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Mathematics Institutes
Elementary
Mathematics Institute for Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers
This institute is designed to enhance participants' knowledge and understanding in five content strands: number and operation, patterns and algebraic thinking, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, and probability and statistics. Attention is focused on young children's understanding of mathematics through the use of student work and videos.
Rethinking Elementary Mathematics Institute Grades 1–5, Part 1
This first half of this institute focuses on developing students' number sense and computational fluency and the effective use of an instructional planning guide. The instructional planning process introduced includes identifying the mathematical content to be learned, describing evidence of a student's understanding of that content, and building questions and tasks to elicit that evidence of understanding in a way that can be recognized by both the teachers and the students themselves.
Rethinking Elementary Mathematics Institute Grades 1–5, Part 2
The second half of the institute incorporates aspects of number sense and computational fluency along with the instructional planning process in applications involving measurement, geometry, probability, and statistics.
Middle School
Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Using Problem Solving Across the TEKS
Teachers who attend this institute will learn how to help their students use and master problem solving as they deepen their own understanding of what problem solving means. The training will allow teachers to explore how and where problem solving pervades and connects the TEKS, and why and how students must use and master problem solving to be successful in mathematics. Although 18 hours of this 30-hour institute will be given in a traditional format of three 6-hour days, the training is unique in offering participants a menu of follow-up options to complete the remaining 12 hours.
Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Algebraic Reasoning Across the TEKS
This institute highlights the algebraic "habits of mind" called for in the TEKS for middle school mathematics by building and making connections between concrete, verbal, numeric, graphic, and symbolic representations of relationships between quantities. The institute explores patterns and problems that lead to the development of algebraic thinking skills.
Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Geometry Across the TEKS
This institute focuses on important geometric concepts: geometric structure, transformations, triangles, plane figures, and solids called for in the grades 6–8 TEKS and TAKS. Vertically aligned activities will extend teacher knowledge in geometry, including algebraic connections, enabling them to focus on students' conceptual development. Incorporating concrete models and appropriate technology, the institute will broaden and deepen teacher content knowledge.
Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Numerical Reasoning Across the TEKS
The Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Numerical Reasoning Across the TEKS institute helps teachers bridge the gap from students' understanding of whole numbers to the complex understanding of the rational number system and numerical reasoning required by the TEKS and TAKS. Participants engage in activities and discussions that promote the teaching, learning, and assessment of numerical reasoning. Using multiple representations, appropriate technology, and concrete models, the institute broadens and deepens teacher content knowledge and instructional strategies. The Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Numerical Reasoning Across the TEKS institute focuses on an in-depth examination of the relationship between fractions, decimals, percents, and rational number operations.
Rethinking Middle School Mathematics: Proportionality Across the TEKS
The TEKS call for an increased emphasis on proportional relationships across the middle school mathematics curriculum. This institute focuses on the development of the properties, language, and representations of proportional relationships that arise from number, operation, algebra, probability, statistics, measurement, and geometry.
Rethinking Secondary Mathematics: Statistical Reasoning Across the TEKS
This institute focuses on the mathematical foundations of statistical reasoning and sound decision making. Participants engage in activities and discussions that strengthen their own content knowledge in probability and statistics, enabling them to provide their students with the depth of understanding required by the TEKS and TAKS. The institute activities incorporate technology and real-world applications. Related student activities address middle and high school TEKS as well as TAKS objectives in probability and statistics and those specified for courses in algebra, modeling, geometry, and precalculus.
High School
Algebra I: 2000 and Beyond
The Algebra I: 2000 and Beyond institute helps teachers bridge the gap from students' concrete understanding of arithmetic to the functions-based algebra called for in the TEKS and TAKS. Participants engage in activities and discussions that promote the teaching, learning, and assessment of algebra for everyone. Using multiple representations, appropriate technology, and concrete models, the institute broadens and deepens teacher content knowledge and instructional strategies. The Algebra I: 2000 and Beyond institute focuses on an in-depth examination of foundations of functions and linear functions. Additionally, quadratic and exponential functions are explored.
High School Geometry: Supporting TEKS & TAKS
This institute focuses on important geometric concepts—geometric structure, transformations, triangles, plane figures, and solids—called for in the high school TEKS and TAKS. The institute activities are designed to engage vertical teams in learning about geometrical concepts. These activities highlight the importance of building conceptual understanding for students. The institute incorporates concrete models and appropriate technology.
Part 1: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute
The Algebra II/Precalculus institute is a professional development experience designed to extend participants' understanding of the foundational concepts developed in the Algebra II and Precalculus TEKS. The institute begins by developing foundations for functions and exploring functions as a unifying theme. The Part 1: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute focuses on topics that are common to both Algebra II and Precalculus. These concepts include foundations of functions, transformations, exponential and logarithmic functions, and power functions and polynomials. These concepts are further developed in the two companion institutes, Part 2: Algebra II, and Part 2: Precalculus.
Part 2: Algebra Institute
Participants will experience selected Algebra II assessments and examine the assessments for alignment with the TEKS and TAKS. This session uses and examines student work from TEKS-based Algebra II classrooms to evaluate student understanding. This session focuses on methods for evaluating student work, developing strategies for classroom implementation, and making instructional decisions based on student work. Strategies for fitting the Algebra II assessments into a district’s yearly plan for Algebra II will be discussed. The institute is designed for presentation to teachers on 3 separate days during the school year to allow participants time to implement the assessments in their classrooms and to collect student work for examination of student understanding.
Part 2: Precalculus Institute
This session further develops the concepts introduced in the Part 1: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute. Participants examine and explore the functions and concepts addressed in the Algebra II TEKS, including matrices, linear programming, quadratic and square root functions, rational functions, and conic sections. The Part 2: Algebra II Institute is designed as a continuation of the Part 1: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute. The Part 2: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute consists of more than 24 hours of content specific Algebra II professional development. Part 1: Algebra II/Precalculus Institute is a prerequisite.
Rethinking Secondary Mathematics: Algebraic and Geometric Modeling
This institute focuses on the development of "mathematical modeling" as a powerful process for use in all secondary mathematics courses. This modeling process is used to engage participants in a variety of activities that explore mathematical concepts, functions, and structures to describe and explain real-world situations. This institute develops algebraic and geometric models by utilizing a four-stage mathematical modeling process: identify the problem, variables, and constraints; formulate a mathematical model; apply mathematical analysis; and draw conclusions and make predictions. Participants will have an opportunity to gather and analyze scientific data using a variety of models. Throughout the institute, fundamental ideas about regression are formalized and applied in a variety of settings from geometry, art, nature, and finance.
Rethinking Secondary Mathematics: Statistical Reasoning Across the TEKS
This institute focuses on the mathematical foundations of statistical reasoning and sound decision making. Participants engage in activities and discussions that strengthen their own content knowledge in probability and statistics, enabling them to provide their students with the depth of understanding required by the TEKS and TAKS. The institute activities incorporate technology and real-world applications. Related student activities address middle and high school TEKS as well as TAKS objectives in probability and statistics and those specified for courses in algebra, modeling, geometry, and precalculus.
In-depth Secondary Mathematics
In this institute, teachers study and reflect on the depth and richness of actual concepts and problems of high school mathematics courses. Ideas from algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are integrated in the analysis of a small number of particular problem situations to show what it means to treat them in a deep and general way. The focus will be on mathematical content of algebra, geometry, and functions as well as mathematical habits of mind.