In their series of professional books for teachers, Young Mathematicians at Work, Catherine Twomey Fosnot and Maarten Dolk described Mathematics in the City, an innovative project where teachers helped young children construct a deep understanding of number and operation in a math-workshop environment. Now they and two colleagues from the project have developed a flexible, video-based, digital context for inquiry into the teaching and learning of mathematics that will change how professional development is conducted.
Designed for you, the workshop leader or college instructor, the Working with the Ratio Table Resource Package enables your in- or preservice teachers to not only watch but interact with video that depicts classroom teachers as they listen to, question, and interpret students' thinking; develop connections between mathematical ideas and strategies; and, ultimately, develop vibrant mathematical communities in their classrooms.
The Resource Package includes three valuable components: - A completely interactive CD-ROM, where your workshop participants can explore-independently or under your guidance-videos of instruction and assessment; sample children's work over time to analyze development; take and save notes on what they see; capture specific frames or footage; and then email their captured video clips and notes to other members of your professional development workshop. The context of the classroom will be at the fingertips of your participants for exploration.
- A Professional Development Overview Manual that provides general advice on how you can use the CD-ROM for staff development.
- A Facilitator's Guide whose field-tested content is specific to the CD-ROM and includes helpful suggestions for using video clips and student examples on the CD to design rich professional development experiences; sample dialogue to help you anticipate what your participants might say; tips for facilitating discussions among teachers; and descriptions of the mathematical ideas being explored.
In Working with the Ratio Table, your workshop participants will observe sixth graders as they construct some of the big ideas related to fractions, making connections between ratios and equivalence and uncovering landmark division strategies like comparison through common denominators. By studying the use of carefully crafted problems designed both to generate a range of solution strategies and to highlight the power of ratio tables and other models for division, teachers will discover what a valuable tool real-life contexts are for building a solid foundation in mathematics. System Requirements for CD-ROM
Windows/PC
Pentium II Processor
266MHz (or higher)
Windows 98 (or higher)
64 MB RAM (more recommended)
SVGA Color Display (or better)
4x CD-ROM Drive (or faster)
Sound Card
16-bit Flash(TM) Player and Acrobat Reader(R)
Quicktime 6.0 (or higher)
Mac
PowerPC Processor G3/233MHz (or higher)
System 9.2 or 10.2 (or higher)
64 MB RAM (more recommended)
SVGA Color Display (or better)
4x CD-ROM Drive (or faster)
Sound Card
16-bit Flash(TM) Player and Acrobat Reader(R)
Quicktime 6.0 (or higher)
*Please note CD-ROM is not compatible with Mac OS X 10.7
About the Author :
Antonia Cameron is a Master Coach for K-6 Mathematics at Metamorphosis. Former co-director of Mathematics in the City, a national center for professional development at The City College of New York, Toni is coauthor of numerous facilitator guides and Contexts for Learning unit books. She is a nationally known mathematics coaching coach and speaker on professional development practices.
Maarten Dolk is a researcher and developer at the Freudenthal Institute for science and mathematics education in the Netherlands. He is involved in the development and research of in-service and multimedia in-service materials for teachers, staff developers, and teacher educators in a number of countries. He has been a collaborating partner in Mathematics in the City since its inception and is co-author of the first three books in the Young Mathematicians at Work series.
Cathy Fosnot is a leading voice in mathematics education. She is Professor Emerita of Education at the City College of New York and the founder of Mathematics in the City, a national center for professional development located at the college. In 2007 she established New Perspectives on Learning to devote her time to speaking around the world, fostering school change through professional learning and support, and producing new resources and materials. Watch Cathy talk about the importance of context in math. Follow Cathy on Twitter @ctfosnot
Sherrin B. Hersch is a co-principal investigator at The City College of the City of New York, overseeing mathematics grants funded by several national agencies. She frequently has led workshops using the CD-ROMs developed for the Resource Package, and has field tested the materials. Her deep interest in learning and teaching was shaped by her years working with children as a primary classroom teacher.
Bill Jacob is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition to his mathematical research, he develops and teaches courses for pre-service teachers. He is coauthor with Catherine Fosnot of Young Mathematicians at Work: Constructing Algebra and has been a collaborator with Mathematics in the City for twelve years.
