Europe East hosts Math Alignment Workshop

The secondary and elementary math instructional systems specialist (ISS) team from Europe East hosted a cross complex collaboration at the Europe East District Office for fifth and sixth grade teachers from the Kaiserslautern, Ramstein, Baumholder, and Wiesbaden complexes on April 12, in an effort to improve the transition of students from elementary math concepts to secondary math concepts.

Teachers had the opportunity to discuss complex specific concerns and issues with the transition from fifth and sixth grade. The teachers also worked together on mathematically rich tasks centered on fifth and sixth grade standards to facilitate conversation about effective teaching strategies used at both levels.  

“Being able to collaborate with other dedicated fifth and sixth grade math teachers within the district was a valuable learning experience that I hope becomes a norm for the future. My two biggest takeaways from the collaboration were the opportunities to vertically align the ‘BIG IDEA’ learning goals both in fifth and sixth grade, as well as how to incorporate best teaching strategies with a focus on fractions and ratios in the classroom. I hope we can continue this collaboration through fifth and sixth grade focused FCT's, teacher-to-teacher observations, and future professional development in the middle school grades that focus on best practices for teaching math. We can learn a lot from our creative elementary school colleagues!" stated Mindy Moed, Wiesbaden Middle School sixth grade math teacher. 

The work teachers did with these tasks helped make the cohesion of fifth and sixth grade standards visible, and teachers saw how they connected. Teachers also found time to talk about the various levels of expectations they have from their students at each level to enhance the coherence of effort between the grade level teachers. Many of the teachers found it valuable to discuss how they can identify students who may need extra support as they transition between buildings.

“Listening to how we work with complex mathematical ideas as our students was very valuable. The day was filled with rich conversations that highlighted how students interact with ideas and how the teachers at each grade level teach, reinforce, and remediate the standards. We were able to see overlapping ideas and potential holes in our plan. It was a very productive day and hopefully something we commit to moving forward, " stated Kyle Wilson, Ramstein Middle School sixth grade math teacher. 

The workshop was intended to create a cross-complex network of collaboration between our fifth and sixth grade teachers to improve the transition from elementary math to secondary math concepts. We asked teachers to examine the math teaching framework centered around the key shifts within College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (CCRSM). We also asked them to think about how the fifth and sixth grade standards aligned in terms of securely held knowledge, academic vocabulary, and effective teaching strategies.

At the end of the day, many teachers felt that the work they did was extremely valuable. The time to collaborate with peers and hear diverse opinions and perspectives from peers they would not normally get to collaborate with was invaluable. This workshop enhanced the coherence of effort amongst the participants and is an amazing step forward in enhancing the success of our students as they transition from fifth to sixth grade. 

“One of the most powerful takeaways from the day was sharing the importance and power of offering and using manipulatives and models to build understanding and help students represent their thinking beyond a written explanation or simply going through the steps of solving a problem procedurally," stated Emma Schruefer, Aukamm Elementary School fifth grade teacher.