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Jamila Riser

Jamila Riser

I am passionate about teaching and learning, love working with math educators/leaders, and see math as a means of empowering and enhancing our experiences in the world.
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Strengthening the Educator Pipeline

Strengthening the Educator Pipeline

Delaware Marigolds Think Outside the Box

 
DMC leaders are committed to reimagining a system of support for strengthening the educator pipeline and improving teacher retention in mathematics. Participants of the organization’s mentoring induction initiative Leadership Coaching Lab: Growing Math Marigolds Project (LCL) (Longwood Project, 2020), are currently exploring creative ways to “build a stronger and more inclusive pathway to math education.” The efforts augment a range of initiatives being pursued by higher education and state level leaders.

The Marigolds have invested time reflecting about their own reasons for pursuing mathematics education and why they love the profession. They also brainstormed desirable characteristics of a potential future math educator. The list included characteristics such as empathy, being curious, an interest in helping others, valuing community, and finding joy in mathematics, just to name a few.

The teachers conducted interviews of students from their high schools and asked them about their feelings regarding math and whether they had ever considered being a mathematics teacher.

Andrew Arot Shares Why He Wants to Become a Mathematics Teacher

The Marigolds generated potential content-focused activities they could implement to get students interested in the idea of teaching math. One outside of the box idea the team came up with included inviting selected high school students to join them at their professional learning sessions. Other ideas included seeking their input about a lesson they had experienced, engaging in Talking Points or debates about teaching or mathematics, doing math together, and thinking about the teacher’s role in facilitating a mathematics task. The Marigolds also thought it would be interesting to launch a junior Delaware Math (Learning Coalition) involving high school students across the state!

This fall, several Math Marigolds actualized their plans by inviting some of their high school students to join them at the first Leadership Coaching Lab session of the school year. The students sat side-by-side with the teachers as they experienced the professional learning. They did math together, analyzed classroom video, and shared observations related to planning conversations about the lesson. The students were thoughtful, fully engaged in the tasks, and added to the conversations in meaningful ways.

The students talked to the teachers about why they were committed to pursuing the teaching profession. One student shared that he was considering becoming an engineer, but after spending the day with the community, he was now leaning towards mathematics education. Another student said she didn’t realize that teachers talked about their lessons in such depth. Another talked about how her interest for teaching grew as a result of a summer experience working with students with language challenges.

Participants' Reflections:

“I loved how Sam didn't necessarily give Tom advice but rather posed questions to Tom that helped him determine how he best wanted to approach his lesson. I also loved the fact that Sam, being more of a novice teacher, was coaching Tom, a veteran teacher, and both were of equal value to the conversation.”
"I don't think what we saw in the video is what comes to mind when people hear the word 'coaching'. I think maybe people view a coach as someone who is going to point out mistakes and dictate how to fix them. I think this video was exemplary because it showcased the collaborative relationship, and the goal of working together to improve student learning.”
"I think that the underlying element of their coaching experience was safety. They were both safe to ask questions and to share their thoughts no matter how polished they were. I think that this is one of the most necessary elements to be sure that people feel comfortable to collaborate while also reflecting and then growing.”
"Doing the math helps us to put ourselves into the student's shoes. What do they see, how do they feel about the task, what different outcomes are possible. It's an important part of the teaching process.”
“I love getting to explore the mathematics for many reasons. First, it is enjoyable to do and instantly puts me at ease.I love doing math and appreciate the opportunity to talk through tasks with others. Additionally, I feel this is important for building relationships with the group, and also for deepening our understanding of the mathematics itself.”
“I think we need to expose high school students to what these settings look like. As Wyatt and Emma said, they did not know that this setting looked like this. I think it will become more compelling to students when they see how engaging and supportive this profession is and that it is more than just paperwork. These students can also bring back to their classmates the idea that their teachers are deeply committed to understanding how their students think and therefore building a safer learning community.”
"I think having possible future math teachers join us is awesome! They will feel the inclusive and welcoming community that they will eventually be a full time partner with. Our community alone may sway some to ensure they become a math teacher in Delaware.”
"I really like the idea of involving high school students because I don't think the current messaging and branding for teachers is one that really convinces people this is the dream job to have! I giggled at the student share that disclosed how students perceive what we do when we "lesson plan" and how it doesn't really match to what we actually do. Including students in this work helps them to better promote what teaching is all about and hopefully they'll be spreading the word to their friends about what they did with us and we can get more students invested in pursuing this as a career!”
"Love this community and learning from other passionate leaders!”
“This was an incredibly inspiring and fulfilling day. Thank you!”
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