Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to explore how to increase engagement, lessen anxiety, and create real-world connections by teaching math through a Conceptual Based Instructional Model. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is JoAnna Castellano of New Brunswick, New Jersey.
A transcript is available for this episode.
In this episode we discuss:
- JoAnna’s path to teaching
Her pedagogical perspective: student agency, productive struggle, teacher as facilitator, providing real-world contextAn example question using the Pythagorean theorem with Benjamin Watson’s tackle saving touchdownHow to differentiate in the conceptual modelWalking through a lesson from idea to assessment: ratio and proportions using Mayan ruinsHer biggest success: lessening math anxiety; her biggest struggle: getting teachers to buy in initiallyHow she has transferred this model online for distance learningWho to check out for math teaching inspirationJoAnna’s ideal curriculum: expanding on her work with NBPS’ Summer Bridge ProgramThe value of movement and interaction (ex. Sara Vanderwerf’s ‘stand and talks’)- Article co-written by JoAnna: “Agency and voice: a push for greater equity and what it looks like in math”
Dan Meyer (Twitter: @ddmeyer)Jo Boaler (Twitter: @joboaler)Graham Fletcher (Twitter: @gfletchy)Robert Kaplinsky (Twitter: @robertkaplinsky)Sara Vanderwerf (Twitter: @saravdwerf)Institute for Learning at the University of PittsburgActivities for students with math anxiety (no answer is incorrect if can be justified/explained): Which One Doesn’t Belong? If you want to find out more about what innovative educators are doing around the world, check out www.lessonimpossible.com. And if you like the podcast, please consider rating, reviewing and subscribing or forwarding it to a colleague. You can also follow Lesson: Impossible on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.