TEXAS GRADUATE CENTER
TGC now offering Student University Tours
Harvard Professor Visits RGV To Discuss Quality Math Instruction
Donna School Board Recognizes math Teachers
February2015
Monthly
February 2015
2 | Texas Graduate Center
TEXAS GRADUATE CENTERMonthly
PresidentDr. Roland Arriola
executive directorDr. Mary Alice Reyes
AssociAte directorAdriana V. Lopez
designer/ PHotogrAPHer David Alvarado
AcAdemic AdvisorDr. Edwin LeMaster
tgc oFFices1098 W. Expressway 83
Mercedes, Texas78570
The Texas Graduate Center (TGC), a component of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, has been established to support programs in higher education that will guide new and emerging leaders in education to implement transformational change that will impact schools and communities. TGC will offer distance learning graduate programs from outstanding universities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The TGC will make available the latest telepresence technology and virtual classrooms with direct connection to world-class undergraduate and graduate programs from across the country. TGC will also serve as a college and career readiness facilitator offering assistance in selecting, preparing and enrolling in nationally recognized graduate programs.
About Us:
Annenburg hall,harvard university
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
04 TGC now offering Student University ToursTexas Graduate Center (TGC) staff met with district representatives this month to discuss a new initiative at the TGC.
08 Harvard Professor Visits RGV To Discuss Quality Math InstructionHarvard professor Brendan Kelly recently led two workshops as part of the Texas Graduate Center’s Leadership Series in partnership with Region One GEAR UP..
14 Donna School Board Recognizes Math TeachersThania Chapa and Patricia Vivanco were officially accepted into the Texas Graduate Center in November 2014 and began their Harvard course work in January 2015.
In this issue...Harvard UniversityExtension School
The Texas Graduate Center has partnered with the
Harvard University Extension School to
implement the Math for Teaching Graduate
Program. Harvard Extension School is one
of the twelve degree-granting schools of Harvard
University, offering professional certificates
and liberal arts-based undergraduate and
graduate degree programs aimed at nontraditional
students, as well as open-enrollment continuing
education courses.
Dr. Kelly helps facilitate a pro-fessional learn-ing community specifically for middle school math teachers. He graduated from the Uni-versity of Utah with a PhD in mathematics. During his time in Utah, he developed innovative curriculum to support stu-dents that were transitioning from high school to college. His passion is to improve mathematics education.
February 2015
4 | Texas Graduate Center
STUDENT UNIVERSITY TOURSTexas Graduate Center (TGC) staff met with district
representatives this month to discuss a new initiative at the TGC.
MATHTEACHCOLLABORATIVE
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
For the first time this summer, the TGC is offering student university tours to MATHTEAH Collaborative partnering school districts. The tour will include visits to Harvard University, MIT, Boston University and Brown University. Ten
districts were represented at the meeting. TGC plans to take 46 students and 13 district sponsors on the t our. Students, sponsors and TGC staff are scheduled to de-part for Boston on June 10, 2015. The following school
districts have been invited to participate: Donna ISD, Edinburg CISD, Hidalgo ISD, La Joya ISD, Lyford CISD, McAllen ISD, Mercedes ISD, Mission CISD, PSJA ISD, San Benito CISD, Weslaco ISD.
UNIVERSITY
STUDENT
TOURSexclusive to our mathteach
collaborative partners!
TexasGraduaTeCenTer
Students will visit the following schools:
Harvard University Massachusets Institute of Technology Brown University Boston University
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
GIRLS ENGAGED IN MATHEMATICS
Building CONFIDENCE and reducing MATH ANXIETYThe notion that only boys can become scientists and engineers has persisted over time. Studies have shown that negative stereotypes about girls’ abilities in mathematics and science have impacted their performance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and math) areas.
to schedule a gem camp at your school, contact: Executive DirectorDr. Mary Alice [email protected]
girls engaged in mathematics is a public-private initiative of the texas
valley communities foundation
G.E.M.
February 2015
8 | Texas Graduate Center
Harvard Professor Visits RGV to Discuss Quality Math Instruction
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
harvard professor brendan
Kelly with members of cohorts i, ii and iii
MATHTEACHCOLLABORATIVE
Leadership Series
February 2015
10 | Texas Graduate Center
H arvard professor Brendan Kelly recently led two workshops as part of the Texas Graduate Center’s
Leadership Series in partnership with Region One GEAR UP. On day one, Dr. Kelly presented on Quality Math Instruction at Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg, TX. In attendance were local district adminis-trators and math teachers from across the Rio Grande Valley, including Texas Graduate Center (TGC) cohort mem-bers. Dr. Kelly stressed the importance of “low-floor/high-ceiling” questions and activities that encourage students to think of creative ways to solve math-ematical problems. He discussed the importance of integrating perplexity
into math instruction as a way of high-lighting the creativity in mathematics which is often lost in math classes. “I think the whole idea of embedding perplexity in our lessons as a means of quality instruction is what we real-ly need to focus on as mathematics educators,” said Karina Araiza, PSJA math teacher and Cohort I member. “The trend now is engaging students through relevance, but they should also be dying to solve the riddle provided by the mathematics coach, and contin-ue persevering until they figure out the puzzle, that is the whole idea of per-plexity,” Araiza said. Daniel Lara, an Edinburg math teacher and Cohort III member was also in at-
day 1leadership
series: district math administrators and teachers attended
Kelly’s workshop at region one
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
February 2015
12 | Texas Graduate Center
day 2teachers’ circle:
tgc cohort members met at Weslaco east high school to participate in
a teacher’s circle model
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
tendance, “I really enjoyed the workshop at Region One. The activity that he had us doing (with the cube) forced me to really think about how to come up with a solution to the problem at hand,” Lara said, “It made me think in new ways.” Dr. Kelly’s second workshop was held at Weslaco East High School for TGC master’s students cur-rently pursuing their Math for Teaching graduate degree from Harvard Extension School. Dr. Kelly discussed and modeled Teachers’ Circles for the group. Math Teachers’ Circles are professional de-velopment communities of mathematics teachers and professors who meet regularly to work on rich mathematics problems. Teacher’ Circles encourage teachers as mathematicians, connect mathematics professors with K-12 education, and build a K-20 community of mathematics professionals commit-ted to fostering a love and understanding of math-ematics among all students.“I think that math teacher circles is a revolutionary idea in order to promote quality mathematics in-struction, the beauty in doing mathematics is what drew most of us math teachers into the profes-sion,” said Araiza. “Sadly, after a few years into the profession, one starts to loose the spark, by being constantly exposed into the explorative process and research of mathematical concepts with other individuals who enjoy the same hobby, one main-tains a fresh perspective on the subject and is able to communicate the concepts better.” Dr. Kelly is a Preceptor of Mathematics at Har-vard University. He will be teaching MATH S-318 Groups and Symmetry this summer at Harvard’s Extension School. At Harvard, Dr. Kelly works closely with the teaching mission of the Harvard’s mathematics department, developing curriculum and mentoring new instructors. He is working with HarvardX developing a MOOC to increase access for freshmen to take calculus their first semester of college. Dr. Kelly also helps facilitate a professional learning community specifically for middle school math teachers.
i thinK that math teacher circles is a revolutionary idea in order to promote quality mathematics
instruction
February 2015
14 | Texas Graduate Center
D onna ISD recognized two of its teach-ers this month who were accepted into the Texas Graduate Center’s Math for
Teaching Harvard Program. Thania Chapa and Patricia Vivanco are the newest members of Cohort III. They were officially accepted into the Texas Graduate Center in November 2014 and began their Harvard course work in January 2015. Ms. Chapa teaches at Sauceda Middle School, Ms. Vivanco is a teacher at Donna High School. They are currently taking their first Harvard graduate course, Math and the Greeks. In June, their cohort will join Cohort I and II for their annual Harvard summer residency in Cambridge Massachusetts.
donna school board recognizes math teachers
TXGRADCENTER.ORG
Teaching Geometry Differently
When: Saturday, April 18, 2015Where: Region One ESCtime: 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Texas Graduate Center and Region One ESC GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! Partnership
Invite you to join us as we explore how geometry can be taught and learned differently. Sessions are presented by Rio Grande Valley teachers in the Mathematics for Teaching Masters program at Harvard University.
DR. DAniEl PlAS
PhD, BAylOR COllEgE Of MEDiCinE, 2005MAjOR: nEuROSCiEnCEBS, ThE univERSiTy Of TExAS-AuSTin, 1986MAjOR: PhySiCSBA, hARvARD univERSiTy, 1980MAjOR: ECOnOMiCS
Keynote SpeaKer:
February 2015
16 | Texas Graduate Center
The Texas Graduate Center is a public-private initiative of the
Texas Valley Communities Foundation.
Thank you to our MATHTEACH Collaborative
Partners: