TGC Monthly August 2015

TEXAS

GRADUATE

CENTER

IN THIS ISSUE: Student Spotlight: Homer Colunga WISD Teacher La Joya ISD Recognizes 2nd Year GEM Camp for Girls

The

philosophy

of Teaching

August 2015 Annenburg hall, harvard university

TEXAS

GRADUATE

CENTER

Monthly

President Dr. Roland Arriola Executive Director Dr. Mary Alice Reyes

About Us:

The Texas Graduate Center (TGC), a component of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, has been established to support programs in higher education that will guide new and emerging leaders in education to implement transformational change that will impact schools and communities. TGC will offer distance learning graduate programs from outstanding universities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The TGC will make available the latest telepresence technology and virtual classrooms with direct connection to world-class undergraduate and graduate programs from across the country. TGC will also serve as a college and career readiness facilitator offering assistance in selecting, preparing and enrolling in nationally recognized graduate programs.

2 | Texas Graduate Center

Associate Director/ EDITOR Adriana V. Lopez Designer/ PHOTOGRAPHER David Alvarado TGC OFFICES 1098 W. Expressway 83 Mercedes, Texas 78570

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

In this issue...

Harvard University Extension School

The Texas Graduate Center has partnered with the Harvard University Extension School to implement the Math for Teaching Graduate Program. Harvard Extension School is one of the twelve degreegranting schools of Harvard University, offering professional certificates and liberal arts-based undergraduate and graduate degree programs aimed at nontraditional students, as well as openenrollment continuing education courses.

04 Student Spotlight: Homer Colunga

The Texas Graduate Center would like to congratulate Homer Colunga, Harvard graduate student and Cohort II member, for being awarded the position of Health Science Small Learning Community Coordinator for Weslaco Independent School District.

06 La Joya ISD Recognizes GEM Camp Girls

This year’s GEM camp targeting rising 4th and 5th grade girls in La Joya ISD. The participants were presented with a certificate of participation by the La Joya ISD School Board.

10 The Philosphy of Teaching

This summer, Cohort I completed their final summer residency at Harvard. Their final course was a Teaching Projects/Capstone Course intended to give current and aspiring secondary math teachers an opportunity to become engaged in a variety of teaching-related projects.

Marvelia Balboa is originally from Matamoros, Mexico but has lived most of her life in San Benito, Texas.

From a very young age Marvelia showed a passion for knowledge.

Her love for mathematics and desire to teach others motivated her to earn her Bachelors of Science in Mathematics with Secondary Certification. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas-Pan American in the Spring of 2011.

Knowing the impact her community had on her education, Marvelia decided to begin her teaching journey at her high school alma mater, San Benito High School.

August 2015

Student Spotlight: Homer Colunga WISD Teacher

4 | Texas Graduate Center

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

T

he Texas Graduate Center would like to congratulate Homer Colunga, Harvard graduate student and Cohort II member, for being awarded the position of Health Science Small Learning Community Coordinator for Weslaco Independent School District. This learning community provides students an opportunity to experience the world of medicine through a sequence of health science courses where students gain experience working with medical equipment as well as exposure to professionals in the medical field.

Many students earn an industry certification in a related medical field and have the tools necessary to start a career outside of high school.

As the Coordinator for the learning community, Mr. Colunga now oversees all of the teachers that pertain to this community as well as all of the students that fall under this school within a school. Along with his role as a mathematics teacher with Weslaco ISD, he will now coordinate events related to the Health Science Small Learning Community for both students and their families in an effort to provide a source of reference for all of the opportunities available to students. Mr. Colunga is also a South Texas College Dual Enrollment Faculty Member as well as an NHS Sponsor for Weslaco ISD.

August 2015

LA JOYA ISD recognizes gem camp for girls

6 | Texas Graduate Center

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

L

a Joya ISD School Board recognized participants in this summer’s Girls Engaged in Mathematics Camp (GEM). This year’s GEM camp targeted rising 4th and 5th grade girls in La Joya ISD. The participants were presented with a certificate of participation by the La Joya ISD School Board. Dr. Alda Benavides, La Joya ISD Superintendent, commended the girls on their hard work and encouraged them to continue to strive towards excellence in math.

Master of Science in Biology for Teachers Starts July 2016 • Earn a Master of Science degree in two years (online and 3-week summer residencies) • Learn from renowned life science faculty at Washington University St. Louis, one of the most prominent research universities in the country.

• Participate in action research and laboratory work in state-of-the-art research facilities on campus and within the city of St. Louis.

• Participate in professional networks with teachers from across the country.

• Develop and apply skills in curriculum innovation.

Texas Graduate Center is a public-private initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation.

1098 W. Expressway 83, Mercedes, TX 78570 | 956.903.4231 | alopez@tvcof.org

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

GIRLS ENGAGED IN MATHEMATICS

Building CONFIDENCE and reducing MATH ANXIETY The notion that only boys can become scientists and engineers has persisted over time. Studies have shown that negative stereotypes about girls’ abilities in mathematics and science have impacted their performance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and math) areas.

to schedule a gem camp at your school, contact: Executive Director, Dr. Mary Alice Reyes 956.903.4231 | mareyes@tvcof.org

Girls Engaged in Mathematics is a public-private initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation

August 2015

The

philosophy of Teaching

This summer, Cohort I completed their final summer residency at Harvard. Their final course was a Teaching Projects/Capstone Course intended to give current and aspiring secondary math teachers an opportunity to become engaged in a variety of teachingrelated projects. Students completed a series of research and presentation requirements during the course focused on issues such as the impact of various pedagogical approaches, the use of technology in classrooms, assessment techniques, and curriculum design, among other topics. The Capstone Course was led by Dr. Andy Engelward, director of the Math for Teaching graduate program. All students were required to write a teaching statement outlining their experience and philosophy on their profession. This is the first of a series of statements we’d like to share.

JUAN R. BARRERA III PSJA ISD

...The best way to teach [math] is to never stop searching for the best way to teach mathematics; never stop trying new things.

10 | Texas Graduate Center

A

s a student of mathematics I have seen oodles of things. I have seen the many underlying connections between different math courses; I have seen different lessons in mathematics presented in a variety of ways; I have collaborated with teachers from all around the world on math pedagogy; I have researched causes of, and strategies to help alleviate, math anxiety in the classroom; I have attended numerous amounts of professional development training geared towards helping teachers become better teachers; I have pushed myself day in and day out to understand the “why” in mathematics . And despite all the things that I have seen, done and/or studied, I have come to realize that I still know very little about the best way to teach mathematics.

However, what I have seen and learned is what mathematics is and what math-

ematics is not. Mathematics is not just arithmetic computations; it is not memorization and rote recitation; mathematics is not innate; nor is it selecting the best answer from choices A,B,C, and D; mathematics is not what a textbook portrays it to be.

Mathematics involves creativity, effort, posing questions, investigating and interpreting results allowing us to find the hidden patterns that enable us to better understand the world around us. To Teach mathematics, we must understand mathematics. Teaching math can be one of the important sources of inspiration for our students and I believe the best way to teach mathematics is to never stop searching for the best way to teach mathematics; never stop trying new things. Failures will come, but like Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

August 2015

MARVELIA BALBOA SAN BENITO CISD

as a teacher my goal is for my students to have confidence in their ability to learn to think rationally and clearly organize ideas to accurately apply concepts.

12 | Texas Graduate Center

W

hile I have only been teaching for the past four years, there are so many things that have changed in my perspective of mathematical learning. Although I have always done what I thought was best for my students, I have come to realize that this idea can lead to a slippery slope where good intentions can cause irrevocable damage. Therefore, as a teacher I must be in a constant cycle of self-reflection in order to improve my ways of teaching. Yet, the biggest disadvantage that I face when I walk into a room full of students is the apathy they have towards mathematics, though I cannot blame them for harboring such emotions because they have been taught everything but what mathematics truly is. For instance, memorizing is not learning. The confusion between the two is probably the biggest obstacle to learning mathematics.

When defining what it means to truly understand mathematics we must be careful. Many students claim to have learned mathematics, but really they have learned how to apply an algorithm and have no conceptual understanding of why and when to use that particular algorithm. This is why when we ask students who have passed a course in algebra what a logarithmic function is, we often receive a blank stare, yet many students can solve logarithmic equations. This clearly highlights one

of the major weakneses in the current teaching of mathematics since students have little or no idea of what they are learning. This is because a student who does well on tests but doesn’t know any mathematics has learned a skill.

This could be because it is easier to test memorization rather than learning, which has caused students to prefer classes where memorization is key for success—but this is not learning.

When you learn something, you do not forget it. You forget things that are memorized. For example, you do not memorize how to ride a bike, you learn how to ride a bike and never forget.

We are missing the whole point of mathematics education since it is taught as a skill that must be practiced regularly or else it will easily be forgotten. Instead, as a teacher, my goal is for my students to have confidence in their ability to learn to think rationally and clearly organize ideas to accurately apply concepts. In other words, I want them to have the ability to face an unknown concept without fear because they have acquired the traits needed to do mathematics rather than mimic mathematics. Not only will this give them confidence but it will create active learners who will not passively accept new information but rather question and make well-informed decisions.

I am fully conscious that mathematics provides techniques to solve particular kinds of problems, which is important to know, yet, it is unfortunate that courses in mathematics give a lot of time and sometimes only time to the mastering of such techniques. Just like the dictionary is not literature, knowing algorithms is not mathematics. What happens to understanding mathematical concepts? As a teacher, I must be able to gauge at a balance between the two in order to stress critical thinking, problem solving and more importantly, create learners who are willing to challenge the current standards.

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

BUILDING THE CAPACITY TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT

MISSION

The mission of the Principals Academy is to build the capacity of principals to lead for instructional improvement within their schools and districts by creating the conditions for building a collaborative culture of efficacy and high performance expectations focused on results.

• • • • • • • • •

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

8 Training sessions with Resource Guide 3 Follow up sessions Book: The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact External campus visits Speakers to enhance curriculum On-site support On-line support Principals Academy shirt Certificate of Completion

PROGRAM MODEL

Each meeting will consist of training based on the work of Michael Fullan, Lyle Kirtman, Keith Leithwood, Robert Marzano and other leading authorities in educational leadership.

1

The Changing Role of the Principal

5

Building System Coherence

2

Urgency and Drivers of Change

6

Principals as Agents of Change

3

Transformational vs Instructional Leadership

7

Change Challenges and Strategies

4

Building Professional Capital

8

Designing a Maximizing Impact Plan

FACILITATOR

Dr. Mary Alice Reyes has extensive years of experience in educational leadership as a campus principal, district-level administrator and superintendent of schools. Her expertise will lend to developing a personal and practical learning community environment that will build on the principals’ strengths and address their unique needs.

“The role of the principal needs to be balanced between content and organizational leadership. The educational leader is the overall leader of instruction, but he or she needs to have time and skills to motivate and build teams and develop leadership capacity in his or her school for change.” – Kirtman, 2013 Texas Graduate Center is a public-private initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation | 1098 W. Expressway 83, Mercedes TX, 78570 | 956.903.4231 | for more info, contact Mary Alice Reyes at mareyes@tvcof.org

August 2015

Cohort IV now forming...

• 3 Year Master’s Program in partnership with Harvard University Extension School • Mathematics for Teaching Program • Cohort Learning Model • Summer Residency at Harvard University • Classes Begin January 2016 APPLICATIONS ARE DUE

OCTOBER 30, 2015 For more info, please contact: alopez@tvcof.org WWW.TXGRADCENTER.ORG

14 | Texas Graduate Center

TXGRADCENTER.ORG

MATHTEACH Collaborative Professional Development 2015 - 2016

NOVEMBER

6 2015

NOVEMBER

13 2015

Febuary

5 2016

John Boller

Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago Preceptor at Harvard University from 1999-2005 Winner of the 2004 Joseph R. Levenson Teaching Prize Workshop # 49291

Maria Pizano Maximizing the Impact of Parental Engagement Researcher and Consultant formerly with the Harvard Family Research Project.

Workshop #: 49290

James Tanton

Mathematician and math educator, founder of The St. Mark’s Math Institute, scholar at the Mathematical Association of America, author of over ten books on mathematics, curriculum, and education.

Workshop #: 49184

JUly

Harvard Graduate School of Education

2016

Leadership: An Evolving Vision

10-16

Superintendents Leadership Series

August 2015

Thank you to our MATHTEACH Collaborative Partners:

The Texas Graduate Center is a public-private initiative of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation.

16 | Texas Graduate Center