See below for upcoming SABES PD events for Math & Numeracy. Or, check out the Math & Numeracy Upcoming Events Calendar tab anytime!
Note: you are welcome to request Math & Numeracy instructional coaching for program staff. If interested, please submit a Contact Us request.
All PD offerings are online and facilitated unless indicated otherwise.
Tuesday, May 21
Using the Math Proficiency Guide to Become a More Effective Math Teacher (Self-Paced Modules)
The Mathematics Proficiency Guide for Teachers of Adult Education is one of several companion pieces to the MA Professional Standards for Teachers of Adult Education. The Math Proficiency Guide is designed to inform the practice of new, developing, and advanced instructors who teach math to adult learners.
This virtual course will provide participants with practical ways to learn from and implement the material in the Math Proficiency Guide to improve their own math instruction. The course is designed for both new and experienced adult education math instructors.
The instructional strategies and ideas presented in this course are appropriate for all levels of math classes, whether your students are native English speakers or ESOL learners. The material is also designed to identify ways to make math instruction more equitable and culturally responsive for diverse student populations and communities.
- 9:00am (Self-paced course opens)
Thursday, May 23
Creating Math Classrooms Where Students Participate
As teachers, we often notice that students who participate in other subjects shut down when it comes time for math. What is it about their experiences that leads them to believe that math class is not a place for them? Adult education students receive many messages, from both external and internal sources, about their ability to do and learn math. Some students have “learned” that they are not good at math and feel as though their ideas and questions do not belong in math. In this workshop, we will examine how systemic racism has damaged many students' sense of themselves as math students. We will also share instructional practices to engage students and help them develop positive math identities.
- 11:00am - 12:30pm
Wednesday, May 29
Using Visual Mathematics with English Learners: Percents and Ratios
When students work with visual models that they can see, manipulate, or create, it opens visual pathways in the brain that provide added meaning to the area of the brain that processes abstract numbers. In this workshop, we will work with visual representations of percents and ratios and discuss how this enables students at multiple levels of math and language proficiency to better understand abstract mathematical concepts.
- 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Thursday, May 30
When Students Resist Teaching for Conceptual Understanding
A challenge we may face when we teach for conceptual understanding is student pushback. Many students expect math class to be about memorizing and repeating procedures. Students can be invested in traditional ways of teaching and learning. They may conflate succeeding in math with succeeding in a traditional classroom even if that model has not worked for them, has led them to hate math, or has convinced them that they are not good at it.
Although this can be discouraging, student resistance is important to building trust and can be an opportunity to build community.
In this workshop, we will discuss how to respond to resistance from a place of empathy and look at how math can be a tool for identifying and disrupting the effects of racism.
- 11:00am - 12:30pm
Monday, June 3
CALM Introduction (Self-Paced Modules)
This course is designed for teachers who are using or want to use the Curriculum for Adults Learning Math (CALM). CALM was created by the SABES Mathematics and Numeracy Curriculum & Instruction PD center to give teachers a full, rich, conceptually-based curriculum. CALM teaches conceptual understanding of skills from roughly College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRSAE) levels B – E (GLE 3-12) and contains thorough unit plans, lesson plans, and supporting materials. Because CALM is different from traditional curricula, it is important to understand its structure and philosophy to be able to use it effectively. This course will introduce you to the logistical elements of CALM and its guiding principles.
- 9:00am (Self-paced course opens)
Tuesday, June 4
Trauma-Informed Instruction
Many adult learners have had traumatic experiences that impact their ability to learn. Escaping a war-torn country, surviving abuse, living in poverty, dealing with the daily circumstances of systemic racism, and living through this COVID-19 pandemic are just some examples. This two-hour, online workshop, hosted by the ELA, Math, and ESOL C&I PD Centers, focuses on the effects of trauma on the brain, the impact of trauma on learning, and why an understanding of trauma matters to adult educators. We will also discuss how to notice when a student is experiencing any kind of trauma while teaching remotely, and ways to deal with this as a teacher during remote instruction. (Please note that this is a repeat of the highly successful PD of the same name from last fall.)
- 10:00am - 12:00pm
Measurement in Real-World Contexts (Cambridge)
Have you ever considered how often we incorporate measurement into our lives without even realizing it? From estimating how long it will take to run an errand, to guessing if the milk in the refrigerator is enough for a recipe, we apply our reasoning to the measurement of time, distance, and volume all the time without any expensive scientific instruments. However, there are situations when we must be more precise in our measurements, especially in careers like nursing, engineering, and public health that require knowledge of trade tools that use intervals and symbols.
- 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Thursday, June 6
Using Math to Identify and Impact Social Justice Issues in Our Lives
Math can be a powerful tool for identifying and disrupting the effects of racism. Developing strong skills in proportional reasoning and statistical literacy and carrying this reasoning into the world, prepares students to recognize the effects of racism and to critically question and respond to real world issues.
- 11:00am - 12:30pm
