Event Sponsor: 

Century High School

Event Contact Name: 

Mary Palmer

Position or Title: 

Instructional Coach

Event Contact Phone: 

(701) 323-6522

Event Contact Email: 

mary_palmer@bismarckschools.org

Event Location: 

Century High School

Event Start Date: 

Event End Date: 

Objective and Outcomes: 

• Participants will analyze strengths and weakness in mathematical processes as directly related to spiral learning.
• Participants will collaborate with like-subject instructors to narrow down more specific skills for their individual content to help retention.
• Participants will help students apply foundational mathematical skills in new material.
• Participants will review, as a collective group, the foundational skills needed to be successful in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
• Participants will reflect on research-based practices and their own instructional practices in order to increase effectiveness and understanding of time management within the classroom.

Resources/Course Materials: 

• http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/about/why-it-works/spiral/
• https://tapintoteenminds.com/spiralling-guide/
• documents created by the math department highlighting topics to be spiraled into the curriculum.
• Jerome Bruner (educational psychologist credited with being the developer of spiral curriculums) articles and curriculum ideas: https://www.teachwire.net/news/ever-increasing-circles-what-the-spiral-curriculum-can-do-for-your-students
• https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-tips-improving-students-success-math
• https://www.learningliftoff.com/7-strategies-to-help-students-remember-what-they-learn/
• https://www.middleweb.com/37572/helping-students-recall-core-math-concepts/

Attendance: 

paper roster attendance at weekly meetings

Evaluation and Evidence of Learning and Application: 

1. Reflections on New Learning (Describe the information sharing or collaboration options your participants will engage in as evidence of reflection upon the session content.)
• Weekly meetings as a PLC and individual content areas: Teachers in the math department will meet regularly to share progress of spiral learning, both successes and frustrations. In sharing successes and struggles, teachers are encouraged to ask questions and search for evidence/research to propel the work (i.e. What do we do with students who lack to motivation to retain information? Would it help to provide a list of required topics in advance?)
• Another part of reflection will involve looking at student performance and analyzing what makes them effective for learning, what their mistakes are telling us. Each teacher will collect evidence of student growth in the area of spiral learning by choosing 3-5 students to track and monitor growth; teachers will also reflect on the correlation of this skill with academic achievement. At the end of this semester, teachers will share with their cross-content colleagues at a staff meeting -- share their approach, their strategies, and their successes.

2. Application of New Learning: (Describe what participants will be asked to do to show evidence of application of the session content to their work).
• Math teachers will implement various types of spiral learning through assessments, reassessments, classroom reviews, and daily lessons. In this process, teachers will identify power standards to be reviewed within each core subject area. These standards will be identified and aligned within the curriculum during our PLC meetings. Teachers will meet monthly to review student work and chart growth.