Penn Alexander Receives Math Ed Trust Grant

September 9, 2011 - The Penn Alexander School has received the 2011-2012 School In-Service Training Grant for PreK-5 schools, granted by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) through the Mathematics Education Trust (MET). 

Kindergarten teachers at Penn Alexander worked with Caroline Ebby, a lecturer at Penn GSE and an expert in the teaching of mathematics, to develop the winning proposal. Only one grant is awarded each year in the K-5 category. 

Titled “Connecting Mathematical Practices to Mathematical Content Through Modeling Real World Situations,” the proposal was based on many years of collaboration among the teachers and GSE partners to support high-quality mathematics instruction at the school. 

For this project, Penn Alexander will engage in professional development that focuses on integrating the process of modeling real-world problems into the existing math curriculum. Teachers in K-5 classrooms will select rich contexts that enable their students to conceptualize, model, and use math skills and concepts to understand situations that are both complex and realistic. 

The goal of this effort is to develop students’ deep understanding of essential concepts and practices as defined by the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and the NCTM Focal Points. 

“Through inquiry, classroom implementation, and collaboration,” says Ebby, “we will give students new opportunities to use math to understand the world around them--– helping them move from concrete to abstract reasoning as they learn to ‘mathematize’ real-world situations.” 

Penn Alexander piloted this approach at the kindergarten level in the 2010-11 academic year. According to Mike Lowe, the PAS teacher who spearheaded this project, "These initial efforts were very promising, and teachers at other grades were asking if they could do something similar." 

The Mathematics Education Trust channels contributions through the creation and funding of grants, awards, honors, and other projects that support the improvement of mathematics teaching and learning. The MET School In-Service Training Grant is supported by the Clarence Olander Fund and NCTM. 

In addition, NCTM accepted the PAS teachers’ proposal to present this project at the national NCTM conference, which will be held in Philadelphia in April 2012.

Contact: Kat Stein, Exec. Director of Communications / katstein@gse.upenn.edu / (215) 898-9642