The AIU’s Math & Science Collaborative offers robust personalized professional learning for mathematics and science teachers and school leaders. Built on research and delivered by experts, these offerings will prepare teachers to develop students as mathematical and scientific thinkers.
Mathematics Leadership Opportunities
Mastering Online Tools for PSSA and Keystone Success
Is your school ready for the online PSSA and Keystone exams? Ensure your students excel with our comprehensive training.
Join us for an interactive workshop:
- Online Tools Exploration: Discover the online tools available for PSSA and Keystone exams and learn how to prepare your students for success.
- Strategies for Student Perseverance: Discuss with fellow educators how to foster perseverance in students, especially on open-ended and constructed response items.
- Integrating Tools into Ongoing Instruction: Brainstorm ways to incorporate similar tools into your daily teaching to optimize student preparation.
Hands-on Handscoring Review in the afternoon:
- Delve into the life cycle of a PSSA or Keystone exam item
- Engage in handscoring with newly released student responses
Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your students' testing experience and performance!
Meeting Dates: February 26, 2025, 9 AM - 3 PM Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Building Thinking Classrooms: Part 2
Part 2 of Build a Thinking Classroom for K-12 will dig deeper into the 14 practices and effective implementation strategies. This is not for novices or anyone new to BTC. You must be a K-12 educator or leader who has completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.
Come engage in a professional learning community to learn more about a thinking classroom and collaborate with peers to share ideas and implementation strategies. A thinking student is an engaged student!
Built on 14 key practices teased out over 15 years of research, it’s a way of teaching that gets students up on their feet, collaborating and thinking through challenging problems on a daily basis.
A thinking classroom looks very different from a typical classroom. Students are working in groups rather than individually, they are standing rather than sitting, and the furniture is arranged so as to defront the room. Closer inspection will reveal that the teacher is giving instructions verbally, is answering fewer questions, and has drastically altered the way they give “homework.”
Part 2 focuses on the fine tuning implementation of the first eleven practices and delving into the assessment practices from the following chapters:
Chapter 12: What We Choose to Evaluate in a Thinking Classroom
Chapter 13: How We Use Formative Assessment in a Thinking Classroom
Chapter 14: How We Grade in a Thinking Classroom
All participants are expected to bring their own copy of Building Thinking Classroom In Mathematics, 14 Teaching Practices for Enhanced Learning.
Meeting Dates: February 7, March 5, 2025, April 1, 2025
Price: $450/participant; Administrators may attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building at no additional cost.
Audience: K-12 educators and leaders who have completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Math Coaches Network 2024-25
Come join us at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for a professional learning community focused on supporting mathematics coaches. This Network is led by Mr. Samuel Shaneyfelt, former school district level administrator and Math & Science Collaborative Project Director.
2024-25 Meeting Dates: October 11, November 15, January 31, March 11
Price: No cost
Audience: K-12 mathematics coaches and leaders
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Mathematics Teachers Offerings
Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Visual Models
Join us at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to learn why it is important and how to help students visualize math through concrete and pictorial representations. We will host two-day training sessions to engage you in mathematical tasks utilizing physical and/or virtual manipulatives, then transitioning to diagrams for each of the critical concepts in your grade level.
Audience: K-12 educators and leaders
Price: Free to AIU member districts
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Grades K-2
2024-25 Meeting Dates:
Nov. 19 and Jan. 29
Grades 3–5
2024-25 Meeting Dates: Dec. 6 and Feb. 20
Grades 6 – Algebra 1
2024-25 Meeting Dates:
Dec. 4 and Feb. 11