2022 Education magazine

Page 12 2022 Education Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS February / March 2022 Jacobs teaches fifth through eighth grade special education. C-EL Principal/ Superintendent Mrs. Laura Irwin said it was a great honor for these teachers to be chosen as conference presenters. The call for submissions for the conference was last April. Lessen and Jacobs sent in a paragraph describing their presentation and were chosen for a short list of possible presenters. They then had to submit a proposal with a session description, title and target audience. In July, they heard their presentation was chosen. Jacobs and Lessen’s presentation focused on how math workshops support universal design for learning. These are principles that make learning accessible. Just as wheelchair ramps make places accessible, lessons need to be accessible for all students. Jacobs said one focus was how to set up schedules and routines in classrooms, so students know what to expect and how to be successful. Additionally, Lessen and Jacobs talked about how problem-solving tasks help shape children as mathematicians. For example, they said when going into a store, no one will tell you that you need to add up prices to know how much you are spending. You must mentally keep an account. The teachers have asked students: “You have $20 to spend. What can you buy?” Lessen said it makes students think about costs. Jacobs said it also gets kids interested and helps them see how they can use math skills in real life. Another example Lessen likes using is having her students plan a thanksgiving dinner and go to a store’s website. She said as students choose items for their dinner, they realize how expensive everything is. Introducing authentic tasks can help students beyond the classroom. Their presentation highlights included discussing how games are often an important, but overlooked aspect of math workshops. One type of games Jacobs uses is what they call “evergreen” games because they can be used with any math concept. With these games, Jacobs said they teach the rules once and can then change out the skills students are practicing. The games can be adapted to all grade levels. For example, if students are playing “war” with cards, they might have to flip over three cards and to make a number, and compare a three-digit number. They may flip two cards and then must make a fraction. One Continued p