#ESU10 – Kearney, NE

Full disclosure; this was our first workshop in Nebraska. And the largest. And the first with microphones (despite our best efforts to use teacher voice).

Over 100 people crammed into ESU 10 today, and we checked in with administrators and coaches before everyone else arrived. They shared concerns that echo those we hear around the country: We’re adopting a textbook, some teachers are resistant to change, and we’re feeling the pinch of time.

Yeah, we get that. Thankfully, Classroom Chef isn’t about the materials or the resources or the supplemental materials. It ain’t about the what, it’s about the how.

We felt our own challenges; moving 100 adults around a room is tough, getting 100 adults on wi-fi is tough, and speaking loud and clear to 100 adults is tough.

With all that, though, we had an incredible day of conversations, learning, and risk-taking. Yes, we poured cups of water into a pitcher, compared stacks of quarters to cash, and came up with reasons why shapes didn’t belong in a group. Beyond that were rich discussions that will be seen for weeks to come in teachers’ classrooms all around Nebraska and we look forward to hearing about them.

During the Mullet Ratio entree, there were some high quality epiphanies from the elementary teachers who were talking about using the lesson as a way of introducing measurement while others found useful modifications like relying on whole numbers versus the decimal values in the current lesson.

Because of the size of the room and the range of teachers attending, we showcased three different Desmos Polygraph activities based on grade level and gave Nebraska just enough Desmos to want more. Here’s to hoping they are still hungry to learn about what Activity Builder, Polygraph, and the Desmos calculator can do.

We finished with a delectable dessert of Choose Your Own Assessment, which can be summarized–in part–by the tweets below. Thank you to ESU10, Dianah and Denise, and the incredible teachers who drove up to 3 hours to spend their day with us!

If you are ready to become The Classroom Chef, please make your reservations early.

 

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