We Are Seeking $32,500 to Allow Us to Conduct a Four Day Immersion Workshop in Summer 2011

We Are Seeking $32,500 to Allow Us to Conduct a Four Day Immersion Workshop in Summer 2011

February 11, 2011
The Community Foundation of North Louisiana
401 Edwards Street, Suite 105
Shreveport, LA 71101-5508
Dear Community Foundation of North Louisiana,
This letter of inquiry is written to introduce our organization, the North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle (NLMTC). We are a group of college faculty and middle school mathematics teachers and administrators whose mission is to establish the foundation for a culture of problem solving by fostering the enjoyment of mathematics among middle school math teachers. We plan to offer professional development for 30 middle school teachers from the parishes of Bossier, Caddo and Desoto. Our ultimate goal is to help today’s teachers and students become flexible, creative and collaborative problem solvers. To achieve this goal, we want to assist teachers in developing a deeper and broader arsenal of problem-solving techniques and help them to use these techniques to effectively attack challenging problems. We believe this will impact middle school students’ problem solving experiences, expertise, and enthusiasm for mathematics, and ultimately transfer to higher student achievement in mathematics. In fact, in a nationwide survey conducted in Fall 2010, Math Teachers’ Circle participants reported increased enthusiasm for mathematics and use of interactive, student-centered problem solving in their classrooms. Many said the program has enabled them to see themselves as mathematicians. Teachers also reported that participating in a Math Teachers’ Circle has increased their belief that all of their students are capable of doing mathematics.

We are seeking $32,500 to allow us to conduct a four day Immersion Workshop in Summer 2011 along with monthly follow-up meetings during the 2011-2012 school year. The Summer workshop expenses of $31,440 include stipends for teachers and leadership team members, stipends for the leaders of the sessions, food for the participants, supplies for the teachers and meeting space at Louisiana State University Shreveport. The follow-up meeting expenses of $10,560 include meals for participants(teachers and leaders), supplies for teachers, workshop presenter stipends, and facilities fee for a total of six follow up meetings. This translates to a cost per teacher of $1400 overall with a cost of $1048 for the summer workshop and $352 for the academic year component. We currently have commitments of $9,500 to support the $42,000 total cost of our program.

About the North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle
The North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle is part of a growing network of Math Teachers’ Circles across the U.S. (please visit for more information). In July 2010, our team was selected to attend a workshop on “How to Run a Math Teachers’ Circle” organized by the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM), one of only eight U.S. math research institutes sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This workshop was hosted by the Mathematical Association of America, the leading professional association for collegiate mathematics. Our participation in the workshop was supported by the Educational Advancement Foundation, which has also committed $10,000 in matching funds toward our continued activities. After attending the workshop, we successfully obtained a $2,000 grant from the National Association of Math Circles to fund recruitment meetings during the 2010-2011 academic year. Our first meeting took place on the LSU Shreveport campus on November 8, 2011, and attracted 38 middle school teachers, five school administrators from Bossier and Desoto parishes, and three LSUS faculty members as well as the chancellor of LSUS, Dr. Vincent Marsala. We currently have funds for an additional meeting during the Spring 2011 semester which will be held on the LSU Shreveport campus on March 7, 2011.
We are in the planning phase for our Summer Immersion Workshop and the 2011-2012 school year. The North Louisiana Math Teachers’ Circle Summer Immersion program is planned for July 18 – 21, 2011, with a four day summer immersion workshop during which teachers and mathematicians will form a collaborative network that will further develop throughout the academic year. Participation in the workshop will include grappling with deep and interesting mathematics, as well as discussions of middle school pedagogy.

Each monthly meeting during the school year will center on a rich problem or group of problems, and will include dinner and pedagogical discussions. We are planning for six such sessions and each of these sessions will be led by a professional mathematician and/or a middle school teacher.
We hope to consistently involve 30 middle school mathematics teachers from the parishes of Bossier, Caddo and Desoto in our 2011-2012 activities.

We would welcome the opportunity to further discuss our mission and plans, and to provide additional details. Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

Judith Covington
Associate Professor
Department of Mathematics
LSU Shreveport

318-797-5354 /
Tanya Sullivan-McGee
Middle School Mathematics Coordinator
Bossier Parish School Board

Amanda Wall
National Board Certified
Middle School Math Teacher
Caddo Parish School Board
/
Wanda Huhn
Instructor
Department of Mathematics
LSU Shreveport