Bringing Innovation in Math to Westover
When Westover math teachers Jenny Green and Ben Lewis headed to New Hampshire in late June, they had their minds set on exploring new ways to make math more engaging, inclusive, and relevant for Westover students.
Hosted annually by Phillips Exeter Academy, the Anja S. Greer Conference draws educators from across the country for a week of innovation and creativity in math education. Participants choose from a wide range of courses and attend keynote talks from leaders in the field. This year’s featured speakers included Kurt Salisbury, Ron Lancaster, and 2023 National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson.
“We were exposed to various schools of thought and pedagogies in teaching math,” shared Jenny.
Hosted annually by Phillips Exeter Academy, the Anja S. Greer Conference draws educators from across the country for a week of innovation and creativity in math education. Participants choose from a wide range of courses and attend keynote talks from leaders in the field. This year’s featured speakers included Kurt Salisbury, Ron Lancaster, and 2023 National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson.
“We were exposed to various schools of thought and pedagogies in teaching math,” shared Jenny.
The conference’s courses spanned diverse themes. From problem-based learning and data science to making math relevant and building an inclusive classroom, there were over 30 courses to choose from and educators could only fit two into their schedules.
“Math is more than math. It's digging deep, asking questions, and making connections. Math is a journey for the student but it's also a journey for the teacher.” – Jenny Green
Jenny immersed herself in A Lab Approach to Calculus with Phillips Exeter teacher Jess Emory and Writing to Learn Calculus with Brent Ferguson, formerly of The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.
“I was most excited by the values these unique approaches had in common which, primarily, is the value of building community in the classroom,” Jenny continued. “No matter how you teach math, students need their teacher to believe in them and hear their voice in the classroom.”
Peterson’s keynote encouraged educators to wonder how calculus relates to the human experience. For instance, in algebra, the focus is on finding the answer at a specific point, such as when x = 3. But in calculus, the interest lies in what happens before and after that moment: how we approach it, pass it, and move forward.
Similar to life—and learning—math is about more than one moment in time, one thing, or one style of learning.
Inspired by these ideas and the courses she took, Jenny asked herself big questions about balancing student exploration with lecture-style learning. How does one balance, or weigh, the two? How can class time be maximized for student experience and learning?
She realized there is no easy answer.
“What works for one student isn't going to work for every student,” Jenny shared. “I want my students to learn math, yes, but how do I want them to learn it?”
Similar to life—and learning—math is about more than one moment in time, one thing, or one style of learning.
Inspired by these ideas and the courses she took, Jenny asked herself big questions about balancing student exploration with lecture-style learning. How does one balance, or weigh, the two? How can class time be maximized for student experience and learning?
She realized there is no easy answer.
“What works for one student isn't going to work for every student,” Jenny shared. “I want my students to learn math, yes, but how do I want them to learn it?”
In the coming school year, Jenny’s goal is to maximize student voice and thought in her classroom.
“Math is more than math,” she continued. “It's digging deep, asking questions, and making connections. Math is a journey for the student but it's also a journey for the teacher. I've been teaching math for over ten years and I'm still learning and growing as much as the students. I hope that this year I will reflect often as I try different approaches to reach my students.”
Be Boldly You
Westover School admits students of any race, color, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin, or disability to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. As a gender-diverse girls school, Westover welcomes applicants and students who are assigned female at birth and/or identify as girls. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions and financial aid policies, and athletic or other school-administered programs.