Northwest Math Conference 2012

Mathematics in Bloom 2012 – Victoria, BC

What can I say but… ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING… or AFL for short.  Once again, I am out and about presenting what I know and understand about AFL and how it dramatically changed my secondary mathematics teaching practice for the better.  This year’s mathematics teachers conference was held in Victoria on October 18-20th.  This was the Northwest Conference.  It’s a joint venture with Oregon State and Washington State teachers.  There were more than 800 attendees.  I must admit, I am a professional development junkie.  I like learning about mathematics education and what I can do to make mathematics fun for everyone.  The underlying theme I got this year was… MAKE MATH ENGAGING.  Makes sense to me.  Obviously, my entry point to engagement is with AFL.  Although I spent much of my time at the event volunteering with the BCAMT (BC Association of Mathematics Teachers) to help with the conference, I managed to see two keynote speakers… Dan Meyer and Jerry Johnson… both from the United States.  Their entry point to engagement is problem solving and heart/courage/brains, respectively.  What was clear to me is… it doesn’t matter how you go about getting students engaged in mathematics… what does matter is your passion for the subject area and what you believe is most important to learning mathematics.  When students feel the vibe that you actually care about learning and teaching mathematics, students will feel exactly the same way.  This is social learning theory at its finest.  Much enjoyed the keynote speakers and much enjoyed the Northwest Math Conference 2012.  http://www.nwmc2012.com/