Last week at Marietta City Schools, K-5 Math teachers in the district were rotating through a half day training involving place value progressions.
This emphasis on place value progressions is a part of the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum, which was adopted by Marietta City Schools two years ago. Bridges in Mathematics is inquiry-based and student centered, it focuses on developing mathematical reasoning while creating an inclusive and equitable learning community for students.
“The training is a supplement to the new math curriculum, which focuses more on student critical thinking and building number sense in the classroom. It is meant to reinforce for teachers who were there for the original trainings and provide new teachers a chance to familiarize themselves with the concepts,” this According to Tim Fleming, Director of Curriculum and Technology for Marietta City School District.
This is the second Bridges training provided to Marietta City Schools educators in the last several months. Fleming stated that regular trainings help educators in the district stay up to date and give new teachers opportunities to familiarize themselves with the curriculum. “On-going support and professional development is important to beginning anything new as well as sustaining our commitment to what is best for each student. That will always the main focus of all of our administrators and our educators.”
Emily Hopp, a Title I Teacher at Washington Elementary, believes that this consistency and commitment to Bridges will ultimately fulfill that main goal of helping meet student needs. “The ongoing training allows teachers to dive deeper into the curriculum and become more comfortable with the format, pacing, and instructional practices that the curriculum is designed for. It benefits students in the classroom because the curriculum language is continuous from grade to grade, each year it just builds, adding new vocabulary, concepts and strategies to strengthen student success and background knowledge in the mathematical content.”
For more information regarding the Bridges in Mathematics Curriculum feel free to visit their website at https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/curriculum/bridges-mathematics.