Arizona Regional Center

Fall 2000

In its final year, our National Science Foundation (NSF) Local Systemic Change project continues to support the implementation of IMP™ and the teaching and learning of standards-based mathematics for all students. Our newest school, Alchesay High School, on the White River Indian Reservation, completed both Years 1 and 2 through their block schedule system. An additional two teachers joined the three teachers from this past year to offer all four years of IMP to the 660 primarily American Indian students. Jon Hoyt, mathematics department chair, reported that not only are the students successful in their mathematics classroom due to the student-centered approach, but the required writing is having a positive effect on their work in English classes.

The IMP high school teachers in the Sunnyside Unified School District have been involved in another NSF-funded project, Math and Parent Partnerships in the Southwest (MAPPS). Throughout the past year, they worked to develop leadership teams consisting of parents, teachers and administrators while attending Math Awareness Sessions. These sessions were designed for parents to improve the communication between parents and students about mathematics, to understand the changes in mathematics today, and to understand the need of mathematics in their students’ futures. An integral part of each session is to either experience or become aware of the mathematics of the adopted curriculum programs. In fall 2000, parents and teachers will be responsible for teaching these modules to other parents. These sessions, aimed at the mathematics from grades K–12, are a means of not only gaining parental support for existing programs but also of improving the mathematics-content knowledge of parents.

Spring 1999

The Arizona Regional Center currently supports 19 IMP schools. This past summer, many of the feeder middle-school teachers attended the professional development sessions for the Year 1 curriculum. These teachers are now implementing strategies and activities aligned with the IMP philosophy. Middle school students are solving Problems of the Week (POWs) and/or Problems of the Day (PODs) and completing write-ups in IMP fashion. Both POWs and PODs are available from a variety of sources for middle school students.

Arizona schools, teachers, and students are busily preparing the administration of the newly mandated state test, Assessment Instruments to Measure Standards (AIMS). High school students of the class of 2002 will be required to pass this test in order to graduate. This high-stakes assessment, which tests all strands of mathematics, is closely aligned with the mathematics taught in the first three years of IMP. Our spring and summer activities will address issues associated with the AIMS.

Spring 1998

Like others, Arizona IMP teachers spend many hours experiencing the curriculum and are engaged in professional-development activities aimed at enhancing teaching strategies. Activities for this school year include:

• The improvement of classroom discourse
• An increase in teacher reflection of practice
• An increase in the effective use of technology in the classroom

As part of their professional development, some teachers are viewing video lessons of mathematics classrooms and reflecting on the teaching, learning, and mathematics content of the lessons. These videos are the basis for in-depth dialogue and discussion on content, teacher beliefs, and classroom practices.

Other teachers are choosing to improve the discourse in their classrooms by informally researching the dialogue and discussions between themselves and their students. They then set goals for improving discourse and work with an IMP director or a mentor teacher to implement strategies that enhance questioning and enrich dialogue (and learning). An audio tape or video tape of the classroom is used to give the teachers feedback on their implementation of enhanced discourse strategies.

To improve the use of technology in their classrooms, teachers are engaged in a variety of activities, including learning to use a graphing calculator more effectively, having students write computer programs related to the mathematics in the IMP units, familiarizing themselves with the Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL), and determining where and how this handy device fits into the IMP curriculum.

Fall 1998

Arizona IMP welcomes 16 new teachers and two new schools, Hamilton High School in the Chandler Unified School District and the Montessori Education Center in Mesa, Arizona. Hamilton High opened its doors this August, and all of its mathematics teachers are involved in IMP. The Montessori Education Center is a charter school with one high school mathematics teacher dedicated to teaching IMP at the school.

We continue to collaborate with Arizona State University through our National Science Foundation–sponsored Local Systemic Change grant. Under that grant, a course about the best practices of teaching and learning was offered last spring to 17 ASU lecturers responsible for teaching first-year mathematics courses. This jointly designed and implemented course will be duplicated or extended in the next school year.

Our summer activities included professional development for Years 1–4. The agenda included the following topics: the IMP curriculum, the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students' understanding of functions, how the IMP curriculum and instruction relate to the goals of the INTEL Corporation, and brain-based learning. Participating in the activities were 13 middle school teachers who wish to improve their content knowledge and better prepare students for IMP or other Standards-based high school courses.

Also this summer, IMP teachers participated in an Eisenhower grant awarded to Dr. Marilyn Carlson. The grant is designed to restructure the mathematics courses offered to preservice teachers, and IMP teachers jointly wrote modules and/or gave feedback to the module writers. In this manner, Arizona IMP continues to support implementation through a systemic approach.

Spring 1997

The first IMP classes in Arizona were offered at South Mountain High School in Phoenix in the fall of 1992 by two teachers trained in California. Now, five years later, 16 schools have implemented IMP, with a total of 74 teachers and 8,440 students involved.

The Arizona site is based at the Maricopa Community College District and is directed by Nora G. Ramirez. High schools involved in the Phoenix Metropolitan area are South Mountain, Carl Hayden, North, Camelback, Central, Chandler, and Mesa. Other Arizona high schools involved are Mingus, Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, Sedona-Red Rock, Rio Rico, Desert View, and Sunnyside.

We've planned two additional summer inservice days that focus on analyzing teaching and learning in mathematics classrooms as it relates to IMP, as well as one inservice day on writing, portfolios, and assessing learning in an IMP classroom. Additional staff development days that focus on the IMP curriculum will be held in the fall and spring semesters.

For more information, contact Nora G. Ramirez at 602-731-8062 or ramirez@maricopa.edu.

Fall 1997

Intel Hosts Dialogue Day for Math, Science, and Technology Teachers

On Friday, October 3, math, science, and technology teachers from the Chandler Unified School District participated in an exciting staff development opportunity. As part of Intel's support of the Interactive Mathematics Program in the Chandler schools, Dialogue Day 1997 was developed. The goal of the day was to expand teachers' understanding of the role problem solving, critical thinking, team work, and communication play as they prepare students to be successful in the work force of the future.

After a tour of the facility, teachers were placed in the role of students and asked to use problem solving, communication, and team skills to solve an actual problem that faces Intel employees. The problem asks to find a way to ship 15 million chips out of the factory in three months. The different manufacturing processes, constraints, and variables were given, and teachers needed to use a spreadsheet to solve the problem.

Dialogue Day 1997 successfully communicated to teachers the importance of providing students opportunities to solve non-routine problems—using the necessary tools—and the importance of working as a team. It was emphasized that basic content knowledge, while important, should be taught in balance with experiences that include open-ended, problem solving opportunities.

Intel supports the efforts of teachers in the Chandler Schools to implement IMP, with personal computer and software donations, staff development, summer internships, and other equipment donations. Specifically, Intel has donated money so that teachers can be trained on the use of computers in the classroom. Chandler High School has a 30-station math computer lab running Key Curriculum's The Geometer's Sketchpad®.

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