Three
Fairmont State Math Department faculty members, along with eight pre-service
mathematics teachers, attended the 2019 West Virginia Council of Teachers of
Mathematics Annual Conference March 15-16 at the Stonewall Jackson Resort.
Fairmont native Jamie Knight, Fairmont State University senior and graduate of North Marion High School, received the Teacher-in-Training Grant designed to help those who intend to teach mathematics in West Virginia. Jamie will graduate in May 2019 with a Math 5-Adult Education degree and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
Stephanie Cottrell, also a Fairmont native, Fairmont State senior, and graduate of Fairmont Senior, was a finalist in the poster contest. Her poster was one of only four posters under consideration to be the theme for the 2020 conference.
Two Fairmont State math faculty members presented at the conference. Dr. Stephanie Jones presented a session about “Making Student Reasoning Central to Discussions with True/False Equations.” Dennine LaRue presented “Explore Mathematical Induction.” In addition, Dr. Brian Blackwood attended.
Jones and LaRue also participated in a session concerning the planning stages for Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T.) M3T is designed to support and leverage a network of great 6th -12th grade math teachers to grow better math teaching in the state.
The conference offers a unique opportunity for preservice teachers to receive mathematics specific professional development and to network with other West Virginia teachers before they graduate. The eight pre-service mathematics teachers in attendance were Kaitlyn Ault, Anna Coffin, Stephanie Cottrell, Abbey Ferrari, Maggie Holt, Jamie Knight, Savanna McCrobie, and Brianna Oldaker.
The two-day conference focused on learning from other mathematics teachers in West Virginia about ways to improve mathematics instruction.
The keynote speaker was Christopher Danielson of Desmos and Stenhouse Publishers. His presentation, “From Counting to Calculus: Hooking Mathematicians at All Grade Levels,” gave examples to illustrate how all learners can function as mathematicians from Kindergarten to Calculus. Higher Education faculty met to discuss their role in Mathematics Education and Teacher Preparation in West Virginia.