Monday, October 17, 2011

MEDIA ALERT and Event Calendar

Calling All Math Teachers to Albuquerque, Nov. 2–4!

NCTM's Regional Conference: A Focus on Reasoning and Sense Making in Technology

WHO: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

Local Hosts: New Mexico Council of Teachers of Mathematics

WHAT: NCTM's Regional Conference and Exposition, "Technology and Mathematics: Get Connected!" will offer more than 250 sessions and workshops, covering all levels, pre-K–grade 12. The three-day conference will feature many presenters from New Mexico and the nearby states of Arizona, Colorado, and Texas. Other presentations will be given by educators from throughout the United States and Canada and from as far away as Brisbane, Australia. Topics will range from using technology to help all students achieve greater growth to differentiating instruction for at-risk learners to guidance on implementing the Common Core State Standards.

WHEN: November 2–4

WHERE: All conference activities will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Presentations: Keynote speaker Tim Tyson will explore changes that have taken place in the last 100 years, including the role of children, transitioning from an agricultural era to the information age, and the impact of globalization on our lives. He will present the Opening Session, "Is It Time to Upgrade? Making the Case for Change," on Wednesday, November 2, 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, November 3 and 4, an interactive workshop will offer tips for all new and preservice teachers on how to manage their classrooms, work with parents, and handle homework. The sessions will run from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Thursday and from 10:30 a.m. to noon Friday.

On Thursday, November 3, NCTM President Mike Shaughnessy will present "Empowering Students through Reasoning and Sense Making: Video Clips and Tasks," in which he will discuss NCTM's ongoing high school initiative on reasoning and sense making. This session will be held from 11:00 a.m. to noon.

Unique to this conference is a strand devoted to the Common Core State Standards. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in workshops to learn strategies and activities aligned with teaching the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, and hear the latest from experts on what the Common Core means for their classroom, curriculum, and students.

Registration: Attendees may register on site in Hall NE/SE of the Albuquerque Convention Center on Wednesday, November 2, 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, November 3 and 4, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Exhibits: Hundreds of the latest education products will be on display in Hall NE/SE of the Albuquerque Convention Center on Thursday, November 3, and Friday, November 4, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

WHY: To facilitate an exchange of ideas among mathematics educators on the best teaching practices and how students learn mathematics, thus enabling teachers to return to their classrooms better prepared to teach mathematics to all students.

Preview all the conference offerings at the Albuquerque Regional Conference and Exposition.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education, supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research. With more than 100,000 members and 230 Affiliates, NCTM is the world's largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education in prekindergarten through grade 12. The Council's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics includes guidelines for excellence in mathematics education and issues a call for all students to engage in more challenging mathematics. Its Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics identifies the most important mathematical topics for each grade level. Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making advocates practical changes to the high school mathematics curriculum to refocus learning on reasoning and sense making. NCTM is dedicated to ongoing dialogue and constructive discussion with all stakeholders about what is best for our nation's students.

Media interested in arranging interviews or attending the conference, please contact Gay Dillin, Communications Manager, gdillin@nctm.org, (703) 620-9840, ext. 2189.