BetterLesson is thrilled to introduce the newest member of our expanding team. Norma Gordon is joining BetterLesson as the Director of Teacher Learning.
Welcome to BetterLesson, Norma! What were you up to before joining BL?
I’m from Montreal and have an Engineering degree from McGill University. I lived in the Toronto area while I studied at McMaster University and I have spent some time in Melbourne, Australia. When I got married we moved to Massachusetts and have stayed and raised our family here. My passion for (math) education surfaced after I enjoyed a career in the biotechnology and technology consulting industries. For 15 years I had the pleasure of teaching middle and high school math in the community I live in (Lexington, MA) and most recently I worked at the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary education.
I chose BetterLesson because BetterLesson “gets it”. By “it” I mean the team understands that teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling. Personally, my best teaching was often the result of collaboration with fellow teachers (not always math teachers!) and occasionally even my students. That said, I am excited to be a part of an innovative team providing a platform for teachers that encourages, fosters and supports collaboration using high-quality (common core aligned) curriculum. I recently came across this (William Butler) Yeats quote: “Education is not the filling a bucket but the lighting of a fire.” While Yeats was thinking in a teacher- student context, I think this as tremendously relevant to teachers transitioning to the Common Core. Teachers’ buckets are being filled, even overfilled, and I am thrilled to be able to play a part in helping them manage their load. I hope we can kindle (or rekindle) their fires, and help teachers everywhere aspire to and achieve greatness!
What was your favorite subject in school?
Math (shocker!) I have always enjoyed the “puzzling” aspect of mathematics – the “reasoning and sense making”. My favorite part about teaching math was when students (including colleagues) had their own “ah ha” moments. A close second was seeing students make connections and use mathematics beyond my classroom in art, music, sports, and history. I have been told by more than a few people that I can make a math connection to just about anything!
A Fun Fact ( or in Norma’s case facts):
A lot of awesome things are happening at BetterLesson (stay tuned for more exciting news). We are so thrilled to welcome Dr. Chris Hartmann into the BL family! Chris will be serving as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, working with our Master Teachers and directing BetterLesson’s educational vision.
Can you tell us about your pre-BetterLesson background?
I was born and raised in Rockville Centre, NY, about 25 miles from New York City. During my adult life I have lived in New Hampshire, Washington DC, Madison (WI), Atlanta, and Boston. I have taught middle school, high school and university classes.
I don’t really like to travel, but I have enjoyed moving a lot. I’ve been told that I like to re-pot myself. Perhaps that’s the easiest way to explain my life and career.
My favorite place to live was Madison — it is a special place and the College of Education is outstanding.
Why did you choose BetterLesson? What makes you excited about working here?
I am excited to work at BetterLesson because the mission is very close to my heart. Through The Master Teacher Project, I hope we can improve instructional outcomes by helping teachers engage with each other, share best practices and great, classroom-ready lessons.
What was your favorite subject in school? Why?
My favorite subject in school was Physical Education. I always enjoyed class, and, there was never any homework. I never really enjoyed homework! As a teacher, I did my best to make homework short, relevant, and productive.
Who was your favorite teacher in school? Why?
My favorite teacher in school was Brother Syriac at Chaminade HS (Mineola, NY). He was my 9th grade social studies teacher, and he was a great story-teller. To this day, I appreciate the way that he used stories, rather than lectures, to help us learn about world history and geography.
Fun Fact:
As an exchange student in Nanjing, China, I was given the nickname American Thunder for my goal scoring prowess for the University’s soccer team. Although there is not much thunder left, I still enjoy coaching and watching soccer; I am a big New England Revolution fan.
BetterLesson seeks an energetic and driven young professional to join our team as a project associate for The Master Teacher Project. This individual will work with the Master Teacher Project team to create videos highlighting the amazing work of Master Teachers around the country. This is a fantastic opportunity for a tech-savvy, recent college graduate looking to learn and grow in a start-up environment. Rock-star candidates will have demonstrated an interest in education and/or educational technology.
BetterLesson is an edtech startup that helps teachers share what’s working in the classroom. We have over 300,000 registered users and over 1,000,000 teacher-created curriculum resources currently being shared on the site.
The Master Teacher Project:
Starting in the summer of 2013, BetterLesson will expand the MTP aiming to provide: 1) A body of knowledge for teachers attempting to make the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in both k-12 Math and ELA and 2) Real recognition and professional opportunities to exceptional teachers around the country. The Project centers around the development of Common Core focused, Master Teacher (MT) created courses that will be cloud-based, freely available, “re-mixable,” and always accessible.
Project Associate Role:
The Project Associate will work with the Master Teacher project team to create high-quality videos that highlight Master Teachers’ effective teaching strategies and “hints, tips and reflections” around their instruction. This ancillary material will create a vehicle for virtual lesson study and create a living, breathing body of knowledge around the Common Core. The Project Associate will plan and coordinate videographer visits to classrooms around the country, and help to oversee the content curation and editing process. The Project Associate will work under the Project Manager to create and scale an effective process for video production and review. This individual should have strong writing and technical skills, as well as a proven ability to coordinate multiple projects and tasks with excellence.
To Apply: Email christine@betterlesson.com with a brief but compelling note and a resume.
BetterLesson is thrilled to introduce our new Master Teachers. Fourteen teachers will join our current team of 28 Master Teachers in creating and sharing their teaching insight and experience through the BetterLesson site. These Master Teachers were selected for their exceptional mathematical knowledge, unique ability to illuminate math for their students, as well as leadership in their schools and community. They are an inspiring, dedicated group who are eager to help teachers around the country make the leap to the Common Core.
The Master Teacher Project is a natural outgrowth of BetterLesson’s mission to connect teachers to teachers and measurably improve instruction. Generously funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Project aims to make quality, Common Core-aligned, year-long courses, units & lessons freely available to teachers everywhere. The current focus is math, grades 6-12. Even more, this project hopes to provide real recognition and professional opportunities to exceptional teachers around the country. During this initial pilot program, the 42 Master Teachers will create and share these lessons on BetterLesson. These fully articulated courses will be free and easily re-mixable.
BetterLesson recognizes that great teaching is about much more than lesson plans alone. To that end, Master Teachers will also share complementary material in the form of hints, tips and reflections, which will endow their lessons with even greater usability. These complementary narratives and videos will provide a window into their classrooms and exemplary teaching practices.
Who are these 14 new Master Teachers? Eleven women and three men are joining the Project. Twelve serve in public schools, while two currently serve in charter schools. In total, they have over 145 years of combined experience. They hail from nine different states and the District of Columbia and represent urban, suburban, high-need & high performing populations. A highly decorated group, four National Board Certified Teachers, one Raytheon Math Hero, the 2009 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, a “Hoodie” Award Winner, and a Presidential Award for Math and Science Winner, will join the Master Teacher Team. Though they embrace a wide variety of teaching paradigms, this diverse group is united by their commitment to helping their students achieve excellence, especially during this period of transition to the Common Core.
Without further ado here are the 14 new Master Teachers:
Grade 6
Name: Michelle Braggs
School/ Location: Pointe South Middle School, Jonesboro, GA
Bio: Michelle Braggs is a 6th grade math teacher at Pointe South Middle School in Jonesboro, Georgia. Michelle wears many hats, besides being a classroom teacher she serves as a curriculum writing team member, professional development facilitator and is the math department’s Great Effective Lead Teacher (GELT). She is a passionate teacher who loves her craft and is always looking for ways to improve her ability to transfer knowledge to her students.
Quote: “Being a participant in the Master Teacher Project is a wonderful opportunity to give that much more to improving education on a global scale while learning new and exciting ways to improve education at the classroom level. For this reason, I am more than excited! I am thankful and proud to be a part of this ambitious endeavor that not only provides resources for teachers but, in doing so, will also provide unity in education across the nation for all who use BetterLesson.”
Name: Ursula Lovings
School: All City Leadership Academy, New York, NY
Bio: Ursula Lovings is a 6th grade math teacher at All City Leadership Academy in Brooklyn, NY. After several years in corporate America and a few in the acting world, she discovered her love of teaching through the NYC Fellows Program. She enjoys bringing her past experiences into the classroom and making math fun and approachable.
Quote: “I’m excited to participate in the Master Teacher Project and develop a curriculum that provides students with hands-on activities, real world applications, collaborations, and allows an opportunity for discovery and critical thinking.”
Grade 7
Name: Erica Burnison
School: C.A. Jacobs Intermediate School, Dixon, CA
Bio: Erica Burnison will be joining the 7th grade team. A former underwater scientific diver at her alma mater UC Berkeley, Erica began teaching middle school math in the San Francisco Bay Area 15 years ago. She is a district coordinator for the UC Davis I-STAR project whose participants are working to integrate the STEM disciplines around reasoning practices. Her greatest joy in teaching is when she can change a students’ attitudes about math, their ability to do math and rekindle their natural joy of learning.
Quote: “I love working with passionate professionals to improve learning experiences in the classroom and really look forward to collaborating with my colleagues and coaches.”
Name: Yazmin Chavira
School: Kipp Academy Middle School, Bronx, NY
Bio: Paula Yazmin Chavira is a 7th grade math teacher at KIPP Academy Middle School in the Bronx, NY, where she has taught for 6 years. She joined Teach for America after graduating from college in 2007 and was recruited as a 5th grade Thinking Skills teacher. In 2010 she began teaching 7th grade math. In 2012, 94% of the 7th grade students at Academy achieved a level 3 or 4 in the New York State Math Exam. Over half of the 7th grade (56%) earned a level 4, the highest level possible.
Quote: “I’ve been interested in the Common Core for the past two years, trying to learn as much as possible to help prepare my students and fellow teachers. I’m looking forward to learning more from the BL coaches, and I want to push myself to integrate more technology next year. I believe that the integration of technology will open a range of new learning opportunities, increase work efficiency for teachers, and help my students better prepare for the real world.”
Grade 8:
Name: Heather Sparks
School: Taft Middle School, Oklahoma City, OK
Bio: Heather Sparks will be joining the 8th grade team. She is a National Board Certified Teacher at Taft Middle School in Oklahoma City. A Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, she was the 2008 Oklahoma City Public Schools Teacher of the Year and the 2009 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Currently, she is completing her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Quote: “I’m excited to work with the Master Teacher Project because I get to share what I do and hopefully change the way math is taught in a secondary math classroom!”
Name: Krishunda Penn
School: Columbia Heights Educational Campus, Washington, DC
Bio: Krishunda Penn is an 8th grade math teacher Washington, DC and has been teaching in the metro area for 8 years. She graduated From Howard University and continued her studies in education at Trinity University. She is passionate about creating a classroom culture that fosters self-discovery and conceptual learning in mathematics.
Quote: “I’m thrilled to be collaborating with teachers across the country to create and share lessons that will help students meet the Common Core State Standards!”
Algebra I:
Name: Rhonda Leichliter
School: Rogers High School, Rogers, AK
Bio: Rhonda will be joining the Algebra I team. She is a teacher at Rogers New Tech High School. National Board certified in mathematics of adolescence and young adulthood, she has a B.A. in mathematics and a M.A. in education. Rhonda brings many years of experience working with English as a Second Language (ESL) students.
Quote: “I am excited to be a part of the Master Teacher Project, and the global effect it will have on education. I am ready to share my knowledge and learn as much as I can from other teachers. It will help me encourage teachers in my own district to unite together to improve education in our own community.”
Name: Glendora Franklin
School: Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington DC
Bio: Ms. Franklin is an Algebra I teacher with over twelve years of expertise; yet she still states that she is ever-evolving. She has taught subjects ranging from Pre-Algebra to Algebra II. She also serves as the curriculum coordinator at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, DC. Her mantra is simple: Failure is NOT an option!
Quote: “Differentiation is not just an option; it is an opportunity!”
Algebra II:
Name: Kelli Ireton
School: Junction City High School, KS
Bio: Kelli Ireton will joining the Algebra II team. Kelli has taught a mixture of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra II for 6 years at Junction City High School, Junction City, Kansas. She is honored to teach a very diverse set of students with 65% of the school population associated with Fort Riley Military Base. She has earned bachelor degrees in psychology & secondary education, and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, all from Kansas State University.
Quote: “I am so excited to be part of such a great project. There are so few resources for teachers to use that are aligned with the CCSS, and being part of Better Lesson, whose mission is to bring teachers together around the country, is a great honor. I am looking forward to the work and results that will come from this project and cannot wait to share my ideas with the country!”
Name: Horace Buddoo
School: West Broward High School, Pembroke Pines, FL
Bio: Horace Buddoo is a high school math educator at West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines, FL. Horace will be joining the Algebra II team. From the first day he stepped into the classroom as a substitute teacher back in 2003, he knew that it was the beginning of a lifelong and rewarding journey in education. He has taught a wide range of courses from Algebra 1 to AP Calculus and has a great passion for math education. He is an “out-of-the-box” thinker when it comes to his lessons, and his goal is to create a generation of “mathemaddicts”, one student at a time.
Quote: “This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with master teachers across the United States who are really passionate about teaching! We get to bring our experiences, knowledge, ideas, ingenuity, and innovation together to create something that will definitely be greater than the sum of its parts. I have no doubt that our Common Core aligned lessons will be the gold standard for math education in the years to come!”
Geometry:
Name: Anthony Carruthers
School: John Muir High School, Pasadena, CA
Bio: Anthony Carruthers will be joining the Geometry team. He is a high school math teacher at John Muir High School in Pasadena, California. He has been teaching in various capacities for the past 20 years. He strives to move students beyond the mentality that math is just something they want to “pass”, and instead motivates them to actually learn mathematics and appreciate it as a rewarding mental discipline.
Quote: “To be a practicing math teacher at this pivotal time in the history of our profession is already exciting. To also have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best math teachers in the nation in an environment that promotes innovation and continuous improvement is more than I could ever ask for.”
Name: Jessica Uy
School: Fremont High School, Sunnyvale, CA
Bio: Jessica Uy is a Geometry teacher at Fremont High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. She studied math and American Studies at UC Davis and earned her master’s degree in education from Stanford. Jessica holds National Board certification in adolescence and young adulthood mathematics and is a Knowles Science Teaching Foundation senior fellow and a Math for America Master Teacher. She enjoys collaborating, reflecting, and learning with other teachers and is excited to continue growing in her practice with others.
Quote: “I am excited to participate in the Master Teacher Project because I think it will provide a space for passionate people to create the amazing lessons our students deserve!”
Year 4:
Name: Libbi Sparks
School: William Chrisman High School, Independence, MO
Bio: Libbi will be joining the Year 4 team. Libbi has taught mathematics for 27 years. The past 17 have been spent at William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Truman State University and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri-KC. Libbi became an eMINTS certified teacher in 2009.
Quote: “I am excited to work with other teachers on creating activities and lessons designed to improve students’ learning experience.”
Name: Tim Marley
School: Troy High School, Troy MI
Bio: Tim Marley will be joining the Year 4 team. He is mathematics teacher at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan. He has five years of experience as a teacher and has recently received his master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Previously, Tim studied packaging and mathematics at Michigan State University.
Quote: “I am excited to refine and improve my own teaching and the instruction of others through collaboration with outstanding teachers throughout the country; this will positively impact my students and countless other students around the country.”
Do you have incredible organization & management skills? Do you have a clear, professional communication style for building and optimizing relationships with key partners? This position will be working full time from our Cambridge, MA offices to oversee and support the expansion of BetterLesson’s existing Master Teacher Project (MTP), working closely with external partners.
BetterLesson is an ed-tech startup that helps teachers share what’s working in the classroom. We have over 200,000 registered users and over 1,000,000 teacher-created curriculum resources currently being shared on the site. We need an instructionally-minded, former educator who can fill an outward-facing role and wants to help millions of educators around the world learn from the successes of excellent teachers.
The Master Teacher Project:
Starting in the summer of 2013, BetterLesson will expand the MTP aiming to provide: 1) A body of knowledge for teachers attempting to make the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in both k-12 Math and ELA and 2) Real recognition and professional opportunities to exceptional teachers around the country. The Project centers around the development of Common Core focused, Master Teacher (MT) created courses that will be cloud-based, freely available, “re-mixable,” and always accessible.
The Role of the Project Manager:
The success of the Project Manager will be defined by the high-touch, highly productive relationship established and fostered between BetterLesson and stakeholders within major partners and their instructional specialists. Knowledge of curriculum and instruction on the part of the Project Manager is highly valued.
This individual is comfortable representing BL and will serve as the BL point-person, interacting daily with partners on this project. BL is seeking the experience of someone with a history of excellent communication & strategic relationships. This friendly-face with a “can-do” approach responding proactively to needs & requests, working through and handling challenges, and optimizing the relationship in all ways possible. This external facing component of the role requires that this individual be comfortable navigating complex stakeholder needs, and work towards goals and milestones through compromise and collaboration.
It will be critical that the Project Manager have incredible attention to detail and organizational skills necessary to scale the project. Much of the work will be around expanding current processes to manage the project effectively. The Project Manager will also collaborate closely with BetterLesson’s internal instructional team to strategize, manage and coordinate the 95 Master Teachers hired to create a year’s worth high quality, classroom-ready, Common Core-aligned lessons, units & courses.
Working within a start-up environment, the expectations of this role range from creating high-contact, outward-facing relationships, to the various, team-player responsibilities involved in scaling the Master Teacher Project. The Project Manager role may manage a Project Associate, resources and budgets, quarterly team goals, progress & performance.
Reports to: Elizabeth Johnson, BetterLesson Senior Program Director
To apply, send a brief but compelling note and a resume to christine@betterlesson.com
While it seems you can find a study to back almost any educational opinion, a just released study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, certainly piqued our interest. The study, titled ” Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Home Computers on Academic Achievement Among Schoolchildren”, set out to see whether giving students a computer in their home environment measurably effected their academic performance in school. In order to gain insight into this issue, the NBER conducted the largest ever field experiment of its kind. The study followed 1,123 sixth to tenth graders, all of whom did not have access to computers. Randomly, half of the group were selected to be given free computers (the majority had internet access) and the other half (the control group) remained computer free. After a year with computer access, researchers found, ” No effects on any educational outcomes, including grades, test scores, credits earned, attendance and disciplinary actions.”
While this study is by no means the final word in this regard ( in fact students with computers were not given any additional support or training—which certainly undermines the potential educational impact of this computers) these are certainly striking findings in this age of MOOCs, endless student facing websites, and buzzy educational technology. At BetterLesson we believe that the teacher remains ( and will remain, even in the changing landscape of education) at the heart of the learning experience. A thoughtful, talented teacher serves as the facilitator and orchestrator of learning. Teachers are central to student learning, and while computers certainly have the ability to enhance and facilitate education, they can not replace a dedicated educator. By working with dedicated teachers through Master Teacher Project, BetterLesson hopes to highlight great ( Common Core aligned) teaching around the country. Our Master Teachers thoughtfully incorporate technology to drive student learning. As curators of their students’ learning experiences, they make careful decisions about how and when to integrate educational technology in their classrooms.
BetterLesson is very excited to welcome a new member to our dedicated, brilliant tech team! Chris Antreasian is joining BetterLessson as a web developer. I coaxed him away from his computer to learn a little more about him.
Chris takes a break from his work to smile and answer my questions!
Can you tell us about your background, prior to joining BetterLesson?
I studied web and graphic design at CDIA (The Center of Digital Imaging Arts), in Waltham Ma, and began my career freelancing for 3 years. As I took commissions, I began learning PHP, Action Script and Javascript. I then took my first full time job with BFSDaniels. There I spent my time working on the Pixxlz, a photo aggregation and print application, as well as keeping the company sites up to date and helping the pre-press department prepare client-supplied files to print. I left that job to build my personal site GigaMegaUltra.com and continue freelancing.
Why were you excited to join the BetterLesson Team?
I chose BetterLesson because I have always been surrounded by teachers. My mom is a special-ed teacher, my sister is studying to become a Montessori teacher, and my girlfriend just finished her Masters in Art Education. I have been lucky enough to witness the important work teachers do. I have a personal passion for education and the educators who use their lives to help others learn.
What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was art. From a young age, I have always been driven to draw. Before I studied web and graphic design, I practiced illustration at AIB (The Art Institute of Boston).
Who was your favorite teacher?
I have had multiple wonderful teachers during my formal education, but as biased as it is, I would need to give the honor to my mom. Throughout my education I had troubles with certain subjects, and would often have rather been doing anything other than homework. My mom would sit with me for hours after she was out of work helping me learn the concepts behind mathematical equations or correcting my poor spelling.
What is one ‘Fun Fact” people might be surprised to find out about you?
I have been working on a graphic novel on-and-off since college. Its called “The Quintuplapus” and is about an octopus who looses three of his tentacles to horrible experiences. It tells the story of his adventures as he searches for his identity on land. One day I hope to purchase a booth at Comicon to sell copies and see if anyone is interested.
