PCMI 2023 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 in grades 7-12, 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 July 16-August 5, 2023.

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

Teachers should be:

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

These goals are reflected in the three strands that comprise the core summer courses and activities.

Goal 1: Math Course - Developing Mathematical Ideas

(2 hours per day)

In this course, teachers investigate an aspect of mathematics loosely related to the overall mathematical theme of PCMI, Quantum Computation. 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, along with reconnecting with the discipline as a learner.

Goal 2: Reflecting on Practice - From Discussion to Discourse

(75 minutes per day)

Teaching consists of many moving parts including choosing tasks, managing discussions, providing feedback, and motivating students to learn. In summer 2023, TLP participants will consider research related to the role of student talk in building deep mathematical knowledge. This work will be grounded in the study of practice in both the United States and other countries, as participants collaboratively examine how to design better opportunities for all students voices to not just be present, but be centered, in the mathematical work of the classroom. 

Goal 3: Working Groups & Book Club

(2 hours, 4 days per week)

Each participant selected for the Teacher Leadership Program will be assigned to small groups focused on expanding their capacity as a resource to the broader school mathematics profession. While each working group will act as a distinct small learning community, with a distinct trajectory, they will all address the goal of personalized professional growth for participants. As part of the application process, prospective participants will be asked to rank the possible Working Groups as part of the process of finalizing this year’s offerings. The final schedule of Working Groups will be communicated as part of the acceptance process, and participants will be notified of their Working Group assignments prior to their arrival at PCMI. 

Possible Working Groups:

• Advocacy (this group will work towards developing educators’ voices for use beyond the classroom, and explore crafting opportunities to use that voice)
• Coding (this group will examine the range of possible intersections between computer science and school mathematics)
• Developing Professional Capacity (this group will support participants in expanding their knowledge base to take on a variety of leadership roles including but not limited to the department chair, peer coach, conference speaker or pd provider)
• Desmos Computation Layer (this group will explore the computation layer to become more adept at crafting and editing activities and lessons in Desmos)
• School Mathematics for Social Change (this group will focus on strategies to empower all students to develop robust math identities and agency, and support teachers in examining the intersection of social change and teaching mathematics)
• Three-Dimensional Printing (this group will explore the mathematics behind the creation of 3-D printed objects, and the potential for incorporating 3-D printing into school math instruction)
• Undergraduate Course (this group will attend a theme-related course in the Undergraduate Summer School; this year's research topic will be Quantum Computing) 
• Writer’s Workshop (this group will workshop participant’s conference presentations and/or journal articles)

All TLP participants will also participate in a book club that will meet once a week with members of other programs from across the broader PCMI community. Meetings will occur weekly at lunchtime. Participants will be provided with the book to be read. The final selection will be communicated as part of the acceptance process.