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Join our 5-week course
Educators are invited to take part in a new 5 week, 15-hour professional development (PD) course for teaching mathematics at the K-12 level in a joyful way, using the tradition of math circles - groups of students with a teacher-facilitator, which have existed in Eastern Europe for over 100 years, and in the US for over 35 years. In a math circle, students use their prior knowledge, gained in prior years in school math classes, in combination with logic and pattern recognition from their everyday life, and instruction from math circle teachers, to solve unusual problems that they haven't seen before.
How it works:
Rather than showing the students what must be done and having them repeat it on similar problems, the lead facilitator introduces the topic, gets the students excited about it, and solves a fundamental introductory problem with the whole class. Students then work in small groups, with a teacher who acts like a guide, on problems of increasing difficulty. The goal is for students to develop deep thinking, stamina, and creative problem-solving skills, while also sharpening the math skills they learned in schools.
Teachers will practice implementing Math Circles with language development in mind. This will include observation of classroom language, application of the WIDA Framework (2020) to write language objectives for Math Circle instruction and to evaluate how activities support language and content learning, practice emphasizing key vocabulary during collaborative problem-solving discussions, and discussion of grouping configurations to support language and mathematics learning.
Professional Development Details:
Pre-class meetings: teachers meet each week for 5 weeks on Zoom for 60 minutes to go over the week's lesson, solve the problems themselves, write a language objective and discuss areas where students might need language and conceptual support.
Class-time training: On 5 Saturdays for 90-minutes at Harvard University's Science Center, PD participant educators will start by observing math circle classes led by others, joining the group as observers first. As the educators become more comfortable, they will take on more responsibility in the math circles. By the final class, PD participant educators will be able to lead the group on their own. Time includes 15-minute meeting before class, 60-minutes in a Math Circle classroom, 15-minute post-class meeting.
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Goals of the Course:
1. Learn a different kind of approach to teaching math, that focuses on joy through rigor.
2. Learn different ways of supporting language development in a rigorous math class – through language objectives developed prior to lessons and techniques implemented during lesson delivery, such as incorporating images, elements of students’ home cultures, collaborations with parents, and more.
3. Identify and practice multiple ways of supporting students with a variety of learning differences.
As the final product, participants will submit a lesson plan that implements math circle methods and promotes language development and a written reflection on their learning.
Logistics:
Cost:
Training Days: Thursdays
January 8, 15, 22, 29, and February 5
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM over Zoom
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Math Circle Class Days: Saturdays
January 10, 17**, 24, 31, and February 7
Harvard University's Science Center
1 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Choose the time that aligns best with the grade level you teach:
(Times include 15 minutes of settling in pre-class, and a 15 minute debrief after class).
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM - Grades 4-8
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM - Grades 1-3
**NOTE: the January 17 class will be during CMC's Annual Math Festival, which is at the Fletcher-Maynard Academy in Cambridge, from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. 1-hour time slots will be available for course students and scheduled closer to the event.
$450 fee per student,
with a 50% discount for anyone who teaches at a Title I School.
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Credits:
Receive 15 PDPs upon completion
PDP's will be granted through Bridgewater State University.
Credits may be purchased through Bridgewater State University.
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Registration Deadline:
Please register by December 14, 2025.