December 2016 Edition
The Official Newsletter of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts, an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
A New Math Murmurs for the Holidays Welcome to the new Math Murmurs newsletter from ATMIM. We have switched from quarterly PDF files to monthly emails with the goal of providing information in an easier to access and more timely manner. We are also welcoming you, our members, to contribute to Math Murmurs. Email atmim.murmurs@gmail.com if you would like to share a lesson that went well, a favorite resource you use, or a thought-provoking article or blog post you have read recently. As you read through this month’s issue, let us know what you think about the new format and if you have any suggestions. Happy Holidays from everyone on the ATMIM Board!  Winter Conference 2017 - Next Generation MCAS
Submitted by Nancy Johnson How will the Next Gen MCAS affect your students this year and in years to come? Jass Stewart, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will give the keynote address focusing on the latest updates for Next Gen MCAS. Continue reading... Click here to register for the ATMIM Winter Conference. Spring Conference '17 Save the Date and Call for Presentation Proposals Submitted by Sandy Ollerhead Conference Information The ATMIM Spring Conference, Taking Risks in the New Frontier: Rigor, Reasoning, and Relevance, is coming up on March 24th, 2017, at Worcester State University. Continue reading... Call for Presentation Proposals We are currently accepting proposals for presentations at our Spring Conference. Please consider sharing your teaching ideas and submitting your speaker proposal form. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 15, 2016. Continue reading...  Featured Resource: WODBSubmitted by Cole Gailus
One of my favorite resources created by MTBoS (MathTwitterBlogosphere) is the website Which One Doesn’t Belong*(WODB). Just like the Sesame Street game “One of these things is not like the other," the problems in this resource show you four items, and you have to pick the odd one out. WODB problems, however, are so much more than the Sesame Street version because they are designed so you can make an argument for any of the four choices being different. The challenge is to find the reason(s) for each choice. Continue reading...
How Not to Quit
Submitted by Katie Aspell
A few weeks ago, upon checking my email, I saw that Dan Meyers had a new blog post entitled “Four Ways to Not Quit Teaching.” It was one of those days, you know, those days where the to-do list seems larger than life and between grading, planning, cleaning, and emailing I didn’t see sleep in the near future. So needless to say, it caught my eye. (I am a sucker for articles that have numbered lists anyways.) Continue reading... 
The Inaugural Margaret J. Kenney Presentation at ATMIM Spring Conference
Submitted by Joan Martin
The esteemed legacy of Margaret (Peg) Kenney, who died of complications from leukemia on July 5, 2016, will be kept alive by honoring her each year at our ATMIM Spring Conference. Peg’s dedication to math education was genuine and deep, her influence phenomenal. She will be greatly missed in the mathematics education community, both locally and nationally, both professionally and personally. Continue reading...
Meet ATMIM's Newest Board Member: Dr. Jason Hardin
Submitted By Katie Aspell
Dr. Jason Hardin, Assistant Professor at Worcester State University, joined the ATMIM board as a Director over this past summer. We are excited for Jason to continue to strengthen ATMIM’s connections to both college level math education and teacher preparation programs. Click here to learn more about Jason. 
A Message from TODOS
Linked below is a message from TODOS: Mathematics for All. For those that aren't familiar with TODOS, here is their mission statement: The mission of TODOS: Mathematics for ALL is to advocate for equity and high quality mathematics education for all students—in particular, Latina/o students. Click here to read a Message from TODOS (file will open as a PDF in a new window) In this message, TODOS reiterates its commitment to supporting equity in mathematics education. This is a message ATMIM fully supports!
New3 Math Conference
The New3 Conference is a joint conference of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York (AMTNYS), New Jersey (AMTNJ) and New England (ATMNE). This year's conference, which is hosted by AMTNYS, will be on July 9-12, 2017 at Siena College. Click here to learn more about the Second New3 Math Conference. (file will open as a PDF in a new window) Click here to read a report of last years New3 Math Conference.
Problem of the Month - RADAR
Submitted By John Bookston
I used to assign a Problem of the Month to my secondary students, at the start of the month, four or five times each year. Here is a nice “starter problem.” The Puzzle In this puzzle, you can move up, down, left, right, and diagonally up or down. You can start at any R, and you can use a letter more than once.
Explain why there are 144 ways to spell RADAR Share your news! Has something exciting happened recently in your professional life? Do you have a blog that you would like to promote? Are you planning an event or leading a PD session at your school? Have you published an article? Are you trying something new in your classroom? Let us know so we can share your news with the Massachusetts math educator community! |
Important Dates Dec. 15, 2016: January 12, 2017: March 24, 2017: July 9-12, 2017: November 2-3, 2017: |