“This is my 3rd year attending the conference. I look forward to it every year now!!
I get so much out of the day!! Thank you!!” [Conference Participant]
This year’s Triple Crown Conference was held on Saturday March 11th. This was the fourth annual conference for the Delaware Math Coalition’s NCSM affiliate DCML, and truly reflected the collaborative spirit and leadership of Delaware educators of mathematics in the state. Conference participants [n=125] had the opportunity to engage with two national level keynote speakers, attend two breakout sessions led by local and national level leaders of mathematics, and spotlight sessions hosted by a record number of generous sponsors of the conference
The opening keynote speaker Howie Hua (Fresno State) delivered an inspiring message about ways to spark curiosity in the mathematics classroom. Listen to Howie’s message (see video link below) about how he became more curious about his own students’ thinking.
Howie Hua, Fresno State
“One of my greatest strengths as a teacher is to always be curious…”
“Education is not just about getting information, it’s also about sparking curiosity so they want to learn more.”
Howie modeled six different ways teachers can spark curiosity in their classrooms. He engaged the group in a range of interesting tasks (including the one below).
“We need to think of people’s ideas as GIFTS, because they are!”
Howie Hua
Howie concluded his keynote by sharing stories from some of his pre-service students about why they wanted to become a teacher.
“When I think back to when I was in elementary school, I could find only pleasant fond memories of my teachers that made my years fun and enjoyable. That is why I want to teach, to play a part in nurturing future generations.”
“I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get my Liberal Studies Degree and do what I love best, helping children reach their fullest potential. My biggest inspiration was my fourth grade teacher, and without his encouragement I would not be here today.”
Triple Crown’s closing keynote speaker was Peter Liljedahl (Simon Fraser University), the author of “Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics” who joined us live from Hawaii. Peter’s message was grounded in his research about the nature of learning in classrooms he visited during a period of fifteen years or more. He provided images of what a thinking classroom looks like and shared the 14 strategies included in his book.
To learn more, please visit the “Building Thinking Classrooms” website. Participants of the conference were also provided an opportunity to receive a copy of Peter’s book.
“My overall impressions of the day were inspiring, engaging, and amazing! I was pleased that we all came together to talk about how to improve our classrooms during math instruction.”
Conference leaders want to express our gratitude to the educators who joined us for the day and to the sponsors who made giveaways including more than thirty prizes (Amazon Gifts Cards, NCSM Memberships, and Starbucks Cards) possible.
“Howie and Peter are the best. I learned and enjoyed them too much. Howie made my headache from so much thinking and translating at the same time! LOL That’s why I attended the conference. My first language is Spanish. I am still in the process of learning English and I teach Mathematics in Spanish and this challenge was motivating for me.”