Agent JoAnna Castellano (Conceptual Math)


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Jun 14 2020 31 mins  

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to explore how to increase engagement, lessen anxiety, and create real-world connections by teaching math through a Conceptual Based Instructional Model. The special agent assigned to help you with this task is JoAnna Castellano of New Brunswick, New Jersey.

A transcript is available for this episode.

In this episode we discuss:

  • JoAnna’s path to teaching
  • Her pedagogical perspective: student agency, productive struggle, teacher as facilitator, providing real-world context
  • An example question using the Pythagorean theorem with Benjamin Watson’s tackle saving touchdown
  • How to differentiate in the conceptual model
  • Walking through a lesson from idea to assessment: ratio and proportions using Mayan ruins
  • Her biggest success: lessening math anxiety; her biggest struggle: getting teachers to buy in initially
  • How she has transferred this model online for distance learning
  • Who to check out for math teaching inspiration
  • JoAnna’s ideal curriculum: expanding on her work with NBPS’ Summer Bridge Program
  • The value of movement and interaction (ex. Sara Vanderwerf’s ‘stand and talks’)

Links to check out:

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