A couple of weeks ago I attended the annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in sunny San Francisco. It was four days where 9000 people from 130 different countries (okay only 400 of us weren’t American, but still cool) took part in workshops, keynote addresses, question and answer sessions, and a vast exhibition hall, with the purpose of diving deep into mathematics education. Hundreds of us lined up to see our own math education celebrities, many asking for photos and autographs. A San Francisco superintendent eloquently expressed what drew us all together: "We are not interested in improving the system. We are interested in CHANGING the system."
I packed in 16 sessions, a visit to the exhibition hall to see all the shiny new books and colourful manipulatives, and even managed to take in the wonders of such a beautiful city (okay there wasn’t a lot of sleeping done). Now I have to sift through my notes and pictures, reflect on my learning and figure out how to turn it into something useful.
Let’s start at the beginning, as that seems like the logical thing to do.
Dr. Eric Jolly opened the conference with a keynote titled “Inspiring Change: Creating the Next Generation of Mathematics Leaders and Learns.” And I LOST MY NOTES!!!!! GAHHH. Bad form Bronwyn! But the wonders of social media means I can borrow other people’s notes and pictures from Twitter and hopeful trigger some memories of what I thought was inspiring.
Dr. Jolly spent the hour address telling stories from his Cherokee grandmother as he wove a traditional Cherokee double wall basket. As the structure transformed from using squares to triangles to circles, the mathematics started to show itself. He captured our attention as he not only wove his basket, but also the traditional Cherokee teachings with math education.
The Basket Maker’s Scientific Experience
Mathematics Scale and Proportion Relationship of Area to Volume Parallelism, Perpendicularity Progression of Squares Patterns, Symmetry and Geometric Forms Counting Systems and Binary to Base Ten Conversion
Science Osmosis, Dialysis Absorption, Adsorption Solutes, Solvents, Solutions, Emulsions Density, Buoyancy, Displacement Stress - Tensional, Compression, Shear, Torsional Elastic Limit, Deformations, Hookes Law
His whole speech resonated with my current struggle of trying to connect the Ontario curriculum math expectations to the First Nation culture that is so important and relevant for our students. It reaffirmed the significance of making the connection, so I will continue to make it a priority. If anyone is interested in collaborating, I would love the help and knowledge you bring. Let me know (bmacdonald@kerc.ca or 807-737-7373 ext 27)
Here are a few shots of why I forgot my notebook and therefore had to record my thoughts on a random paper that I have now lost. I'll make an album on my KERC Facebook page. If you want to see more of the beautiful adventure, friend me, Bronwyn At Kwayaciiwin.
