The program, made possible through a $1.2 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Education, seeks to improve student achievement in mathematics and critical thinking.

“Our goal is to create confident, effective teachers who, through high-quality professional development, learn easy-to-implement strategies that correlate with the rigorous Common Core State Standards,” said Melinda Lowe, associate director of the Roger F. Wicker Center for Creative Learning and CHAMPS project manager.

Adopted in Mississippi in 2010, Common Core State Standards (CCCS) provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn so that teachers and parents know how to help them. Consistent standards will provide appropriate academic benchmarks for all students, regardless of where they live.

Debbie Fancher, one of the mathematics content trainers, said, they have taken the key standards for the Common Core, showing the teachers activities that they can use and talking about how to teach the content.

“The emphasis of Common Core is more toward understanding. We ‘re really trying to understand why things are the way they are instead of just do it,” Fancher said.

While the Common Core focuses on English language arts and mathematics, Fancher said she and other content trainers integrated language arts with math each day as part of the CHAMPS program. Using a book, they took the text and incorporated math.

“We took the models that they used in the story and recreated them with paper, and we measured, found perimeter, found the area and then we looked at the relationships that happened between them so they could see if patterns existed. One book did all of this mathematically,” Fancher said.

Susan Allgood, third grade teacher at Annunciation Catholic School and 21-year veteran educator, applied for CHAMPS because of her passion for math. She wanted to be able to share that passion with her students.

“When you know the answers, sometimes it’s hard to teach them how to investigate to find the answers on their own, and CHAMPS is just a great innovative, hands-on approach to teaching math. It’s not book, pencil and paper.” she said.   

Elizabeth Lott, who teaches at West Lowndes High School, reiterated Allgood’s point.

“We learned a lot of hands on ways to keep the students interested. Mostly, it’s making math fun and making them understand why you do an algebra problem the way you do it,” she said.

Lott said she was walking away from the program with more confidence.

“What I’m teaching is the GED math, and we have the books and I have the teacher’s editions. I know the answers but now I am going to feel more confident in helping the students find the answers,” she said.

For two weeks, teachers were put to the test—literally. Going into the program they had to take a math pre-test.

“And it puts you in your place,” Allgood said about the test. “So if you thought you were coming just to hang out to review some stuff, you quickly learn what you thought you knew in high school you don’t remember anymore.”

Upon exiting the program, the teachers took the same test they took on the first day they started the program. Pre-tests and post-tests were developed for each grade level, which will be taken back to the classrooms.

“So they’re asking everything of us that we in turn will be asking of our students,” she said. “As a teacher, it’s important that you get put in the chair at the desk and remember what it’s like and how you are ready to get up and move around--you’ve been sitting too long--how that should encourage you to adapt your classroom.”

In addition to attending the program, participants have to take three online courses, attend four Super Weekends by March and posts weekly on Facebook as part of their professional learning communities.

“It forms that camaraderie with teachers from other schools, other districts, yet we all have a common purpose,” Allgood said.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2013
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
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