Put Some Zing in Your Zoom:
Making the Most of Online PD
Providing effective professional development has become more challenging given the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are many attempts to provide online professional learning opportunities for educators, participants in these sessions are not always engaged in meaningful, active learning. To address these challenges, we have been using video conferencing technology paired with tangible materials to engage a cohort of remote online early childhood educators in professional development in early mathematics education. In this presentation, we will highlight strategies that we have found to be playful, fun, and engaging in online professional development. Our approach will introduce participants to ways they can utilize technology to create a safe and inclusive learning environment, encourage collaboration among participants, and incorporate physical movement. Participants will engage in a professional learning activity, reflect on the engagement strategies they experienced, and plan ways to incorporate these strategies into their own work with educators.
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Presenters:
Paul Reimer
Paul is the Executive Director of the AIMS Center for Math and Science Education in Fresno, CA. His research focuses on teaching and learning in mathematics, science, and technology education. Paul’s recent work explores innovations in the design and implementation of professional learning with early childhood teachers in STEM domains. Drawing on situative perspectives of learning, Paul's research utilizes design-based research methods to examine play as an embodied approach to learning across ages and contexts. Paul has spent more than 20 years in public education as an elementary teacher, mathematics coach, and adjunct university instructor. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Educational Psychology & Educational Technology program at Michigan State University and currently serves as Co-Organizer of the Mathematical Play working group for the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA). Paul lives in Fresno, CA with his wife and three teenage children.
Beverly has worked in education for the last 18 years as a teacher, math specialist, coach, professional developer, and educational consultant. She is passionate about engaging with educational research that can empower teachers to equip all students to understand mathematics. She is excited to support teachers and empower them to teach mathematics utilizing best practices in a way that equips students to deepen their mathematical knowledge. Her bachelor’s degree, California teaching credential, and master’s degree in Math Education were completed at Fresno Pacific University.
Bev Ford
Brook Williams
Brook began as a High School mathematics teacher in the Central Valley, and has taught middle school math as well. Brook also gained experience in the public education system as a department leader, instructional coach, education consultant, and curriculum developer. She is determined to understand and translate current research in mathematics education in order to support students in learning, and teachers in the classroom. Although Brook has experience teaching most math courses in High School, her focus was with students who struggled with mathematics which has fueled her passion to work in the realm of research, in order to address the needs in math education. As a graduate from Fresno State University, Brook earned a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Education.