploration of mathematics, science, and

Emily Hart is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at KIPP NYC

computer science concepts. In addition to learning the

MONDAY, DEC 9

basic features of the application, teachers will have the

MƒA

College Prep High School in the Bronx.

opportunity to practice and explore the pedagogical

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

resources built into the BlocksCAD platform - ones that

Our classrooms are comprised of students with diverse

support them in guiding their students as they learn the

needs, and effectively addressing those needs can be

coding structures of the software and allows teachers to

very difficult, especially when we must design new

organize their accounts to monitor, assess, and provide

lessons, prepare for exams, and assess daily work. While

feedback on their work. Best of all, teachers will find

we often turn to tried and true cooperative learning

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops strategies such as “turn and talk” and group problemsolving, we realize that these tools may not be enough to support our diverse learners. In this workshop, teachers will learn about and practice a number of

Creating Discovery-Based Lessons with GeoGebra’s Activity Builder Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Kevin Ehly and Benjamin Siegel MONDAY, JAN 13 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

workshop will walk away with ideas and resources, and perhaps even a developed tool, that will engage their students who sometimes struggle to get started. Jordan Dellostretto is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School in the Bronx. Rebecca Guarino is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and mathematics teacher at South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School in the Bronx.

cooperative learning structures that help students

Do you want to help your students uncover important

to find their voice, promote equal participation, and

geometric properties and relationships by building

encourage students to describe their thinking. Pooling

dynamic explorations? In this workshop, teachers will

a number of resources, including ones from the Kagan

learn how to use the wealth of tools and resources from

Structures for Cooperative Learning, teachers will leave

GeoGebra’s free Activity Builder to create interactive

with structures they can bring back to their classrooms

diagrams and activities that allow students to discover

THURSDAY, JAN 16

and use right away.

new relationships, make conjectures, test them in

MƒA

Alan Kadlec is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

real-time, and assess their own work. Teachers will also

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx in the Bronx.

develop a set of best practices for how to create their

Students often require repeated practice in order to

Jake Leibold is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at M.S.

own explorations. This workshop is ideal for anyone

master new skills, but it can be challenging to make this

255 Salk School of Science in Manhattan.

looking to step away from the board to allow students to

repetition engaging. Teachers will leave this workshop

discover and investigate new concepts on their own.

empowered to create online review games using HTML,

Kevin Ehly is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

CSS, and JavaScript. These games will provide students

Brooklyn Frontiers High School in Brooklyn.

the opportunity to get repeated practice with key skills.

TUESDAY, SEP 17

Benjamin Siegel is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

During the first part of this workshop, teachers will learn

MƒA

University Prep Charter High School in the Bronx.

how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create a simple

Creating a Bigger Tent Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Matt Baker

factoring review game. Then they will extend these skills

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

We all want our students to feel welcome in our classrooms, and research shows that students learn better when they experience being an integral part of the classroom community. However, it can be

Creating STEM Tool Boxes: Providing Access to Low Floor Entry Points Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Jordan Dellostretto and MƒA Early Career Teacher Rebecca Guarino

challenging to build relationships with five sets of 34

WEDNESDAY, JAN 8

different people every day, especially when teachers

MƒA

also need to cover all of the content and prepare for all of the exams. In this workshop, we will experience some easy ways to build community with students from the very first day of class that require only minimal planning and upkeep. By the end of the session, we will assemble a toolbox of low-lift/high-reward strategies that we can use in our classrooms throughout the school year. Matt Baker is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at The Brooklyn Latin School in Brooklyn.

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Creating multiple entry points in every lesson is no easy feat. In this workshop, teachers will learn how to provide greater access to content for all learners in their science

to create a review game of their own design. Lastly, teachers will learn how to upload these games to the internet using GitHub so that students can play these games online at anytime. Some basic experience with HTML and CSS would be helpful, but is not required. Cary Riina is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Academy for Careers in Television and Film in Queens.

Crickets in the Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Early Career Teachers Peri Mason, Ph.D., and Emily Schmidt, Ph.D.

and mathematics classrooms. We will begin by exploring

TUESDAY, DEC 3

STEM tool boxes, a structure developed by MƒA teachers

MƒA

and their colleagues at South Bronx Preparatory, which are essentially a low-stakes invitation for students to engage in STEM work. Teachers will work in small groups, based on content and context, to develop these tool box folders for their own students. Teachers in this

Creating Review Games with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Cary Riina

 SCIENCE

Come join us as we delve into the world of animal behavior on the wings of the house cricket, a fascinating and commercially available study organism. These

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

cultural and ethnic identities. Additionally, we will

workshop, we will dive into Hudson River ecology

develop short activities and discussion prompts to build

to answer these questions and learn more about

personal connections with our students in pursuit of a

the aquatic habitats and marine life that surround

insects exhibit an array of behaviors that can be

more culturally responsive classroom.

NYC. We will begin with a tour of The River Project’s

described and quantified by students, from foraging

Naomi Hawkins is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

Wetlab, a flow-through aquarium of Hudson River

and defense of territory to expressions of personality.

Landmark High School in Manhattan.

water that houses a variety of native animals including

In this workshop, we will reveal how the house cricket

Danielle Medellin is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and mathematics

seahorses, diamondback terrapins, and invertebrates

can be used as a vehicle for learning about the causes

teacher at the Institute for Collaborative Education in Manhattan.

like grass shrimp and mud crabs. Then, we will break into groups for rotating stations featuring an analysis

and consequences of animal behavior, while also strengthening skills in experimental design. We will develop an ethogram for the house cricket, brainstorm

Decluttering Your Teaching Schedule Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Diane Pflug

of bacterial cultures from the Citizens’ Water Quality Testing Program, an introduction to identification

questions that students might explore with crickets,

TUESDAY, JAN 7

and classification of live Hudson River plankton, and

and design and execute an experiment aimed at

MƒA

an observation of the Living Oyster Reef Ecosystem.

understanding a specific behavior we have observed. This workshop has something to offer teachers who are interested in developing labs for AP biology or animal behavior courses, who teach principles of experimental design, or who are simply looking for a way to inspire students at any grade level. We think you’ll find that crickets are more than just lizard food! Peri Mason is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at Bard High School Early College Queens in Queens. Emily Schmidt is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx.

Culturally Responsive Protocols in Math and Science Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Naomi Hawkins and MƒA Early Career Teacher Danielle Medellin THURSDAY, JAN 16

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

On a scale of “Hoarders” to “Marie Kondo,” how much of your schedule is cluttered with tasks that are inefficient and don’t spark joy? If your New Year’s resolution is to be more conscious of your time and how you spend it, this workshop is for you! Join us as we learn to take a detailed inventory of how we use our time, critically

Are you interested in getting to know your students on a deeper level and exploring how to invite them in to make meaningful connections to the topics you teach? If so, join us in this exploration of culturally responsive teaching strategies during which we will highlight the

curriculum and opportunities for their students to get involved in local monitoring and restoration efforts. This workshop is ideal for biology and environmental science teachers of all grade levels. Melissa Rex, Director of Education, leads The River Project’s education programs and PD workshops for educators. Melissa received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Yeshiva University, where she assisted

reflect on which activities align most with our values,

in studies on cell biochemistry and environmental endocrinology. She

and streamline tasks in our professional lives that do not

joined The River Project as an educator in 2016 and became Director

have a high impact on student learning or our own well-

in 2018. Melissa has also served as an adjunct instructor in the Biology

being. You will walk away with strategies and practices that will help you do more of what you love in teaching, and be more efficient with those tasks that just need to get done. Diane Pflug is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Lower Manhattan Community Middle School in Manhattan.

MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Throughout the evening, teachers will discuss applicable

Dive Into the Hudson River Estuary Facilitators: Melissa Rex and MƒA Master Teacher Marissa Maggio TUESDAY, SEP 17 OFFSITE  SCIENCE

Department of Yeshiva University, teaching Genetics Laboratory courses. Marissa Maggio is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

Electric Art Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jessica CiminiSamuels and Sabrina Singh WEDNESDAY, DEC 18 MƒA  SCIENCE

Want to put the “A” in STEAM with scientific artwork? Then join this single session and learn how to make paper circuits come alive by adding lights that twinkle,

importance of allowing students to show who they

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE RIVER PROJECT ON PIER 40, IN THE WEST VILLAGE.

are and what they think. Together, we will practice

Did you know seahorses are native to NYC waterways?

teachers will gain an understanding of how each of

various teaching protocols (e.g. story huddles, content

Have you ever wondered what makes the Hudson

the circuit building components such as conductive

circles, and rumors) and explore other strategies that

River green? Is it safe to swim in the Hudson? In this

inks, conductive tapes, switches, dimmers, batteries,

incorporate and honor students’ experiences and 41

fade, and pulse. Through hands-on exploration,

and color LEDs can be integrated into their circuits MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops and used with students. Teachers will be given the opportunity to access the versatility of integrating circuit

Exploring Disproportion with Barbie, Batman, and Middle School Students Facilitator: Flannery Denny MONDAY, NOV 25 MƒA

building across different curricula. This session is ideal

 MATHEMATICS

for elementary and middle school science teachers or

Do you have superhero shoulders? Are your legs as long

anyone who wants to integrate circuitry skills and art.

as Barbie’s? In this hands-on workshop, teachers will

“Jessica Cimini-Samuels is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher

investigate how the iconic action figures and dolls of

at Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning in Staten Island.

our childhoods (and our students’) compare to real live

Sabrina Singh is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at M.S. 137

humans. We will explore materials created and used by

America’s School of Heroes in Queens.”

the facilitator in her classroom and discuss how they support the development of proportional reasoning and

Empowering Students to Take Action on Climate Change with Eco-Audits Facilitators: Brittany Jayroe and MƒA Master Teacher Vielca Anglin TUESDAY, SEP 24 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP + PLEASE NOTE: PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP.

Re-imagine your school campus as a laboratory for applied sustainability education! Empower your students

measurement skills. We will also delve into strategies for creating visual comparisons with students and look at how creating visual representations of calculations can deepen students’ understanding of scale and disproportion. Flannery Denny is passionate about connecting young people to communities and making mathematics relevant. A progressive mathematics educator with 15 years of teaching experience at Manhattan Country School, IS 227Q, and Rondout Valley High School,

with a goal of better understanding the mathematical

she has been writing and leading mathematics trails for her middle

progressions around multiplication and division. We will

schoolers and their teachers for nine years. Flannery’s piece “Teaching

consider some of the “newer” multiplication and division

to solve sustainability challenges on your campus

Percent Change + Social Justice = Opportunity for Deep Mathematical

through scientific inquiry, eco-audits, and grants for

Discussion” is published in the second edition of Rethinking

models that have become popular in lower grades and

green campus projects. In this workshop, teachers will

Mathematics.

then draw connections to models explored in higher grades. Along the way, we’ll dive into the standards

explore how the EcoRise NGSS-aligned curriculum, resources, and classroom grants can be used to increase student engagement and cultivate eco-literacy and place-based student innovations. This hands-on training

Exploring Multiplication and Division from K-12 Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Scott Matthews and Crystal Thiele

around multiplication and division and look for connections and a storyline throughout the grades. This collaborative work will enable us to tailor our classroom

will provide a deep dive into the curriculum and Eco-

THURSDAY, NOV 7

instruction and student tasks knowing what our students

Audit Grant resources, and will allow you to explore and

MƒA

have been taught in previous years and what they will be

experience the resources that are most relevant to you. Brittany Jayroe is the Program Manager at EcoRise where she leads instructional teams in project-based learning, and sustainability and social justice-minded curriculum development and implementation. Prior to joining EcoRise, she taught middle and high school humanities

 MATHEMATICS

expected to know in the future.

+ PLEASE NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP WAS OFFERED LAST FALL AS “FROM REPEATED ADDITION TO THE QUOTIENT RULE: EXPLORING MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION FROM K TO 12.”

Scott Matthews is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

If you’ve asked yourself questions like, “Why are my

in large charter networks, tiny start-ups, and schools dedicated entirely

middle school students multiplying in this strange way

to sustainability. She is excited to bring her passion for sustainability and

and where did they learn this?” or “Have my students

social justice education to a new generation of green leaders.

learned what they need to in order to make sense of

Vielca Anglin is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at City-As

polynomial division?” then this workshop is for you!

High School in Manhattan.

Together, we will explore these questions and others

Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn. Crystal Thiele is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at P.S. 321 William Penn in Brooklyn.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

and his work on the problem laid the foundation for the branch of mathematics known as Graph Theory. From these beginnings, Graph Theory has grown and been

Fossils in the Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Brent Lawrence and Richard Lebowitz

Infusing Sustainability into STEM Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Katie McCarthy and TBD

used to model many everyday problems, from finding

TUESDAY, DEC 10

the most efficient routes to collect garbage and deliver

MƒA

packages, to creating the cheapest hardwired network.

MONDAY, OCT 28

Teachers will learn the basics of Graph Theory, including

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Euler Circuits and Minimal Cost Spanning Trees, and

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

When you hear the word “sustainability,” is recycling the first thing that pops into your head? It’s actually

 SCIENCE

explore the simple algorithms that are (sometimes)

A fossil collection is a great manipulative to motivate

used to find optimal solutions to these modern-day

Earth Science students as they work together to

problems.

learn content, ask questions, and have fun. During

Stephen Mazza is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

degradation, food insecurity, gender inequality, and

this workshop, teachers will study fossil samples to

Townsend Harris High School in Queens.

racial injustice. Having a balanced economy, a just

identify the preserved organisms and the methods in which they were fossilized. We will also explore how hands-on exposure to fossils can help students build an understanding of the “Geologic History of New York

much more than just correctly sorting your trash. Sustainability is a way to address social justice issues and global challenges like poverty, climate, environmental

society, and a healthy environment is beneficial for

Indigenous Communities: The Earliest Organic Chemists Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Denice Gamper

all. In this course, we will explore ways teachers can help learners become aware of global sustainability issues and develop solutions for their schools and

State” charts found within the Earth Science Reference

WEDNESDAY, JAN 15

communities. Teachers will have an opportunity to

Table. Finally, teachers will learn how to develop

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expand their knowledge of sustainability and help

their own classroom fossil collection to be used as a

 SCIENCE

manipulative to motivate their students. This course is

What do aspirin, taxol, quinine, and p-menthane-3,8-

regardless of the content or grade level. We’ll use a

best suited for Earth Science teachers, but can be easily

diol (PMD) all have in common? They are derived from

place-based strategy by looking at the OneNYC plan

adapted for a biology curriculum.

plants and used medicinally. But how does a substance

for a sustainable city as well as resources from the UN’s

Brent Lawrence is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

derived from a plant become a viable medicine or

Sustainable Development Goals.

Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School in Brooklyn.

treatment? And when does ancient wisdom become

Katie McCarthy is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Sunset

Richard Lebowitz is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

part of the scientific canon? In this workshop, teachers

Park High School in Brooklyn.

SEALL Academy in Brooklyn.

will learn the chemistry of an essential oil extracted from the lemon eucalyptus tree. Native to Australia and

Graph Theory: Finding Optimal Solutions to Modern-Day Problems Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Stephen Mazza

the surrounding islands, this oil contains a potent insect repellent that has long been used by the indigenous people of the area. Teachers will explore how the oil is

identify how any course can have a sustainability focus,

Instructional Routines in a Blended Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Cesar Ebonia and Rachel Mushell WEDNESDAY, NOV 6

THURSDAY, JAN 2

extracted, how the chemical components are identified,

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and how it can be refined to maximize the effectiveness

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 MATHEMATICS

of its insect repellent properties. We will also discuss

In the 1700s, the residents of the town of Königsberg,

how modern chemists can learn from the practices of

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS.

Prussia pondered a simple question: Can one walk

indigenous people who have been utilizing plant-based

the streets of Königsberg, crossing each of the seven

substances for millennia. This workshop is ideal for

bridges once -- and only once -- and return to the

teachers interested in learning more about ethnobotany

same location from which one started? As the solution

or those looking for resources to make organic

seemed impossible, the residents appealed to one of

chemistry come alive for their students.

the great mathematicians of the time, Leonhard Euler,

Denice Gamper is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan.

MƒA

Have you ever wondered how to put the “blend” in a Blended Learning classroom? In this workshop, we will explore instructional routines that are designed to promote student engagement and interaction. The goal is to balance the digital learning with activities and routines that encourage peer-to-peer communication

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops as digital learning promotes independent learning but can often be somewhat isolating. These techniques

Introduction to Game Theory: Prisoner’s Dilemma of Catan Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Kent Hansan THURSDAY, JAN 23 MƒA

will allow the teachers to analyze students’ thinking

 MATHEMATICS

and learning, and lead to valuable teaching moments.

How do we optimize our decision making in the face

Teachers will collaborate by discussing and developing

of imperfect information? How do our strategies

activities and routines to use in their blended learning

change when we need to make our decision first, or

classrooms.

last, or simultaneously? How do we make decisions

Cesar Ebonia and Rachel Mushell are MƒA Master Teachers and

when there is no perfect strategy? This workshop

mathematics teachers at Voyages Prep - South Queens in Queens.

will allow teachers to gain entry into game theory through classical examples like the Prisoner’s Dilemma

The Interaction of Color Facilitator: Meredith Mitten Andrews THURSDAY, JAN 9 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Bring the logic and magic of color into your classroom with the color experiments of modern artist Josef Albers. Exercises like make-one-color-look-like-two and the four color worlds teach us how we perceive color by noticing increments, variables, relationships, and the qualities of color. Teachers will explore how they can use these experiences to help their students

and simple applications in modern board games like Catan. Teachers will learn how to create and use payoff matrices and expected value to make decisions. Teachers do not need any previous experience with game theory. Kent Hansan is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the Bronx. Michael Wilkinson is an upper elementary and middle school

Ka-pow! From Explosions to Mathematical Insight Facilitator: Michael Wilkinson MONDAY, DEC 9 MƒA

mathematics and science teacher in the Bronx. With more than three decades of classroom experience, he also works as a curriculum and professional development consultant. He has developed curriculum for NASA in Earth & Space Sciences and Human Spaceflight. Michael is also the Education Director for Magnitude.io, creating curriculum and supervising microgravity experiments onboard the International

 MATHEMATICS

Space Station. He is the principal investigator of an experiment currently

this workshop can be related to many fundamentals

Exploding Dots is a construct of organized play and

on orbit investigating the function of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in

in mathematics and science. No artistic experience is

exploration to develop a deep sense of numeracy.

needed and teachers of all grade levels are welcome!

Through the model, students can explore place-

Meredith Mitten Andrews is an Albers Foundation Educator and has

value, whole number operations, integers, and even

taught in schools and museums to ages five through adult. Adhering to

polynomials. Using the classroom materials published

a practice of learning-by-doing, she teaches art at Greenwich Academy

by the Global Maths Project and provided free of charge

TUESDAY, JAN 21

to all classrooms, teachers will engage in mathematics

MƒA

sharpen their own senses. The discoveries made in

and established a Reggio Emilia-inspired Kindergarten program in Hamden, CT. She received her B.A. in Studio Art from Kenyon College and a master’s in Early Childhood Special Education from Hunter College.

play and deep discussion. We will look at both pencilpaper models of Exploding Dots as well as a webbased, interactive model. Additionally, we will give some time to explore the teacher resources and discuss pedagogical implications. With Exploding Dots, kapow becomes aha! This session is ideal for elementary mathematics teachers as it will concentrate on concepts appropriate for grades 3-5.

microgravity.

Leveling Up with the Desmos Calculator Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Lori Bodner

 MATHEMATICS + PLEASE NOTE: TEACHERS SHOULD BRING A LAPTOP TO THIS WORKSHOP.

The Desmos graphing calculator is a powerful tool for the visualization and exploration of mathematical objects. It can be used both for demonstration and student discovery. In this workshop, teachers who consider themselves beginners will learn how to perform various Desmos calculator skills and complete MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

while creating and building our classroom communities.

healthy learning environments for their students and

Teachers will discuss tried and true methods and explore

themselves. The practice of mindfulness proves to be

resources from the Responsive Classroom series to

an effective social-emotional learning (SEL) strategy

a series of graphing challenges. Teachers will also learn

brainstorm ideas that will best fit their K-5 classrooms.

to promote student and staff well-being. Mindfulness

how to use Desmos as a tool to support student learning

Eileen Maloney is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

practice has been shown to “support students in

and exploration appropriate for middle school through

River East Elementary in Manhattan.

accessing and applying knowledge and skills needed

calculus courses.

Meera Zucker is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

to manage emotions, forge positive relationships,

New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School in

achieve goals and make responsible choices.” (Kuranishi,

Manhattan.

et.al, 2018). This workshop will provide educators with

Lori Bodner is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn.

research-based methods to incorporate mindfulness

Make: Physics Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Andrew Wallace WEDNESDAY, JAN 22 MƒA  SCIENCE

The Mathematics of the Zodiac Killer Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jay Lang and Suzanne Zatoren

practice into their general education, ICT, and/or 12-1 STEM classroom settings. Educators will engage in discussions and reflections on classroom practices

MONDAY, JAN 13

and be provided with guidance, tangible activities, and

MƒA

practices to move forward with a classroom-based

 MATHEMATICS

mindfulness curriculum.

“She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay

Simone O. Kuranishi is a dance, yoga, and special education teacher

awake nights thinking about my next victim.” In this

with over a decade of experience in public schools. She currently works

Physics teachers, do you want to show your students

workshop, we will explore the encrypted messages

as a freelance consultant in mindfulness, yoga, and dance education.

cool science but can’t afford the expensive equipment?

left by the Zodiac Killer. We will establish a baseline

Erika Stafne is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Repertory

Then join this workshop to learn how to make your

understanding of cryptology (enough to analyze the

Company High School for Theatre Arts in Manhattan.

own electroscopes, cloud chambers, ripple tanks,

cipher), discuss why the Zodiac Killer would have chosen

rocket launchers, and gravity simulators! You will

certain ciphers over others, and practice encoding and

receive instructions and most of the materials to build

decoding our own less-deadly messages. This course is

this equipment and we’ll use the session to construct,

perfect for those looking for new ideas on how to push

troubleshoot, and share best practices.

their students to become problem solvers and looking

+ PLEASE NOTE: THE FACILITATOR WILL REACH OUT TO YOU BEFORE THE COURSE TO SHARE A MATERIALS LIST. TEACHERS WHO HAVE THESE MATERIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING THEM IN FOR PERSONAL USE OR TO SHARE WITH THE GROUP.

Andrew Wallace is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at World View High School in the Bronx.

Math and Science in Morning Meeting Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Eileen Maloney and Meera Zucker TUESDAY, JAN 14 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

to increase the engagement in their classroom with a fun hook.

into your teaching day but don’t know how? In this workshop, we will focus on strategies to include more STEM content into morning meeting sessions. Teachers will walk away with short, cohesive activities that can be used to reinforce learning and extend student thinking

TUESDAY, JAN 14 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Have you ever made a mathematical object out of

Jay Lang and Suzanne Zatoren are MƒA Master Teachers and

paper? Have you ever used a physical model you created

mathematics teachers at Curtis High School in Staten Island.

to explore ideas in mathematics? In this workshop, we will learn to fold modular origami and use it as a starting

Mindfulness Practice in your Science or Math Classroom Facilitators: Simone Ousset Kuranishi and MƒA Master Teacher Erika Stafne THURSDAY, JAN 23

Do you want to fit more mathematics or science

Modular Origami: Making Math from Paper Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Kevin Peters

MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

point to discuss the mathematical properties of the objects we create. Modular origami models are made of identical units folded from paper and then assembled to form 3D figures. Through this process, we will discuss best practices and supports for folding origami with our students and will review origami diagrams and resources to provide teachers with the opportunity to start an

Do you want to help improve your students’ mental

origami club at their schools. Both beginners and

health while cultivating a classroom of support

experienced folders are welcome!

and responsiveness? Classroom teachers have the unique ability and responsibility to create and foster MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

of DNA technology allows scientists to use DNA fingerprinting to provide important information about

Options Trading and Profit-Loss Graphs Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Jay Lang

a suspect’s genetic sequence. Organizations such as

WEDNESDAY, JAN 8

Kevin Peters is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at

the Innocence Project (https://www.innocenceproject.

MƒA

47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School in

org/) use DNA fingerprinting to free individuals who

Manhattan.

were erroneously convicted based upon eyewitness accounts. In this single session, we will explore whether

The Molecular Taxonomy of Innocence or Guilt Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Shangaza Banfield

or not eyewitness accounts should be the sole evidence required for an indictment, use DNA fingerprinting

THURSDAY, JAN 23

to solve a case, and have the opportunity to listen to

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a guest speaker and exoneree from the Innocence

 MATHEMATICS

How is it possible that a shrewd investor can profit even in a crashing economy? This workshop aims to show how people take advantage of the volatility of stocks to do just that. We will explore some strategies for trading “options” on the stock market, and generate simple profit-loss graphs to help visualize which combination

 SCIENCE

Project!

In taxonomy, organisms are classified based upon

Shangaza Banfield is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

forecast. This workshop is for all teachers who have

their physical appearance (phenotype). In the case of

Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

at least a middle-school levels of mathematics; no

law enforcement, the classification of suspects into categories of guilt or innocence are also often based upon physical characteristics, drawn out by various

prerequisite stock market knowledge is necessary.

Mysterious Meteorites Facilitator: Ellen Crapster-Pregont, Ph.D.

pieces of evidence. For many of these suspects, they

MONDAY, OCT 28

have been placed in correctional facilities in large part

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due to eyewitness accounts. However, the evolution

Please note: this workshop is not designed to give any sort of specific financial advice or planning. Jay Lang is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Curtis High School in Staten Island.

 SCIENCE

Meteorites hold many secrets, including information about geologic processes on other planets, clues about what the solar system was like prior to the formation of

Pencil to Paper - Writing Productivity Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Shana Henry, Ph.D., Abigail Kirchman, and Athena Leonardo

planets, and evidence of how the planets were formed.

MONDAY, JAN 6

To both ask and answer questions about meteorites,

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planetary scientists and cosmochemists use suites

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

of chemical and petrographic analyses to assemble

How many sentences do your students write in five

evidence that provides information on the environments

minutes? What supports are in place to help them get

and processes they cannot directly observe. In this

more on the page? In the spring of 2019, The James

workshop, we will explore how meteorites are recovered

Baldwin School’s math department undertook an

from Antarctica, get hands-on by distinguishing

inquiry project to improve the amount of writing that

meteorites from ‘meteor-wrongs’, and review some of

students produce. The teachers collected pre and post

the insights we have gained by studying meteorites. We

data on various interventions including fill-in-the-blank

will keep in mind the power of the scientific method,

tasks, student and teacher models, vocabulary building,

interdisciplinary collaborations, and the adaptability

buzzword protocol, and outlines. See how writing

of technology within science. The relevance of this

production shifted over time as we examine the data

material derives from the power of inspiring topics, like

together! This workshop is designed for any teacher

space, to increase curiosity and interest in STEM fields.

interested in learning about how to improve writing

Dr. Ellen Crapster-Pregont is an instructor for the Frontiers of Science

production. Teachers will also learn about the process

core course at Columbia College. Additionally, she continues research

of designing and implementing an inquiry project as a

on meteorites and early Solar System processes at the American Museum of Natural History. Her underlying motivation lies with the need to decode black boxes and use science.

of options is most likely to be profitable with a given

department. Writing interventions will be provided as resources. MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is as true in mathematics as it is in photography. While not considered formal proofs, proofs without words are a

Should I Insure my Phone? Games and Mathematics for Modeling Risk Facilitators: Phil Dituri, Ph.D., and Jack MarleyPayne, Ph.D.

Shana Henry, Abigail Kirchman, and Athena Leonardo are MƒA Master

fun way to engage students and help foster their ability

Teachers and mathematics teachers at The James Baldwin School: A

to articulate mathematical work. Though they begin

TUESDAY, DEC 17

without words, words will certainly follow as we explain

MƒA

School for Expeditionary Learning in Manhattan.

the elegance of each diagram to one another. In this

 MATHEMATICS

workshop, we will see examples of proofs without words

Are you tired of your students asking when they are

that help us understand why a particular result is true,

going to “use this” mathematics in real life? Are you

or at least provide steps one could take to prove the

satisfied with your students’ understanding of how

WEDNESDAY, NOV 6

results. We will focus on examples from Roger Nelson’s

to manage their finances and plan for their (financial)

MƒA

book series, Proofs Without Words. Topics covered

future before they graduate? Join us as we show you

will include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus,

how mathematics can be used to teach personal

inequalities, integer sums, sequences, and series.

finance and how personal finance can be used to teach

Xiaowu Xia is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at High

mathematics - including how the binomial theorem

School of American Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx.

helps you decide whether or not to buy AppleCare. In

Physics Demo Derby Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jared Jax and Marieke Thomas

 SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: NOV 6 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT 75 PROGRAMS. TEACHERS SHOULD BRING ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS TO PRESENT THEIR DEMO IN AN MƒA CLASSROOM.

From air time to airbags, physics applies to nearly every aspect of our daily lives, yet students often complain that it is the most abstract, difficult-to-understand science discipline. Allowing students to investigate physical phenomena can spark their curiosity and ground equations in real life. In this workshop, each teacher will share a demo or activity illustrating a

this workshop, we will highlight how to use high school

Queer your Classroom! Facilitator: MƒA Early Career Teacher Jamie Kubiak

mathematics as a lens through which to examine our financial life cycle. We will play games and explore

TUESDAY, OCT 22

problems that use expected value and probability to

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inform financial decisions. This workshop, which uses

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

activities from the FiCycle Curriculum, will focus on understanding the issues and mathematics surrounding

principle of mechanics, along with a short written

Queer people are frequently marginalized in STEM

description, for other teachers to replicate the demo in

classrooms. As educators, we have an opportunity

their classrooms. The goal is for every teacher to walk

to not only include, but also normalize, represent,

away with new ideas for how to anchor lessons and

and celebrate LGBTQIA+ people in science and

units around physical phenomena in order to deepen

mathematics. This workshop is for any teacher (queer or

students’ physical intuition and understanding. Teachers

ally) who wants to expand their knowledge and practice

should be prepared to share an innovative demo or

about how to best support, represent, and affirm

instructional coach, chairperson of the mathematics department, and

activity with the group.

queer students in their classrooms. By the end of this

teacher of secondary mathematics at New Design High School for 13

workshop, teachers will explore the problems that arise

years. During his time teaching in public school, he was an MƒA Master

Jared Jax is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Staten Island Technical High School in Staten Island. Marieke Thomas is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at The Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx.

Proofs Without Words Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Xiaowu Xia WEDNESDAY, JAN 22 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

when queer students are not affirmed, identify areas of opportunity in STEM curricula, name and work on areas of improvement in practice, and collaborate with

insurance and financial risk, and give a sense of what a mathematics-based, financial literacy course might look like. Philip Dituri is a visiting assistant professor of mathematics education in the Division of Curriculum and Teaching at Fordham University and the Director of Education at the non-profit FiCycle. He was a mathematics

Teacher and a Big Apple award finalist. Jack Marley-Payne is responsible for developing the course materials for FiCycle. He came to the US from the UK to get a Ph.D. in Philosophy from MIT, where he wrote a thesis on knowledge in the face of our

teachers to redesign curriculum to be inclusive of queer

psychological limitations as well as taught a range of undergraduate

identities. Shared expertise will play a significant role in

seminars.

developing each teachers’ understanding and capacity to impact change, not only in their classrooms, but also within their schools and the community at large. Jamie Kubiak is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at Park East High School in Manhattan.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

DNA nanotechnology, then discuss how to generate the specific sequence of DNA bases that will allow the DNA to fold itself into the desired structure, and finally, learn the basic principles of sequence symmetry

Space: The Final Frontier Facilitator: Michael Wilkinson

minimization to manually design sequences for a few

TUESDAY, JAN 21

simple structures. Along the way, we’ll also discuss the

MƒA

challenges of this process, primarily how to reduce the formation of unwanted structures. This workshop will be

 SCIENCE

of particular interest to high school teachers who teach

Human spaceflight is a particularly unique endeavor,

programming, mathematics, or science.

due in large part to the great physical risk it entails.

William Sherman is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at Bard

To survive in these extreme conditions, one must

High School Early College in Queens.

be an effective team player, problem solver, and communicator. During this workshop, teachers

Taking The Stress Out Of Science Investigations Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Kathleen McGuire, Nicole Marcellin, and Marsha Wallace

will experience a simulated spaceflight mission as they become astronauts and flight controllers. The astronauts will be given a repair or installation task to

TUESDAY, JAN 14

complete with support from ground crew. However,

MƒA

they will be physically and visually separated from flight

 SCIENCE

controllers, and only able to communicate via two-way radio. This simulation is modeled directly from NASA’s functional structure, including ground support crew, flight crew, and the capsule communicator (CAPCOM). The mission will provide first hand experience with the

Structural DNA Nanotechnology: The Union of Information Theory and Biochemistry Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher William Sherman, Ph.D.

Do you want to generate a greater interest in science and provide authentic inquiry opportunities for your students? Are you worried about whether or not you have the time and resources to do so? Then

roles of participation and will support the practice of

THURSDAY, SEP 19

this workshop is for you! Teachers will use a simple

teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. The

MƒA

phenomenon to design an investigation themselves. In

session will conclude with a debrief and discussion on

 SCIENCE

the process, they will learn how to help students create

how to adapt the simulation for particular grades, class

+ PLEASE NOTE: SEP 19 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

testable questions, design an experiment using the

sizes, and available resources. This session is open to elementary, middle, and high school science teachers. Michael Wilkinson is an upper elementary and middle school mathematics and science teacher in the Bronx. With more than three decades of classroom experience, he also works as a curriculum and

Nanostructures and nano-devices have been part of cellular machinery since the dawn of life. In recent decades, humans have started learning how

professional development consultant. He has developed curriculum

to construct and utilize such minuscule tools for

for NASA in Earth & Space Sciences and Human Spaceflight. Michael

everything from improving sunscreen to building

is also the Education Director for Magnitude.io, creating curriculum

computer circuits. A major problem facing the would-

and supervising microgravity experiments onboard the International Space Station. He is the principal investigator of an experiment currently

be nano-engineer is how to compress all of the

on orbit investigating the function of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in

information needed to specify a nanostructure into the

microgravity.

tiny volume of the construct. One of the most promising techniques is to synthesize DNA molecules with the information and molecular interactions needed to fold themselves into desired forms. In this workshop, we will begin with a brief intro and overview of structural

Investigation Design Diagram (IDD), support multiple experiments in the classroom simultaneously, and guide their students as they develop a strong scientific explanation using the Developing Science Explanations (DSET) tool. Along the way, they will also delve into strategies for creating groups, supporting collaboration, and providing meaningful feedback. This session is geared towards elementary and middle school science teachers wanting to implement and support studentdesigned science investigations. Kathleen McGuire is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at M.S. 255 Salk School of Science in Manhattan. Nicole Marcellin is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at P.S. 008 Robert Fulton in Brooklyn.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Single Session Workshops

Using Project-Based Learning to Teach Computer Science Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Renne Castro

biodiversity is sure to enrich our curricula, whether we teach Living Environment, AP Biology, or ecology and evolution electives. In this workshop, teachers will

Marsha Wallace is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at M.S.

THURSDAY, JAN 16

become interpreters of New York’s hidden biodiversity,

255 Salk School of Science in Manhattan.

MƒA

and will (hopefully) also be inspired by it!

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Uncovering the Greek Discovery of the Pythagorean Theorem Facilitator: Robert Hahn, Ph.D.

Meng-Ping Tu is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at

Project-Based Learning (PBL) engages students by

Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

challenging them to create authentic solutions to

Peri Mason is an MƒA Early Career Teacher and science teacher at Bard

complex problems. Through this experience, students

High School Early College in Queens.

THURSDAY, OCT 3

develop content knowledge and critical thinking. By

MƒA

forming students into teams, PBL also helps students

Where Are the Roots? Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Christos Tsakalakos

 MATHEMATICS

develop communication, time management, and

Scholarship in ancient philosophy and mathematics

conflict resolution skills. In this workshop, we will

THURSDAY, JAN 9

has continued to discredit Pythagoras with the famous

explore various aspects of designing PBL in a computer

MƒA

theorem that bears his name. In the facilitator’s recent

science setting including student exploration,

book, The Metaphysics of the Pythagorean Theorem, he

assessment options, and the evaluation of student

When the roots of a quadratic equation are real

revisits the question of what the ancient Greeks knew

mastery over content and skills.

numbers, students can easily visualize their location

and how they knew it, and realized the whole story had

Renne Castro is an MƒA Master Teacher and computer science teacher

as where the parabola intersects the x-axis. However,

been largely misunderstood. Geometry was originally

at Bayside High School in Queens.

when the roots of an equation are complex and a

the partner to metaphysics, and how these both intertwine is part of the fun of this workshop. Teachers will discover the hypotenuse theorem by taking the same pivotal steps by which the Greeks of the 6th century BCE plausibly knew it…and then help them see what it could have meant to them. Robert Hahn is Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He received his Ph.D. from Yale, has published a series of

student asks for visual representation, how do you

What’s That Bug? Exploring the Creepy Crawlies of NYC Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Meng-Ping Tu, Ph.D., and MƒA Early Career Teacher Peri Mason, Ph.D. THURSDAY, SEP 12 OFFSITE

research books on early Greek philosophy that deal with monumental

 SCIENCE

temple architecture and applied geometry, numbers and proportions in

+ PLEASE NOTE: SEP 12 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND K–8 SCHOOLS. THIS WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE IN CENTRAL PARK.

early cosmology, how archaeology, surprisingly, can help us understand the abstract ideas of the early philosophers, and most recently ancient Greek and Egyptian mathematics. He has led his university’s unique travel study programs (open to adults as well as students) to Greece

Come spend an evening in Central Park getting to

and Egypt for decades [www.ancientlegacies.org]. He has won both the

know some of our creepy crawly neighbors and their

awards for the Outstanding Teacher of the College and the Outstanding Educator in the University.

 MATHEMATICS

fascinating interactions! We will learn methods for sampling invertebrates and practice using iNaturalist and other online resources to identify them. We will

respond? The answer to this question is not always part of a high school curriculum. The goal of this workshop is to explore various methods of visualizing and locating complex roots of quadratic equations. We will examine and discuss the Auxiliary Polynomial, the Tangent Line Method, three dimensional surfaces, Lill’s Circle, how to use transformations to locate complex roots, as well as extend our findings to higher order polynomials, systems of equations, and Euler’s Formula. This workshop is intended for teachers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of complex roots and to have a better answer when a student asks, “Where are the roots?” Christos Tsakalakos is an MƒA Master Teacher and mathematics teacher at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan.

also work together to connect our findings to the content of our courses and begin to develop new and exciting outdoor labs. Connections to content may include sampling methodology, energy/nutrient cycling, taxonomy, adaptation, symbiosis, and coevolution. Improving our knowledge of, and our access to, local 49

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Chancellor’s Day Workshops Chancellor’s Day Workshops are full-day workshops for MƒA teachers in which experts from the MƒA Master Teacher community, as well as outside academic institutions, engage MƒA teachers in topics at the cutting edge of their content area and/or pedagogical practice.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Chancellor’s Day Workshops

Signs of the Seasons: An Introduction to PlantBased Citizen Science Facilitator: James Boyer, Ph.D. TUESDAY, NOV 5

Making Math Class More Like Mathematics Facilitator: Tracy Zager, Ph.D.

OFFSITE  SCIENCE

Sustainability and Design Thinking for the 21st Century Facilitators: Brittany Jayroe and MƒA Master Teacher Vielca Anglin TUESDAY, NOV 5 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

TUESDAY, NOV 5

+PLEASE NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN.

MƒA

Phenology is the study of how plant life cycle events are

 MATHEMATICS

sustainability education! This hands-on workshop will

affected by seasonal change. In this workshop, teachers

provide a deep dive into how teachers can incorporate

How can we create classrooms where all students engage

will learn how to incorporate field studies into long-term

the big ideas of sustainability into their curricula. Teachers

in authentic mathematics while also ensuring we teach

investigations with a focus on plant phenology. We will

will learn how EcoRise resources and grant funds can

the required content? We can start by experiencing for

use real data collected by citizen scientists at The New

be used to increase student engagement and cultivate

ourselves the type of genuine mathematics that is done

York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and collect data of our

eco-literacy and student innovation on their campus. In

by actual mathematicians. In this workshop, teachers will

own as we explore the Garden’s 50-acre, old-growth

the morning, teachers will dig into Eco-Rise’s Sustainable

do rich mathematics and learn how to engineer similar

forest. Back in the classroom, we will use a variety of

Intelligence Curriculum and consider how these activities

opportunities for their students. Emphasis will be on

online and print resources to examine the climatological

align with their own scope and sequence. They will also

fostering ways of thinking that are important in doing

factors that might impact the timing of life cycle events of

learn how to apply for an Eco-Audit Grant and explore

mathematics yet are often neglected in the classroom.

native plants.

examples of successful student projects. In the afternoon,

This includes relating and connecting mathematical

Re-imagine your campus as a laboratory for applied

James Boyer is a botanist, educator, and co-director of the forest

teachers will experience a sustainability-themed design

ideas, using intuition, examining in-progress thinking, and

phenology project at The New York Botanical Garden. He began his

challenge. They will walk away with dozens of easy-to-

posing problems as well as solving them. Teachers will

science training at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he

implement design activities that they can use with their

also learn techniques for selecting tasks and embedding

studied plant science and paleobotany and received a Master of Science

own students to empower them to design impactful

formative assessment in order to gain more and better insight into students’ mathematical thinking and to make thoughtful instructional decisions. This workshop is open to, and will be most successful with, K-12 mathematics teachers.

under Larry Matten, Ph.D. Years later, he completed a Doctorate in Biology at S.U.N.Y., Binghamton, where he studied and modeled the growth and development of the earliest land plants under Bill Stein, Ph.D.

solutions to sustainability challenges. Brittany Jayroe is the Program Manager at EcoRise where she leads instructional teams in project-based learning, and sustainability and social justice-minded curriculum development and implementation. Prior to joining EcoRise, she taught middle and high school humanities in large charter networks, tiny start-ups, and schools dedicated entirely

Tracy Zager is the author of Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d

to sustainability. She is excited to bring her passion for sustainability and

Had: Ideas and Strategies from Vibrant Classrooms (Stenhouse, 2017),

social justice education to a new generation of green leaders.

which grew out of Tracy’s work with her colleagues as a math coach, and before that with pre-service teachers and their in-service mentors. Tracy is most in her element in classrooms, building relationships and

Vielca Anglin is an MƒA Master Teacher and science teacher at City-As High School in Manhattan.

learning together with teachers and students over time. She currently splits her time between coaching in the Portland Public Schools and editing professional development books for math teachers. While she loves her work dearly, she still secretly pines for her fourth-grade classroom and hopes to return to full-time teaching someday.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Fellowship Meetings Fellowship meetings are one-time information and reflection sessions designed specifically for certain cohorts of teachers.

MÆ&#x2019;A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Fellowship Meetings K - 5 Teachers Community Night Facilitator: TBD

2016 Master Teacher Information Session: Applying for Your Next Fellowship Facilitator: MƒA Director of Admissions and Recruitment Ava Javid MONDAY, OCT 7

FRIDAY, SEP 6

GERALD R. FISCHBACH AUDITORIUM 160 FIFTH AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10010

MƒA

 COHORT & FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS

This session is for 2016 Master Teachers who plan to

Come meet the elementary school teachers in the MƒA

apply for a second (or more) Master Teacher Fellowship

community. Held at MƒA, K-5 Community Night brings

in spring 2020. The session is designed to begin your

together the elementary school teachers in MƒA for an

thinking about what it means to lead and learn at MƒA

evening of professional networking, drinks, food, and

as well as to provide an overview of the renewal Master

fun.

Teacher process.

Mid-Fellowship Check In Facilitator: TBD

2016 Early Career Teacher Information Session: Working Toward Master Teacher Facilitator: MƒA Director of Admissions and Recruitment Ava Javid

WEDNESDAY, JAN 15 MƒA  COHORT & FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, OCT 23 MƒA

This optional fellowship meeting is open to all teachers who are in the third year of their MƒA fellowship (both Master Teachers and Early Career Teachers). During the session teachers will hear from a few master teachers who have had multiple MƒA fellowships, have an opportunity to reflect on the first half of their fellowship,

 COHORT & FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS

This session is for 2016 Early Career Teachers who plan to apply for a Master Teacher Fellowship in spring 2020. The session is designed to provide an overview of the Master Teacher application process.

and set goals for the second half.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups Interest Groups are one-time workshops in which small groups of teachers meet informally around a common interest or identity. They provide opportunities to make connections and begin conversations with MƒA colleagues.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups

document will impact our course syllabi, and to share and develop new unit plans and lessons that will meet the objectives of the re-articulated course.

American Sign Language for Beginners Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Sjene Kendrick and Breanna Podmore TUESDAYS, OCT 15, NOV 19 MƒA + PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Are you interested in studying American Sign Language? Do you want to learn some basic signs or practice what you already know? In this interest group, we will review/ learn the alphabet and some basic communication signs. Whether you want to learn a new language or get rid of some rust from years of not practicing, this

THURSDAY, DEC 19

Charter School and DOE Partnerships Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Matthew Fleck WEDNESDAY, SEP 11 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in working with MƒA teachers to create and pilot a program enhancing collaboration between district and charter school teachers? If so, join us for this interest group in order to dive into the challenges and solutions to building deeper partnerships across all of NYC’s public schools.

TUESDAY, OCT 22 MƒA  SCIENCE

Are you interested in meeting other AP Chemistry teachers? With the new College Board curriculum it will be essential to work together to understand the changes we may need to make to improve our course. All AP

Chemistry Meet-Up Facilitator: MƒA Early Career Teacher Jamie Kubiak

best teaching practices for the somewhat elusive AP course.

MƒA  SCIENCE

Are you interested in meeting with other MƒA chemistry

MONDAY, DEC 16 MƒA  SCIENCE

Are you interested in teaching creative coding, even if it’s just a brief unit in your mathematics or science course? Do you already teach creative coding and are open to sharing your experiences? Are you familiar with or curious how p5 and processing languages (processing. org) can be integrated into projects on wearable technology for dance, animation, or game design? We are looking to build collaborations across subject areas and brainstorm ideas for how coding curricula can support topics in math, science, and art. The overall goal coding accessible, fun, and deliberately used to enhance learning across the curriculum.

Earth Science Meet-Up Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher James Anderson and Jeanne Kopun

teachers? In this group, teachers will share resources

WEDNESDAY, JAN 15

with each other, talk about best practices in teaching

MƒA

chemistry, and work together to improve pedagogy and knowledge in specific topics.

 SCIENCE

Are you interested in sharing materials, lesson plans, and ideas with other Earth Science teachers in MƒA? If yes,

Chess Club Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Alexander Lord and Zhani Joanidhi FRIDAYS, OCT 18, NOV 15, DEC 13

AP Environmental Science Meet-Up Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Scott Wassmuth

 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

MONDAY, SEP 16

Chemistry teachers are welcome to join this forum for questions, concerns, and ideas. Join us as we look at

MƒA

is to help guide future work (perhaps a PLT) that makes

interest group is for you.

AP Chemistry Meet-Up Facilitator: MƒA Early Career Teacher Anoopa Singh

Creative Coding in the Classroom Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Matthew Carlberg and Emily Fields

MƒA + PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Are you interested in playing chess with other math and

join us for an informal brainstorming session about best teaching practices in our subject.

Exploring a Plant Path Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Daniel Holstein WEDNESDAY, SEP 25 MƒA

science teachers? Join the MƒA Chess Club and dive

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

into the ultimate game of strategy. All skill levels are

Are you interested in an informative session exploring

Are you interested in exploring the new APES Course

welcome to join, from beginners to grandmasters and

the transition to a plant-based lifestyle? In this interest

and Exam Description the College Board recently

all those in between!

group, we will support one another and share resources

released? Let’s meet up to discuss how this new

on how to strategically and sustainably shift to a vegan

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups

An Introduction to Math Teams Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher James Cocoros and MƒA Early Career Teacher Stan Kats WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

lifestyle so that we can experience improved health,

MƒA

increased energy, and an increased commitment to

 MATHEMATICS

more environmentally sustainable habits.

Are you interested in developing a mathematics team class or curriculum? This interest group will explore

Fund for Teachers Information Session Facilitators: MƒA Program Officer for Professional Development Uzma Shah

what a mathematics team is, what the goals and purposes are, and how to begin to develop both the team and a course at your school. We will also offer

THURSDAY, NOV 14

resources for students and teachers alike, provide books

MƒA

and contest recommendations, and discuss essential

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

topics for a class. This group is intended for those who

Are you interested in learning about the Fund for

are thinking of starting a team or recently started a team,

Teachers (FFT) Fellowship? All MƒA teachers with 3+

not for experienced coaches.

years of teaching experience (by June 2020) are eligible to apply for the 2020 fellowship. If awarded, FFT will provide you funding to design a summer professional growth experience that could have you studying tessellated tiles in Tirana, lionfish in Mexico, Pythagoras in Samos, or attending workshop in Wales. You will learn

How to Craft a Good Mathematics Test Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Eliza Kuberska TUESDAY, DEC 17 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Let’s Go Write a Grant Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Wendy Castillo THURSDAY, OCT 3 MƒA

more about the application process, generate ideas for

Are you interested in developing your skills as a test

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

individual and group proposals, and have an opportunity

writer? In this interest group, we will explore strategies

Are you interested in getting resources for your school

to ask questions of past FFT award recipients.

and structures that will help you to leverage test-

for free? This interest group is geared toward finding

writing as an authentic opportunity to evaluate student

the right grant for you and completing a winning

understanding. Come and join us in the quest for

application.

Grant It and It Shall Be Yours! Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Jerry Citron and Jason Econome TUESDAY, DEC 3 MƒA  SCIENCE

Are you interested in writing a grant proposal for funding to transform your classroom into a more vibrant and engaging learning environment? Join us to learn which funding organizations are the most generous and what they look for in a successful application.

crafting quality mathematics tests.

Interactive Notebooks: Student Ownership of Learning Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Courtney Ferrell and Marisa Shuman WEDNESDAY, SEP 18 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in increasing engagement and interaction with the content in your classroom? This interest group will look at building an interactive notebook that can be applied to all subjects to enable

Living Environment in Eighth Grade Classrooms Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Nicole Marcellin MONDAY, NOV 4 MƒA  SCIENCE

Are you interested in sharing ideas, strategies, and tools used to help 8th graders achieve success on the Living Environment Regents Exam? Join us as we explore these topics and support one another with the unique challenges of teaching the Living Environment Regents curriculum to 8th graders.

students to create their own textbooks and feel a sense of ownership over their knowledge and learning. 56

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups Living Environment Meet-Up Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Arlene Ramos, Ph.D., and Ellie Williamson

Math Dance: Exploring Whole Body Movement in the Mathematics Classroom Facilitator: MƒA Early Career Teacher Kelsey Siegel WEDNESDAY, JAN 8

FRIDAYS, SEP 20, OCT 18, DEC 13, JAN 24

MƒA

 MATHEMATICS

WEDNESDAY, OCT 2

Are you interested in exploring new ways to engage

MƒA

students? If so, this interest group is for you! We will

 SCIENCE

Are you interested in meeting other Living Environment teachers? In this meet-up we will focus on sharing

MƒA Game Night Facilitator: MƒA Master Teachers Aaron Loboda, Deborah Reich, and Matthew Steiniger

explore ways to use whole body movement as a method of teaching symmetry, shapes, patterns, and combinatorics.

+ PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Are you interested in strategy and diplomacy or backstabbing and intrigue? How about learning and sharing new games and socializing with your colleagues in an informal setting? If so, the MƒA Game Night is just for you!

creative and engaging Living Environment projects and activities. Students love challenging assignments and it is our responsibility as teachers to ensure that our students fully grapple with and comprehend the science

The Mathematics of Backgammon Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Stephanie Bohbot and Jay Lang

content, as well as develop a strong thinking skill set

MONDAY, DEC 2

they can carry throughout school and beyond. Join us

MƒA

in this exchange of resources, ideas, and best practices!

 MATHEMATICS

We will start our session by teaching the mechanics of the game and some light strategy, but we encourage everyone to join in our space at any level of interest to come play, teach, learn, and talk shop!

WEDNESDAYS, OCT 23, DEC 18 MƒA  SCIENCE + PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Are you interested in using New York City’s invaluable

MONDAY, DEC 9 MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Are you interested in learning or playing backgammon?

Making Field Trips Part of Your Science Curriculum Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Carolina CastroSkehan and Richard Lebowitz

MƒA Matchmaking Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Lauren Brady and JC Whittaker

Let’s use our mathematical abilities to plan a matchmaking event for the MƒA community (this may take the form of speed dating, a personality test with an algorithm, or another idea that emerges). Join us for Part I, the planning phase, and stay tuned for information on Part II, the actual matchmaking event!

Mathematics Outside of the Classroom Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Jeffrey Lowenhaupt TUESDAY, SEP 24 MƒA

MƒA Trivia Night! Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Peter D’Amico and Theresa Stanley

resources to teach science outside of the classroom?

 MATHEMATICS

Come join us to share your experiences and plan field

Are you interested in empowering your students to

FRIDAY, DEC 13

trips that will bring your content to life.

recognize and appreciate mathematics outside of the

MƒA

classroom and in their daily lives? Well there’s an app for that (but it is only in its conceptual phase)! Join us in this interest group to help solidify the concept, and if you have the programming skills, become a part of the development team.

Are you interested in putting all of the science and mathematics facts you’ve acquired to good use? Come hang out at this Friday night showdown and show your trivia prowess!

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups

Are you interested in reading for...FUN? Join our book club as we read books for enjoyment! We will let you know the first book with plenty of time to read it before

Musicians Meet-Up Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Lisa Bueno and Andy Deegan WEDNESDAY, OCT 16 THURSDAYS, DEC 5, JAN 16 MƒA + PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Are you interested in making music with your colleagues at MƒA? Our goal is to connect MƒA teachers with

we meet.

TUESDAY, DEC 10 MƒA

Park City Mathematics Institute Information Session Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Ramona Fittipaldi and Abigail Kirchman

programs such as the Columbia Summer Research

 MATHEMATICS

Mathematics Institute (PCMI), which hosts its Teacher

also want to create a space where teachers can discuss

Leadership Program (TLP) each summer in Park City,

music, its relationship to mathematics and science, and

Utah? This interest group will walk you through the

the role it should play in our students’ education.

incredible experience of PCMI, which simultaneously helps teachers work on the art of teaching and on

National Geographic Educator. Becoming certified gives teachers the tools they need to empower students to solve meaningful community and global challenges.

So You Decided to Get Nationally Board Certified - Component 1 Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Chereese Gardner

we will hear from past participants about the program’s impact on them professionally and we will spend time

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

reviewing the application process.

Are you interested in applying to be a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)? Would you like to learn

Recreational Math Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Linnea ReyesLaMon and Eric Scott TUESDAYS, SEP 17, NOV 12

more about the ins and outs of the process? The NBCT interest group will support and inform candidates about this rigorous, intense, yet rewarding process. First-timers encouraged and welcomed!

MƒA  MATHEMATICS

Other National Geographic Certified Educators are encouraged to attend and share their experiences!

Are you interested in sharing and collaboratively solving mathematics problems and puzzles with other teachers?

MONDAYS, OCT 21, NOV 18 THURSDAY, JAN 9

research and how they have impacted our teaching.

TUESDAY, OCT 29

+ PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

Overbooked Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Phylicia Hoyt and Theresa Stanley

Join us as we discuss our own experiences with

MƒA

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

will discuss the benefits and process of becoming a

Program, SciEd Innovators, and Frontiers in Physiology.

building their mathematical knowledge. Additionally,

MƒA

the world? Join this information session in which we

experiences and learning more about RET programs?

MƒA

perform together. All musical styles are welcome. We

Are you interested in teaching students how to change

Are you interested in participating in authentic research We will review and discuss the benefits of research

Are you interested in learning about the Park City

MONDAY, OCT 28

 SCIENCE

TUESDAY, JAN 14

musical backgrounds so that we can collaborate and

National Geographic Educator Certification Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Diana Lennon

Science Research Experiences for Teachers Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Jason Econome, Denice Gamper, Arlene Ramos Ph.D., and Ellie Williamson

In this interest group, teachers will bring unsolved problems or puzzles (not necessarily intended for our students) and we will explore them together.

Sound Meditation - Exploration and Experience Facilitators: Emilie Brockmann and MƒA Master Teacher Andy Brockmann MONDAY, JAN 13 MƒA

Are you interested in experiencing sound meditation and learning about the instruments, acoustics, applications, and states of consciousness? Join us for an evening of exploration and relaxation.

MƒA + PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Interest Groups Start an Envirothon Team Today! Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Marissa Maggio, Elisa Margarita, and Jennifer Toner

Think Tank for Future Facilitation Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Courtney Ferrell

Working with the CASIO Calculator Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Lauren Friedman

TUESDAY, JAN 21

THURSDAY, OCT 17

MƒA

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

 MATHEMATICS

Are you interested in facilitating a course at MƒA but

Are you interested in learning about the CASIO

MONDAY, SEP 23

don’t know where to start, have an idea but want to

calculator and its features? In this interest group, we

MƒA

solidify it, are looking for a co-facilitator, have questions

will discuss how we use the CASIO calculators in our

 SCIENCE

about the process or all of the above? Here’s the place

classrooms and share strategies for maximizing the

Are you interested in starting a team that will connect

to bounce ideas and to get feedback and insights about

power of this tool. All CASIO calculator ability levels are

your students to the ecosystems of NYC? Start an

what makes an exciting proposal and successful course.

welcome.

ENVIROTHON team at your school! Envirothon is a national team competition focused on five environmental topics: soil/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues. We will explore the advantages of starting an Envirothon

UFT Chapter Leaders and Delegates: Fostering Leadership Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers David Price and Robert Robinson

team at your school, look at some of the skills the

WEDNESDAY, OCT 30

students will be expected to know, and discuss

MƒA

recruitment, fundraising, and training trips for you and your new team!

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in meeting other Chapter Leaders and UFT Delegates within the MƒA community? Join us

Study Abroad: Organize and Fund an International Trip for Students Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Deborah Katz MONDAY, JAN 6

as we establish our own network within MƒA so that we can all improve our leadership skills, learn from each other’s experiences, and assist each other in having a successful year!

MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in planning an international trip with

Video Games for Virtual Field Trips Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Andy Nissinboim

your high school students? International travel can

WEDNESDAY, NOV 20

be a fantastic way to build community, learn new and

MƒA

exciting content, and expose your students to the world beyond their neighborhood. Join this group in order to discuss and share out best practices on planning, funding, and leading trips.

 SCIENCE

Do you enjoy video games? Are you interested in brainstorming ways to use them in the classroom? In this interest group, we will discuss how different video games offer opportunities for students to observe science and nature without leaving the classroom.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Affinity Groups + PLEASE NOTE: FOR ALL AFINITY GROUPS, YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR EACH MEETING SEPARATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY.

LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Kit Golan and MƒA Early Career Teacher Jamie Kubiak MONDAYS, SEP 23, OCT 7 WEDNESDAY, NOV 13 TUESDAY, DEC 17 THURSDAY, JAN 16 MƒA

Asian-American Educators Affinity Group Facilitators: MƒA Master Teacher Brian Lam, Sin Li, and Cathy Xiong

Are you interested in meeting other queer educators in the MƒA community? Collaborate and recharge with like-minded LGBTQIA+ STEM teachers and discuss the

FRIDAYS, SEP 20, NOV 15, JAN 24

common challenges we may face. Our agenda will be

MƒA

set by the needs of our community.

Are you interested in joining a group of Asian American educators to share experiences and discuss the challenges faced by Asian Americans in the field of education? Our goal is to encourage and support one

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Affinity Group Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Sarah Tazghini

another as we add our voices to the education dialogue.

FRIDAYS, OCT 18, NOV 15, DEC 13

We will meet roughly once per month, and our agenda

MƒA

will be set by the needs of our community.

Black, Latino, & POC Educators Affinity Group Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Michelle Sims and MƒA Early Career Teacher Josh Modeste FRIDAYS, SEP 20, OCT 18, NOV 15, DEC 13 MƒA

Are you interested in joining a group of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) educators to discuss the educational experiences and challenges faced by both teachers and students in this community? This particular group is growing vastly within our school systems. Join us as we work together to support each other and our students.

Are you interested in joining a group of Black, Latino, and POC educators to discuss the experiences and challenges faced by people of color in the world of education? Join us as we consider the issues faced by our communities and support one another in our endeavors in STEM education. We will meet roughly once per month, and our agenda will be set by the needs of our community.

West Indian/Caribbean Affinity Group Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Stephen Jackson FRIDAYS, OCT 18, JAN 24 MƒA

Are you interested in joining a group of West Indian/ Caribbean educators to discuss the educational experiences and challenges faced by both teachers and students in this community? In this group, we will also provide support and mentorship for each other and other MƒA teachers in our endeavors in STEAM education.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Thursday Thinks Thursday Thinks are monthly events, open to both MƒA teachers and their colleagues from the larger math and science community. This speaker series features engaging and accomplished experts who delve into cutting edge topics in math, science, and education.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Thursday Thinks

Our Dogs, Ourselves: How We Live with Dogs Now Speaker: Alexandra Horowitz, Ph.D. THURSDAY, NOV 21

Master Teachers on Teaching (MT²) Speakers: TBD THURSDAY, DEC 12

GERALD R. FISCHBACH AUDITORIUM 160 FIFTH AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10010

 SCIENCE

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

+ PLEASE NOTE: NOV 21 IS A DOE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATE FOR HIGH SCHOOLS, K–12, AND 6–12 SCHOOLS.

MT²: Master Teachers on Teaching features original

In this talk, Alexandra Horowitz explores the content of

Teachers, similar to a TEDx event. The theme for the

her new book, Our Dogs, Ourselves, which examines

eight annual Master Teachers on Teaching is “Crossing

our relationship with dogs and discusses the many

Borders and Pushing Boundaries”. What does this mean

In this talk, Professor Emdin explores the historical

facets of the contemporary dog-human bond -

in your classroom, and in classrooms across New

and contemporary landscape of urban education and

personally, legally, and culturally. She combines research

York City? Come find out by bearing witness to these

provides a new lens for viewing how and why teachers

on the cognitive science of dogs with reflections on the

innovative and inspiring talks by Master Teachers!

must focus on deep excavations of culture in order to

sometimes peculiar ways we live with animals now - and

gain new approaches to improving STEM pedagogy. In

how we might live with them in the future.

When Content Meets Context: Toward a Revolution in STEM Education Speaker: Chris Emdin, Ph.D. THURSDAY, OCT 10 GERALD R. FISCHBACH AUDITORIUM 160 FIFTH AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10010  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

particular, he merges cutting-edge research with real-

Alexandra Horowitz wants to know what it’s like to be a dog. To that

life examples to provide ways that educators may re-

end, her Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College conducts research on

imagine their roles in STEM teaching and learning and

and thought-provoking presentations by MƒA Master

Note: Master Teachers can submit a proposal to speak at MT2. Proposals are due October 18f – get started here.

a wide range of topics, including dog perceptual experience, metacognition, and play behavior - as well as examining the attributions

meet the needs of their most marginalized students.

people make to dogs. In her free time, she is a professor of psychology

Christopher Emdin is an associate professor in the Department of

and creative nonfiction at Barnard and is the author of several popular

Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia

books, including Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

University, where he also serves as the Associate Director of the Institute

(2009), Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell (2016), On

for Urban and Minority Education. He is the creator of the #HipHopEd

Looking (2013), and, most recently, Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a

social media movement and Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S., as well as

Singular Bond, which was published in September.

the author of the award-winning book Urban Science Education for the Hip- Hop Generation and the New York Times best seller For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll Too. Emdin was named the 2015 Multicultural Educator of the Year by the National Association of Multicultural Educators and has been honored as a STEM Access Champion of Change by the White House under President Obama. In addition to teaching, he served as a Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Community Contributions Community Contributions are opportunities for MT II+ (teachers in their second, third, or fourth Master Teacher Fellowship) to deepen their connections within the MƒA community by becoming involved with admissions, recruitment, communications, facilitation, supporting new MƒA teachers, and other leadership activities. Please review each contribution for its unique structure and requirements.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Community Contributions Elementary Community Night Organizer Coordinated By: MƒA Program Officer for Engagement and Communications Jennifer Cody

MƒA Tech Night Organizer Coordinated By: MƒA Program Officer for Professional Development Courtney Ginsberg

Praxis Warm-Up Facilitator Coordinated By: MƒA Director of Admissions and Recruitment Ava Javid

TUESDAY, FEB 11

THURSDAY, OCT 3

MƒA

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Love bringing technology to the classroom? Help plan

FRIDAY, SEP 6

MƒA Tech Night! This is a two-hour session during

+ PLEASE NOTE: BEFORE SIGNING UP, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE PRAXIS WARM-UP ALIGNED TO YOUR CONTENT AREA:

MƒA

which MƒA teachers showcase their favorite educational

ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS - WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

technology and explore digital tools that support

ELEMENTARY SCIENCE - WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

assessment, differentiation, organization, and classroom

CHEMISTRY - WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

structures. As an MƒA Tech Night Organizer, you will help

GENERAL SCIENCE - WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

to plan this event with the support of a member of the

EARTH SCIENCE - WEDNESDAY, DEC 11

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Are you an Elementary school teacher? Get involved with planning the Elementary Community Night! With a modest budget provided by MƒA, you will help plan and organize the Elementary Community Night. A night to

MƒA Professional Development Team.

bring all K-5 teachers in MƒA together for an evening of professional networking, drinks, food, and fun. You must be able to attend the event, held on September 6. A few weeks prior to the event, you will have a planning phone

PHYSICS - WEDNESDAY, DEC 18 MATHEMATICS - WEDNESDAY, DEC 18 BIOLOGY - WEDNESDAY, DEC 18

Mid-Fellowship Check-In Organizer Coordinated By: MƒA Director of Professional Development Leah Hirsch

Praxis Warm-up (PWU) Facilitators play a key role in helping potential MƒA applicants prepare to take the Praxis exam in their content areas. In many cases, the

call with a member of the MƒA Professional Development

WEDNESDAY, JAN 15

Team who will offer support as you plan and organize.

PWU Facilitator serves as a person on the frontline

MƒA

of recruitment, answering not only content-related

Equity Advisory Committee Coordinated By: MƒA Chief Operating Officer Michael Driskill, Admissions and Recruitment Associate Keoma Distan, and Program Officer for Professional Development Uzma Shah

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

questions but also responding to general questions about

Help build community and lead reflections for the 2017

MƒA fellowships. As part of this community contribution,

cohort of MƒA Master Teachers! The halfway point of an

PWU Facilitators will attend a general recruitment

MƒA Master Teacher Fellowship is a great opportunity

orientation led by Admissions and Recruitment staff,

for teachers to reflect on their fellowship experience, set

as well as lead a two-hour PWU session with potential

goals for the years ahead, and begin planning for applying

applicants in the subject area they teach.

THURSDAYS, SEP 12, DEC 5, MAR 12, APR 30

for an MTII+ fellowship. As a Mid-Fellowship Check-In

MƒA

Host, you will help plan and lead a two-hour meeting at

Recruitment Information Session Host Coordinated By: MƒA Director of Admissions and Recruitment Ava Javid

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

MƒA for 2017 MƒA Master Teachers who will be applying

This community contribution will focus on ensuring that

for the MTII + fellowship. To help you plan the workshop,

learning opportunities are equitable for all teachers at

you will have a planning phone call with a member of

MƒA. In this role, you will have opportunities to advise

the MƒA Professional Development Team to assist with

MƒA leadership in our efforts to prioritize and build on

structuring and organizing the workshop. You must be

diversity within the MƒA community. This group will

able to attend the Mid-Fellowship Check-In on January

consider different perspectives on equity espoused by

15 and you should have experience facilitating courses at

Are you a passionate MƒA advocate who tells everyone

MƒA teachers, help to propose a shared definition for

MƒA.

you know about MƒA? Then become an information

MƒA, and provide feedback and input on action plans designed to foster an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all teachers at MƒA.

THURSDAY, OCT 3 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

session host! Current MƒA Teachers play a key role in providing an overview of MƒA fellowships and the application process. We are looking for teachers who want to speak about their MƒA experiences at information sessions this fall. All recruitment hosts will prepare by

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

Community Contributions attending one meeting with MƒA staff to discuss their roles in information sessions and then speak at two sessions held at MƒA in the spring. This is a meaningful way to share your experiences and help ensure great teachers are attracted to the community.

Small-World Network Community Mobilizer Coordinated By: MƒA Head of Data Systems Miriam Ignatoff WEDNESDAY, SEP 18 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

Share your knowledge with the MƒA Community! Help start discussions and respond to questions on the SmallWorld Network (SWN). Mobilizers will be asked to log into the SWN at least once per week to respond to posts or ask questions. Teachers will also be responsible for selecting at least one post per week to be included in the community digest email.

Summer Think Planner Coordinated By: MƒA Program Officers for Professional Development Courtney Ginsberg and Uzma Shah MONDAYS, DEC 9, JAN 6, FEB 3, MAR 2, APR 6, MAY 4, JUN 1 MƒA  INQUIRY, PRACTICE, AND LEADERSHIP

If you’re a creative and passionate teacher, have innovative ideas about conference programming, possess time management and organizational skills, have an open and collaborative spirit, and have attended at least one MƒA Summer Think then this community contribution is a match for you! As a planner, you will meet monthly to design, plan, and support the 2020 Summer Think.

*Community Contributions are opportunities for Master Teachers who have completed more than one fellowship.

Additionally, you will be expected to attend the 2020 Summer Think. 65

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

MƒAdventures MƒAdventures are offsite events organized by MƒA teachers that allow teachers to explore shared interests. They are a great way to meet members of the MƒA community outside of the MƒA office.

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

all running levels and abilities. Don’t forget to pack your

MƒAdventures + PLEASE NOTE: THE FACILITATOR WILL CONTACT YOU TO CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION AND TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS AND LOGISTICAL INFORMATION.

Bikram Yoga Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Nancy Cummings FRIDAY, OCT 25 BAY RIDGE

running shoes.

Family Science Outings Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Stefanie Fier SATURDAY, OCT 5

Escape Room Club Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Erin Ratz-Guinals

NEW YORK HALL OF SCIENCE  SCIENCE

TBD

Let your worlds collide! Bring your child(ren) to an MƒA

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

family day at the New York Hall of Science! Enjoy a day

Are you interested in finding clues, solving puzzles, and completing missions? Join the MƒA Escape Room Club, and once per month we’ll check out escape rooms around the city. Due to the limited capacity of escape rooms, participants will be contacted to sign up for

Are you interested in having a sweaty Friday night and

individual sessions and spots will be given in a first come

trying Bikram Yoga? It’s a traditional 90-minute hot yoga

first serve basis. The clock is ticking, join now!

of fun, education, and our loved ones - all in one place. Toddlers can enjoy the indoor preschool place and outdoor science playground, while older kids can explore interactive exhibits on animals, evolution, women in space, and outdoor mini golf! Easy transport by car or subway.

class, designed for everyone, beginners through athletes — no pressure here, just do as much as you can!

Bronx River Canoeing Facilitators: MƒA Master Teachers Ramona Fittipaldi and Andrew Mittiga TUESDAY, NOV 5 BRONX RIVER  SCIENCE

Are you interested in canoeing down the Bronx River through the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens while learning about the history of the land and how you and your students can help the environment? This MƒAdventure will be an amazing experience of canoeing and you will also learn how to take your own students on a canoeing trip.

Central Park Running Group Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Helen Dole MONDAY, OCT 7 CENTRAL PARK

Are you interested in going for a run with other teachers? In a beautiful place? And getting that wonderful postrun endorphin rush? Then this MƒAdventure is for you. We’ll meet at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park and log 3-5 miles with fellow MƒA’ers. This running group is for 67

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019

MƒAdventures

Monthly Trivia at Caveat Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Brittany Beck FRIDAYS, SEPT 20, OCT 18, NOV 15 CAVEAT

Glass in the Class Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Dan Madden TBD UBRAN GLASS  SCIENCE

Are you interested in glass blowing and the glass making process? We would love to have you join us at Urban

 INQUIRY, PRACTICE, & LEADERSHIP

Are you interested in trivia and building community with your fellow STEM teachers? Join us for a monthly meet-up at Caveat, an intellectual speakeasy in the Lower East Side, for a show/trivia/storytelling event on Friday evenings called Big Questions Little Answers. The event is free with advanced registration.

Glass in Downtown Brooklyn for an introduction to glass blowing. Please join us as we make some Prince Rupert Drops, fiber optic cables, and endeavor on our own glassblowing adventure!

The Secret Science Club at The Bell House Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Stacy Goldstein TBD THE BELL HOUSE

Hydroponic Tour & Tasting at Dewitt Clinton High School Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Grace Hu

 SCIENCE

Are you interested in hearing free and engaging science talks from top-notch scientists... in a bar? You are in luck!

TBD

Join us at the Bell House in Brooklyn to attend some of

DEWITT CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL

the monthly meetings of the Secret Science Club! Talks

 SCIENCE

Are you interested in exploring a fully functioning

range from biology to physics to environmental science and everything in between.

hydroponic farm inside of school? Join this MƒAdventure to explore how a science lab was converted into a hydroponic farm that produces fresh, locally grown

Teachers, Take a Hike! Facilitator: MƒA Master Teacher Courtney Ferrell

vegetables for the school cafeteria and wider Bronx

TBD

community. Teachers will learn about the organization

OFFSITE

that runs the farm, Teens for Food Justice, discover more about the science of hydroponics, experience hands-on farming activities, and prepare and enjoy a snack made with vegetables grown on the farm.

Are you interested in hiking as a means to rejuvenate and reflect as a teacher? Please join us for a weekend hike! Previous hikes have been in the Hudson Valley, and we are open to suggestions! The group will be polled about available dates, ability levels and location preferences!

MƒA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE CATALOG: FALL 2019