PCMI 2019 Teacher Leadership Program

Making Mathematical Connections

The Teacher Leadership Program (TLP) at the IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI) Summer Session is a three-week residential professional development program for school teachers, held in Park City, Utah, as part of the larger PCMI program that involves all members of the mathematics community. The purpose of the TLP is to provide opportunities for teachers to experience and enjoy mathematics while participating in developing the art of teaching.  In addition, 6 quarter-credits of 400-level mathematics are available from the University of Washington for a modest fee.

The Teacher Leadership Program at PCMI will be held June 30 - July 20, 2019.

The Teacher Leadership Program at PCMI is structured around three goals:

All teachers should be involved in

• continuing to learn and do mathematics
• analyzing and refining classroom practice
• becoming resources to colleagues and the profession.

Each of these goals is reflected in the three strands that comprise the summer courses and activities.

Goal 1 Math Course: Developing Mathematical Ideas

(2 hours per day, 14 days in session)

In this course, teachers investigate an aspect of mathematics loosely related to the overall mathematical theme of PCMI, Quantum Field Theory and Manifold Invariants. The math course is a set of intricately sequenced questions that engage participants in doing mathematics, providing participants with the opportunity for authentic mathematical discovery. Through this experience, participants develop habits of mind for thinking about and doing mathematics, deepening their mathematical intuition, sense-making, and reasoning skills.

Goal 2 Reflecting on Practice: Teaching for Learning

(75 minutes per day, 14 days in session, plus opportunities for informal sessions in late afternoon and evenings)

Teaching consists of many moving parts including choosing tasks, managing discussions, providing feedback, and motivating students to learn. TLP participants will consider research related to teaching and learning mathematics with a particular focus on developing both conceptual knowledge and procedural fluency. The discussion will be grounded in the study of lessons and classroom practice in both the United States and other countries as participants work collaboratively to better understand how they can design experiences for all of their students that will enable them to grow as mathematics learners.

Goal 3 Working Groups

(2 hours, 4 days a week)

As part of their summer activities, each participant selected for the Teacher Leadership Program will be assigned to a small team that will focus on an activity related to implementing high standards in mathematics classrooms or to one of two special working groups focused on either (1) attending a course on the PCMI 2019 research topic, Quantum Field Theory and Manifold Invariants; or (2) designing and delivering a lesson to area high school students.  These teams will be formed after discussions and input from participants. As a part of the application process, you are asked to rank your first, second and third choice for Working Group participation. 

All participants will be notified of their Working Group assignments prior to PCMI.  Participants all will take part in a discussion of possible topics and foci for their Working Groups prior to the beginning of the summer program.

Working Group choices:

• Wisdom of Practice Repository
• Book Study
• Developing Professional Capacity: Teacher Leadership Roles (coach, department chair, cooperating teacher, mentor, PD)
• Developing Professional Capacity: How to Talk/Write/Do Conference Proposals
• Social Justice in Mathematics
• Academic Year Outreach (including workshops, online lesson study, and networking opportunities for TLP alumni)
• Lesson Study (group will design and deliver a lesson to area high school students and revise the lesson for use by other mathematics educators)
• Research Course - Quantum Field Theory and Manifold Invariants (group will attend an undergraduate-level course on the research theme of PCMI 2019)