Events

Registration Deadline: FRI. 11/8/24 

If you require ASL interpretation, please contact Gail Rutan at [email protected] by October 25, 2024

AGENDA

8:25 am – Login and test your audio and video

8:30 am – WELCOME & INFORMATION – Patsy Egan, ATLAS

8:45 am – KEYNOTE 1: Hidden Teachers: The Stories of Adult Basic Education Mathematics Teachers in the United States – presenter by Dr. Brooke Istas

Dr. Istas will present a study of n=38 ABE mathematics and numeracy teachers’ personal narratives using life history methodology to share and understand their personal narratives about their own mathematical journey. To learn about their mathematical identity through their lived experiences as mathematics learners and their understanding of mathematics as an ABE mathematics and numeracy teacher. The stories of this population will be shared, and the implications for adult numeracy research and practice will be discussed.

9:45-9:55 – BREAK

9:55-11:35 – KEYNOTE 2: Students Need Your Conceptual Understanding – presented by Amy Vickers

How well do you understand the math you teach? In Adult Education, as generalists, we often find ourselves teaching math when we don’t necessarily feel sure of our math background. In this session, we will do activities to see how building your conceptual understanding can help students. Spoiler: Learning along with students is good!

11:35-12:05 – LUNCH

12:05-1:45 – KEYNOTE 3: Will This Be on the Test? – presented by Sarah Lonberg-Lew

Standardized testing, whether it is for high school equivalency or measuring student gains, is a major concern in adult numeracy classes. It can be tempting to “teach to the test” in the hopes of getting students ready to get a passing score as quickly and painlessly as possible. However, making test preparation the main focus of instruction does not create lasting learning and often is not even effective in achieving passing scores or demonstrating gains. It is possible to teach conceptually and do explicit test preparation at the same time. When students get exposure to—and practice with—standardized test questions in a context that prioritizes conceptual understanding and flexible thinking, they will be more prepared to achieve test scores that fully reflect their skills and understandings.

In this workshop, you will be introduced to Test Talks, an instructional routine for building student confidence, understanding, flexibility, and familiarity with standardized test questions. You will experience Test Talks as a learner and learn how to facilitate them yourself. In addition, you will get access to a resource containing a bank of test questions to use with Test Talks.

1:45-2 – BREAK

2-3:30 – CONCURRENT SESSIONS

(A) Problem Strings: A Flexible Numeracy Routine to Build Reasoning – Kathryne Chiqui and Krista Paterson, Minneapolis Adult Education

Interested in further developing your own numeracy skills and learning how to support students in doing the same? Well, then this session is for you! In this session, expect to actively participate in a classroom routine called problem strings, followed by reflection and discussion about how to use this routine.

(B) Exploring CCRS Level D/E Standards – presented by Donna Escobedo, Metro North ABE, and Genna Hart, Project for Pride in Living

This session will look at how to make sense of the D/E standards and explore ways we can help students learn the math skills needed at these levels. We will practice how to break down these often confusing standards and split them into manageable pieces for deeper understanding. Versatility of this routine using 3 different levels of math content will be modelled. Free resources will be shared.

(C) Linear Functions for All – presented by Mark Trushkowsky, CUNY Adult Literacy Program

This session is designed to be accessible to all participants. All teachers, regardless of math teaching background, are encouraged to attend. In this session we will talk about rate of change and starting amount, which are fundamental (and accessible) elements of functions. We’ll look at how to help students analyze tables, rules, and graphs, and learn to use rates of change and starting amounts in solving problems. The activities we’ll be exploring come from a free math resource called Tools of Algebra: Linear Functions, which teachers can use with students.

GRADUATE CREDIT OPTION: Attendance at the virtual ABE Math Institute is free of charge.  Please note that ATLAS & Hamline are now able to offer this 1-day event as a CSPD (Continuing Studies Professional Development) course. You can sign up here, and for a $200 tuition fee, you can count attendance at this event as 1 graduate non-degree seeking credit.

IMPORTANT: Please note that this non-degree seeking credit can not count towards a degree, certificate or credential, but can be recognized within districts for CEUs/Credits toward lane/step changes.  Specific numbers of CEUs and how it can be used is district-specific, so please inquire at the district level.

This year’s featured presenters:

KEYNOTE: Brooke Istas, Ph.D.,  consultant, adult education mathematics subject matter expert, Cowley College Mathematics Faculty, and an adult education researcher. She is recognized internationally for her knowledge of adult mathematics and adult mathematical instruction. She has given several presentations at state, national, and international conferences on enhancing mathematical instruction, understanding higher-level mathematical content, teaching math at a distance, and contextualizing mathematics for engagement. She is always willing to share what she has learned with others.  She understands that adult education is enhanced through collaboration with other adult education programs. 

Brooke is also devoted to understanding adult learners’ perceptions of mathematics to identify moments of disconnect or frustration. Her research delves into pivotal moments when adult learners transition from positive to negative perceptions of math, aiming to alleviate anxiety and enhance learning experiences. She collects adults’ mathematical journeys through qualitative methods.

Additionally, Brooke is the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System), serving as the moderator for the Math and Numeracy Community of Practice. She is also a reviewer & trainer for the Math & Numeracy, Financial Literacy, and Science online resource collection. 

 Brooke is a fifth-generation rancher who resides on her family’s ranch in Kansas, where she carries on the tradition of operating a working ranch. She refers to land as her frontier and enjoys reading on the front porch. Her home is the birthplace of her grandmother. Living there makes her feel connected to all the generations before.

Amy Vickers teaches math and guides students to earn high school equivalency diplomas at Nicolet College, a technical college in northern Wisconsin. Previously she started with adult education and spent eight years teaching for Minneapolis Adult Education. Amy earned a M.Ed. in Adult Education from the University of MN and a M.A in Mathematics with an emphasis on Community College Teaching from University of Northern Iowa.

Sarah Lonberg-Lew has worked in the field of adult numeracy for over ten years, both as a classroom teacher and providing professional development for math and numeracy teachers. She is a consultant for the SABES (System of Adult Basic Education Support) Mathematics and Adult Numeracy Curriculum & Instruction PD Center at TERC where she develops and facilitates trainings and workshops and coaches numeracy teachers. She is the treasurer for the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN.)