Residency Programs

The residency program is an intensive training for instructors of mathematics in hands-on, minds-on approaches to teaching standards-based mathematics concepts, skills, and problem solving.

A math residency can be scheduled for any number of days. A grade level span and topic are chosen for the focus of each day of the residency . Teachers know what their needs are, but a list of typical topics is listed on the Topics page. All lessons include teacher packets that explain the lessons and provide reproducible game mats, score sheets, and other materials. Further, teachers are invited to contact me anytime they have questions related to math and math instruction.

I am happy to do training in Title-I settings, in special education classes, and in gifted programs, as well as in the regular classroom. I have taught all levels kindergarten through eighth grade, so I am comfortable teaching all aspects of mathematics education for those grades. The most typical model of delivery of services is suggested below, but you are welcome to organize the residency in any way that works best for you.

Sample Day in a Residency

The most effective teacher training comes with a combination of demonstration teaching and teacher workshops. Ideally, each day begins with 45 to 60 minutes of teacher workshop time to introduce the lesson and to teach how to use manipulatives in a more precise and directed manner, a manner that will facilitate students' proficiency with paper-and-pencil tasks--as the students make connections and understand why they're writing the math symbols they're writing.

The next period of time each day is the demonstration lesson with the students. As a guide in your planning, beginning-of-the-year kindergartners can be scheduled for about 45 minutes of demonstration lesson time, and end-of-the-year sixth graders can be scheduled for up to two hours of demonstration lesson time. Other student class times fall between these limits. Students actively engaged in manipulating blocks can work much longer without a break than students engaged primarily with talking and with writing words and symbols.

After a break, often lunch, the entire afternoon is devoted to teacher workshop time. This can go as late in the day as the teachers are willing to stay.

If class sizes exceed 24 students, please provide numbers so that enough materials are available. These suggestions for planning your week are designed to make things run as smoothly as possible, not to limit possibilities.