Wednesday, April 23rd // 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT

The new CA Math Mathematics Framework outlines a new challenge - teaching through “Big Ideas”. By providing a clear picture of the brain science underlying the Big Ideas, this session empowers leaders with the tools they need to support organizations as they grapple with successfully implementing this educational shift.

This session dives into the critical questions surrounding this approach: 

- Why is there a new Math Framework in CA? 

- What is Big Ideas Instruction? 

- How is this different from previous initiatives? 

- Why is it important to adjust teaching to help support the way students’ brains learn?

- How does this approach provide equity in the classroom among all subgroups? 

Wednesday, April 30th // 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT

How visual mathematics can provide immediate access and engagement by anchoring in conceptual experiences that are available to students of all language levels including English Learners.We will explore how leveraging visual mathematics can foster more inclusive and impactful learning experiences in the classroom.

This session dives into:

 - Immediate Access Through Visuals: Learn how visual mathematics provides instant access and engagement for all students.

- Conceptual Anchoring: Discover how to ground math learning in concrete visual experiences that are universally accessible. 

- Supporting English Learners: Explore specific strategies to leverage visuals for supporting designated English Learners (EL’s).

- Layering Mathematical Language: Strategically introduce and reinforce mathematical vocabulary.

- Inclusive Classroom Practices: Gain insights into designing and implementing visual math strategies to create a more inclusive and impactful learning environment. 

- Key Design Principles: Learn the core principles behind effective visual math instruction. 

Wednesday, May 7th // 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT

As a leader, be able to, at a glance, tell if a task is moving towards productive struggle or unproductive struggle and whether or not students are embracing struggle when it’s productive. Walk away with tangible examples and tools to help make this happen.

Central Theme:  We have a complicated relationship with struggle. When it acts as a barrier, struggle is generally unhelpful. When it leads to growth and learning, struggle helps us feel like a more complete version of ourselves and we desire more experiences like it. There are exciting results regarding what humans find the most enjoyment in, and these high-joy experiences are crucial in a 21st century mathematics classroom.

Wednesday, May 14th // 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT

Good teachers pull the math out vs pouring it in. The art of asking questions and communicating is critical in the mathematics classroom, especially for English Learners. In this session we will explore ways to identify effective vs. ineffective “math talk” in the classroom, along with tools and strategies that can be provided to teachers to enhance the conceptual understanding and language development for all students.

This session dives into:

- Importance of Active Engagement: Understanding why active engagement and communication are crucial for math learning, especially for English Learners. 

- Quality of Math Talk: Exploring the impact of classroom conversations and teacher questioning on student conceptual understanding and language proficiency. 

- Identifying Effective vs. Ineffective Math Talk: Learning to recognize the characteristics of productive and unproductive "math talk" in the classroom. 

- Tools and Strategies for Teachers: Providing teachers with practical tools and strategies to enhance student conceptual understanding and language development. 

- Enhancing Conceptual Understanding: Gaining insights into how to guide students towards deeper mathematical understanding through effective communication. 

- Supporting Language Development: Learning how to foster language proficiency in mathematics for all students, with a focus on English Learners. 

Nigel Nisbet began his education career by teaching a class of 15 at an idyllic private all-girls school in rural England. After moving to the U.S., Nisbet taught Mathematics, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science at Van Nuys Senior High, where he was a pioneer of integrating technology into the classroom, and utilizing project-based learning Math programs, including games that introduce Algebraic concepts visually. He feels that there is much work left to to engage students’ critical-thinking skills. At Van Nuys, he successfully spearheaded the implementation of the LAUSD Los Angeles Virtual Academy program as a solution for Algebra 1, and collaborated with the AP Readiness Program in Computer Science. Leaving the classroom in 2006, he became a Mathematics Specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the United States. At LAUSD, Nisbet designed many of the district’s algebra and geometry concept tasks and did wide-ranging professional development to drive classroom implementation. He has written, designed and implemented several instructional guides and curricula, focusing on middle school and high school math (Grade 6 and 7; Algebra Readiness; Algebra 1 & 2; and Geometry). A passionate believer in the power of all students to learn mathematics conceptually, Nisbet joined the nonprofit MIND Research Institute team as Senior Mathematics Specialist in the spring of 2010, eventually becoming the Vice President of Content Creation. In addition to leading MIND’s project team in the creation of middle school curricula, Nisbet travels the country on behalf of the organization and speaks on such topics as “STEM Is a State of MIND” and “So You Think You’re Ready For Common Core.”At MIND, Nisbet devotes his time to reaching into the structure and beauty of mathematics and finding ways to build engaging, interactive and completely visual games that teach all students how math really works. He recently led the team that developed new games for middle and high school ST be done to ensure that all children are mathematically equipped to solve the world’s most challenging problems. But given his experience of working with children in very different parts of the world he believes that given the right tools, all students can be mathematical thinkers and problem solvers.Nisbet received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Queen Mary University, University of London in 1990. In 2009, Nisbet received a Master in Educational Administration at California State University Northridge.  Nigel's topics have been a hit on TEDx, NPR, Huffington Post, and national conferences including NCTM and ISTE. He will give you strategies you can use today!

As Senior Director of Product, Content for MIND Research Institute, Ki Karou leads a team of learning and game designers, artists, and mathematicians developing the next generation of the ST Maths interactive programs. Ki has been designing neuroscience-driven ed tech solutions for over a decade. Prior to joining MIND, he founded Beyond Math, an education company focused on teaching math in unique and non-traditional ways. Ki has spoken at SXSWedu and written articles published in Huffington Post. He is currently participating in a Gates Foundation Grant in conjunction with ELSF for Birmingham City Schools in Alabama. Ki has a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Brandon Smith is the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Research Institute, where he creates experiential learning programs for people of all ages, both in and out of the classroom — including two that are patent-pending. Over the past several years, he has focused on developing innovative projects to close what he calls the math “experience gap,” where children have insufficient exposure to math in their daily lives. These projects include interactive exhibits and games for math fairs, math camps, and family math nights. Early in his career at MIND, he designed mathematical requirements for the game-based ST Math® software and led the national roll-out of the sixth-grade ST Math curriculum. Smith co-authored a paper in Cognitive Science Research Principles & Implications and has written for the Huffington Post and presented at ISTE. Prior to joining MIND, Smith was a college instructor, where he won an outstanding teacher award and was an educational liaison for the City of Costa Mesa to Windham, Australia. Smith has a bachelor’s in math and two master's degrees in pure and applied mathematics. In his spare time, Smith enjoys piloting planes.