Department of Mathematics and Philosophy

Spring 2019 Conference

68th Annual Western Illinois University Mathematics Teachers' Conference

  Common Core Mathematics:  Patterns and Conjectures

Friday, April 12, 2019 - 8:30 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.

(Check-In/Registration and Breakfast is 8:00-8:30 a.m.)

Keynote Speakers Darshan Jain

Opening Speaker:  Darshan Jain Presentation: Unstructured Problems that Support Structured Thinking. Students are inherently mathematical thinkers. They are quick to recognize patterns or identify that which is out of place. Yet, when working with algebraic structures they feel (or are led to feel) they are not able. We will explore a task that allows students (and teachers) to organize their thinking creatively and represent those patterns authentically. Doing so invites insights into the diversity of students' mathematical thinking and brings value and meaning to structured representations.
Bio: Darshan Jain is a Presidential Award Winner and the Director of Mathematics and Computer Science at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. As a mathematics teacher, Darshan has worked with students through an array of courses and has also served as a curriculum team leader. As Director of Mathematics and Computer Science, his current leadership foci include articulating a pathway for implementing Standards Based Grading within mathematics programs, supporting teachers’ implementation of high cognitive tasks, exploring equity and access through de-tracking curriculum, and building strong collaborative learning partnerships between teachers and teams across multiple grade-levels and programs.

Closing Co-speakers: Dr. Jackie Murawska and Paul Abrahamson (joint presentation) Jackie Murswska
Presentation:  Dance, Math, and Patterns: Hidden Mathematical Structures. Why do we teach mathematics? So that students can notice and describe patterns and structures where others see none, hiding in our everyday lives. Today, we will explore all things mathematical that are embedded in the study of dance! There’s more than just angle measures, rotation, and symmetry. We will look at many of the analogous themes common to both math and dance—from reversibility, parity, and generalizations, to nested patterns, economy of movement, choreography, and spatial relationships.

Bio: Jackie Murawska is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois and the current President of the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM). As a former high school and middle school teacher, she specializes in teaching mathematics content and methods to K-12 preservice teachers. In her research, Jackie is passionate about exploring ways to develop teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching.

Bio: Paul Abrahamson is the Artistic Director for the Chicago Ballet Center.  He has performed Paul Abrahamsonprofessionally with Joffrey Ballet II, American Ballet Theatre, Bejart’s Ballet of the XXth Century, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Radio City Music Hall.  Paul’s choreographic talents first gained international attention after winning first place at international choreographic competitions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina.  As a ballet instructor, he has become an advocate for the Cuban syllabus, and has taught and had his works performed in Spain, Finland, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and throughout the United States.  Paul founded the Chicago Ballet in 2001. In 2005, he opened the school of Chicago Ballet in Logan Square.  In 2014, the Chicago Ballet Center moved to Portage Park.

Schedule

Click Here for the 2019 Conference Speaker Schedule. (It's a Google Doc ;-)

Parking

Participants can park in the Horrabin Hall lot (# 19 on the attached map, for faculty/staff). Parking Services know that you will be coming to the conference that day. They said that it's fine; they won't be ticketing. If you arrive and the Horrabin Hall lot is full, you can try the Currens Hall lot (# 20 on the map; parking map link at the left).

Professional Development Hours

Teachers sign the sign-in sheet at the registration table. Following the conference, go to the following link: https://form.jotform.com/90926532773969 and complete the online form. Detailed instructions HERE. (The link is also in the folder.) You earn 6 PD hours for attending this conference.

Call for Speakers

We are no longer accepting proposals for 2019, but please consider sharing next year.
Breakout sessions are 35 minutes. Do you have ideas for teaching math that you would like to share?   Speaker Submission Form .

Registration - Register Today!

Registration form (Word) (.pdf form) If you have questions, call (309)298-1054. (We do take walk-ins for this conference, but we prefer that attendees register in advance.)

Poster

Click to download the Conference Poster. 

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