MATHNext Testimonials

MATHNext has been received with overwhelmingly positive feedback as evidenced by the
comments from participants and supervisors below.

“I feel that participation in the MathNext program is probably the most significant professional
development I have ever been a part of. There have definitely been shifts in my practice and attitude
towards having students work in groups and explain their work rather than just find an answer. I have
definitely learned a lot about what I can do to encourage student learning rather than me teaching. I am
now at peace with the fact that good learning takes time…. My students were engaged in the tasks and
love math. What more could I ask for? "
-MATHNext participant


"Again, thank you for yesterday's workshop.  I think it really provided vivid examples for all participants of the value
of quality tasks, multiple approaches and entry points, peer to peer discourse, representations and the art of facilitation.  
All of the [participating] teachers were very positive and appreciated the experience. Yesterday validated for me that
MathNext will be well worth our time invested. I also appreciated [the facilitator’s] skill at facilitating the discussion. She seemed to notice interesting moments in each of your classes and posed insightful questions"
-Mathematics Supervisor


“I definitely see the influence that The MathNext project has had on my teaching style. I have learned to let my students struggle with a problem before I jump right in and lead them to an answer or conclusion. I have seen first-hand the benefit of letting the students “find their own way” in resolving problems. I see how much more excited they become when they have figured something out as opposed to my telling them the “correct” way to solve a problem. I have incorporated some key items from MathNext into my Personal Improvement Plan for next year.”
-MATHNext participant


"The teachers that participated in the MATHNext project raved about it. Will you be inviting more teachers to participate this year? There are teachers in my building I would love to participate. Thank you for providing such a wonderful professional development opportunity for our teachers."
-Assistant Principal


“I think that the main thing most teachers have taken away from their experiences with the MathNext activities is that many students will experience moments of frustration, even anxiety, when working through the tasks. The important thing is to realize that it is okay for the students to be frustrated at first and that "I don't get it" will be heard quite frequently. It seems that the students, given enough time, can get past the frustration and begin to problem-solve on their own. I believe that the time issue is another commonality. These activities take more time than a typical lesson at the board, practice problems on a worksheet class does. However, if the readings that have been presented so far, and our own findings in the classroom, hold true, the learner will benefit more from the time spent in actually "doing the math".
-MATHNext participating district


“We feel that as a result of our participation we are more self aware & have become cognizant of specific teacher behaviors that may limit the cognitive demands of tasks we ask the children to perform. We have also made a concerted effort to increase the number of HLCD [high level cognitive demand] problems we incorporate in our units of study.”
-MATHNext participating district


“What really changed was my teaching. In September when I was told I would have a replacement math class, I really wanted to have students complete activities that were engaging and meaningful rather than just learn procedures. As time went on, though, I found myself doing more and more of the “traditional” teaching because I had so much to cover before testing. I was anxious because the special education students’ scores were an area that did not meet adequate yearly progress. But as a result of participating in the MathNext program and seeing the success that occurred when we did the handshake problems, I am back to making sure that I include tasks like these as much as possible because this is where real learning is taking place in my classroom.”
-MATHNext participant


"Teacher L and I both teach special education students. We modified the problems in order for our students to gain a better grasp of the concept. We also have access to a Smartboard in our classrooms. What you are going to see is the students taking their work they did on paper and then putting their work up on the Smartboard, while presenting it to the class. The classes did a great job of working together and the dialog was great. Teacher L and I were very excited because our students are usually reluctant to try something new and to really think about a problem."
-MATHNext participant


“We have utilized the Handshake problem with all of his classes. Most of the classes really enjoyed how these lessons transpire. The main class that truly enjoyed these problems happened to be the lowest scoring classes on all of our assessments. We decided to take this opportunity to teach them some of their basic lessons in the same fashion as the handshake problem…. They really surprised us with how willing they were to attack their problems with ferocity. They really have come together as a class whenever we give them a lesson in this manor. In fact they have really started to turn the corner. We have one student in particular who has gone from a low C student to an A student. Her confidence and problem solving skills have really improved and she has become a model student as a result.”
-MATHNext participants from an abbot district

"...thank you so much for all you have done for my teaching style, my test scores showed me that it works."
-MATHNext participant

"I believe the MATHNext program has a lot to offer. You challenged my thinking, and encouraged me to learn differently. This also forced me to rethink what I might do differently.

Thanks for putting together some amazing, challenging questions and discussions. I found the interactive workshops stimulating, refreshing and encouraging.

I loved learning how to participate in the webinar experience. I especially enjoyed observing other teachers' experiences, and their students' reactions. I also enjoyed the chance to see myself on video. It has been a long time since I have done that. The video was a good learning experience for me."
-MATHNext participant


"It was a pleasure having you come in and work with us throughout the year. The survey's data has definitely been useful, and we were able to look at them more deeply in our last webinar.

Thank you for all you've put into the MATHNext program."
-MATHNext participant


"Thanks for all that you have done. I agree ... that the survey data was helpful. I appreciate the challenge that the MathNext perspective has brought to my teaching. Thank you for the time and effort you placed into our classroom experiences. I appreciate it."
-MATHNext participant


"[What I liked most about the onsite visits was t]he focus on problem solving, the additional input from others who are experienced in using questioning and improving student engagement."
-MATHNext participant

What MATHNext participants liked most about the related readings provided through the program:

"They challenge my thinking."
"I have found the related readings to be essential, as they have pushed my math classes further."
"They are informative and helpful to understand our children."
"I find the reading and handouts to be most interesting in that they provide me an opportunity to affirm, enhance or modify my classroom practices based on current research and contemporary thinking in education."

What MATHNext participants liked most about the webinars (web-based teleconferences) provided through the program:

"Being able to discuss common issues/problems with teachers who teach the same subject."
"Sharing ideas with colleagues, collecting new approaches and ways to stimulate student engagement."
"I like having the ability to hear, see, and read activity results. It is also a great convenience not to have to travel to another location for the session."

What MATHNext participants liked most about the website reflections provided through the program:

"Sharing of ideas allows me to use better proven strategies."
"The reflections actually validate what you are doing in your class because many of the students' answers are similar to your students."
"It promotes self reflection as well as the sharing of ideas because you have to formulate your ideas and put them into words - helps you to solidify or bring about new questions."
"How other teachers questioned their students to promote insight."
"The website reflections are relevant and practical classroom teaching and learning issues. They provide a framework for me to more carefully consider the effectiveness of some of my teaching practices."
"Thought provoking - makes me rethink and re-evaluate the lesson plans that I have in place for the following week."


What MATHNext participants liked most about the in-person workshops provided through the program:

"It is great to be involved in workshops with teachers who are teaching the same subject and same grade level - we can all "sympathize" with one another and offer solutions - it is also interesting to see other teachers' methods of how they solve a problem. There is so much to learn from the experiences of others."
"They are well-organized. Despite snow, I felt that you were prepared to keep us involved and engaged with valuable activities."
"I like working through problems as a student. This helps us to understand the student's perspective."
"The in-person workshops are valuable opportunities to explore concepts and issues in a very open yet informative environment."