Affiliate News
AMTEA (Alabama)
AMTEA had participation from many groups during our May meeting as we sought to unite mathematics education efforts in the state - Alabama Mathematics Leadership Alliance, Alabama Technology in Motion, Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Southern Research, and the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative. We also have a great number of outstanding individuals participating in AMTEA. We are very grateful to have Gary Martin, who has received the 2021 Excellence in Teaching in Mathematics Education Award, as a resource for the state of Alabama and excited that he is recognized for his contributions to AMTE and many other national organizations and publications. We are also proud to have Megan Burton, AMTE President-Elect, representing Mathematics Teacher Education in Alabama and at the national level.
During our virtual May meeting, we had great conversations taking place on a variety of topics. We discussed resources and alternative assignments for teaching undergraduate mathematics and methods courses in the fall of 2020. Things members wondered or noticed about inservice teachers and pre-service teachers in their region was also a topic for dialogue. The discussion ranged from teachers implementing distance learning, with some doing so very well and others struggling, to teacher support as inequities in the state become more evident and how well new probability and statistics standards will be implemented. AMTE Elementary and Secondary Standards were discussed in breakout sessions, where the focus was on clinical experiences with effective cooperating teachers; collaboration with math departments to support teacher candidates with content knowledge; and challenges for smaller programs having 3 math methods courses and 3 mathematics courses relevant to teaching mathematics. In this context the MTE-Partnership as a forum to work across institutions was discussed.
A subgroup finalized a draft for membership input related to the State Code and the identification of teachers who are suitable for hosting an intern. The AMTEA board approved the position statement and sent it to the ALSDE Teacher Education section for a response. Discussions and decisions on how to move forward based on the ALSDE’s response are still ongoing.
(MAT)^2 (Missouri)
The Missouri Mathematics Association for the Advancement of Teacher Training (MAT)^2 is continuing collaboration with the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create an Elementary Education Mathematics Pathway to help with transferability of general education mathematics classes for elementary education majors around the state. We are also discussing ways to increase recruitment and retention of mathematics teachers and the identified barriers that prevent them from earning certification. Our next meeting is December 5th from 4pm-6pm. E-mail jwall@nwmissouri.edu for the zoom link.
AMTEC (Connecticut)
The Associated Mathematics Teacher Educators in Connecticut (AMTEC) moved online during the latter part of 2020 as we all tried to ramp up for an unusual academic year. In August, we organized a series of three sessions to support membership in preparing for the fall. The sessions focused on Pedagogical Strategies (teaching teachers to teach in the online or hybrid environment), Engaging Preservice Teachers in Higher Order Mathematics Online, and Student Teaching and Clinic Placements in 2020-2021, which included members from the State department and practicing teachers. This fall, we hosted two low-key, online gatherings to support one another in our teaching, where we exchanged tools, ideas, successes and frustrations. We are currently in the process of planning for the spring, and look forward to continuing to bring together our community and expand our collective capacity.
MI-AMTE (Michigan)
MI-AMTE will be offering a series of webinars on the four core teaching practices that will be a focus of work in Michigan teacher preparation programs per new state teacher preparation standards. The four core teaching practices are (1) Building respectful relationships, (2) Leading group discussions, (3) Explaining and modeling core content, and (4) Eliciting and interpreting student thinking. These webinars will be designed to support our collective understanding of how to engage teacher candidates in learning to carry out these teaching practices and will take place monthly starting in November.
AMTE-NC (North Carolina)
The North Carolina Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators [AMTE-NC] affiliate hosted our third annual Preservice Teacher Poster Session the week of November 9-13th, 2020. While this poster session is typically held during the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics state conference, we transitioned to an online format this year and had over 100 participants present 54 different posters. Preservice teachers submitted a proposal of their poster that included a mathematics task, an appropriate grade level or grade band, learning goals, relevant Standards for Mathematical Practice, and authentic or hypothetical student work. Doctoral students from around the state provided feedback on each proposal, which preservice teachers took into account to create their final posters. During the week of November 9-13, posters were displayed via Padlet where members of the AMTE-NC community and preservice teachers engaged in dialogue about the tasks presented. Not only did the poster session provide an opportunity for preservice teachers to gain experience “presenting” at a conference, it also allowed for meaningful networking across the state. Please check out the event, including the outstanding posters, on the event page on the AMTE-NC website.
Managing your Affiliate Page in the AMTE Affiliates Directory
Is your affiliate’s page in the AMTE Affiliates Directory up to date? One representative from each affiliate can be granted access to edit that affiliate’s information in the online directory. Each affiliate page includes an overview section that can link to the affiliate website, a list of affiliate leaders, and a section for additional information.
To find out more about managing your affiliate’s webpage, go to https://amte.net/affiliates/manage The link to the AMTE Web Team provides an easy way to register or change your affiliate representative.
Your AMTE Affiliates Connections Committee
The 2020 ACC members and the regions/affiliates they serve appear below.
|
Hartono Tjoe |
ACC Chair |
Facilitates all ACC Reps |
|
Torrey Kulow |
West Region |
OR, CA, UT, TX, WME |
|
Diana Moss |
Midwest Region |
MI, IA, IL, IN, MO, WI |
|
Dana Franz |
Southeast 1 Region |
MD, NC, SC, GA, VA |
|
Jennifer Fillingim |
Southeast 2 Region |
FL, TN, MS, AL, KY |
|
Hartono Tjoe |
Northeast Region |
MA, CT, NJ, PA |
The Affiliates Connections Committee and Chair can be contacted through the email address: amteaffiliate@gmail.com or through contact information provided at https://amte.net/committee/affiliate-connections-committee.