Synapse Math Institute

Students inspect the newly built geodesic dome in the playground

Join us for a special virtual Math Institute!

Discover and share innovative strategies for Mathematics education in our new shared world of Distance Learning.

We are thrilled to invite you to Synapse School's second Math Institute for Educators. Henri Picciotto will be back - this year sharing Hands-On Geometry for teachers of grades 6-8, and the Synapse Team will offer a broader range of Project-Based Mathematics workshops for teachers of grades K-12, including a session on Project-Based Learning 101. Register now for all the workshop sessions that interest you - mornings will be synchronous group instruction while after lunch workshop time will be open for you to share your own Distance Learning tips & tricks, project ideas, and ask questions of the workshop leaders.

Scroll down to see descriptions and details for our workshop offerings. Registration is open now!

2020 Workshop Offerings

Project - Based Learning 101 (Grades K-12)

Saturday, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Aug. 22, 2020

Cost: $25

Project-based environments provide opportunities for authentic learning, increasing students’ voice and choice through an open-ended process. In this interactive session, led by the Synapse mathematics team, we will explore how we can take student interest and convert it into authentic learning opportunities to deliver interdisciplinary projects. Participants will work in groups to design projects centered around student interest, and identify avenues for skills acquisition, practice, and assessment of math content. Care will be given to discussing how projects can be translated to a Distance Learning environment.

Building a Solid Mathematical Base (Grades K-2)

Saturdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Aug. 29, and Sept. 12 & 19, 2020

Cost: $100 for all three sessions

This three-day workshop, taught by Peggy McLean, will focus on building number sense and connecting skills to different concept areas. Day 1 will cover Classroom Routines, Patterns, Number Concepts, Place Value, and Math Tools. Day 2 will focus on Practicing the Four Operations in different ways to build deeper understanding, and Day 3 will be Measurement Concepts - Length, Area, Volume, Fractions and Time, Fractions and Money. Identifying and highlighting the 8 mathematical practices is incorporated in all sessions. Participants will learn how to encourage students to work cooperatively, use a variety of tools, and select activities that are best suited to different needs.

Peggy will be leading additional deep-dive workshop sessions to highlight topics of greater interest for younger grades, including Symmetry, 2 & 3-D Geometry, and Probability & Algebraic Thinking.

Funky Dice Probability (Grades 5-9)

Funky Dice (Grades 5-9)

Saturdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Aug. 29 and Sept. 12, 2020

Cost: $75 for two days (cost includes your very own personally designed 3-D printed die)

In this interactive session, we will share a project run with Synapse 7th & 8th graders. Connecting probability with geometry, participants will get the chance to test the project by designing your own 3-D printable dice and testing the probability of landing on a given side. This is an easily adaptable project used to demonstrate the creativity of project-based learning.

Create Your Own Series (Grades 5-12)

Create Your Own Board Game & Build Your Own Government (Grades 5-12)

Saturdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Sept. 12 and 19, 2020

Cost: $25 for each session

In the first session of this 2-day interactive workshop, participants will discover how student interests helped develop a board game project. Using the game Settlers of Catan as a primary example, we will explore how authentic content was delivered through low-floor, high-ceiling tasks to middle schoolers. Whether you are an expert on Settlers of Catan or have never played, this session is open to all interested in exploring the interconnectedness of mathematical concepts through project-based learning.

On Day 2, we will explore an alternate inter-disciplinary project through Build Your Own Government, connecting mathematical concepts with humanities and political science lessons.

Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Deep-dive Sessions (Grades K-4)

Saturdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 & 10, 2020

Cost: $25 for each session

These follow-up deep-dive sessions for grades K-4 are a great follow-up to Building a Solid Mathematical Base, but can be enjoyed with or without previously attending Building a Solid Mathematical Base. Peggy McLean will be leading Symmetry on Sept. 26, 2-D & 3-D Geometry on Oct. 3, and Probability & Algebraic Thinking on Oct. 10. Sign up for just one or all three deep-dive sessions.

Hands-On Geometry (Grades 6-8)

Hands-On Geometry with Henri Picciotto (Grades 6-8)

Saturdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm: Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, and 10, 2020

Cost: $275 for all four sessions

In this four-day workshop, taught by Henri Picciotto, you will be presented with kinesthetic and hands-on activities which are fun and engage students intellectually. These activities complement related work in paper-pencil environments and preview, review or extend foundational concepts, laying the groundwork for high school geometry. Topics covered will include angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, area, the Pythagorean theorem, scaling, and tessellation, and activities will include manipulatives & puzzles.

These lessons provide access to a wide range of students by complementing the drawing and studying of figures, and offer deep and challenging problems. The workshop will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards, both in content and in mathematical practices.

Cost of this session covers materials and manipulatives to be mailed to attendees 1-2 weeks before the workshop. Please enter your preferred mailing address during registration to receive these materials.

Join us!

When: Saturdays in August - October, 2020

10:00am - 12:00pm: Synchronous group time

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch break

1:00pm - 3:00pm: Open time for Distance Learning tips & tricks, questions, project ideas, and more

Where: Virtually via Zoom

Price varies. See workshop descriptions for details.

Registration is open now!

Registration refunds will only be processed up to 7 days before each workshop session.

Specific workshop session dates:

Aug. 22, 2020:

Project - Based Mathematics 101 (Grades K-12)

Aug. 29, 2020:

Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Day 1 (Grades K-2)
Funky Dice Probability (Grades 5-9)

Sept. 5, 2020:

No Workshops - Labor Day Weekend

Sept. 12, 2020:

Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Day 2 (Grades K-2)
Funky Dice Probability (Grades 5-9)
Create Your Own Board Game (Grades 5-12)

Sept. 19, 2020:

Hands-On Geometry: Day 1 (Grades 6-9)
Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Day 3 (Grades K-2)
Build Your Own Government (Grades 5-12)

Sept. 26, 2020:

Hands-On Geometry: Day 2 (Grades 6-9)
Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Symmetry (Grades K-4)

Oct. 3, 2020:

Hands-On Geometry: Day 3 (Grades 6-9)
Building a Solid Mathematical Base: 2-D & 3-D Geometry (Grades K-4)

Oct. 10, 2020:

Hands-On Geometry: Day 4 (Grades 6-9)
Building a Solid Mathematical Base: Probability & Algebraic Thinking (Grades K-4)

Contact Synapse School with any questions.

Your Workshop Leaders:

Henri Picciotto

Henri Picciotto is a math education author and consultant. He has retired from the classroom after 42 years of teaching at every level from counting to calculus. He is the inventor of Lab Gear, a hands-on environment for algebra, and is in fact a leading authority on the use of manipulatives and geometric puzzles in secondary school. He has been an enthusiastic (and skeptical) user of electronic learning environments since the early days of the personal computer. He shares his ideas about teaching, and much curriculum, on his Math Education Page (www.MathEducation.page) and his blog (blog.MathEd.page). His cryptic crosswords are available at Out of Left Field Cryptics.

Peggy McLean

Peggy received her BA and MA from San Jose State University. For the past 45 years she has been training teachers across the nation in the use of manipulative math materials to foster greater understanding of math concepts presented in the elementary grades. Peggy trained pre-service teachers at Notre Dame de Namur University for 25 years. With Mary Laycock, she created the elementary math program at The Nueva School, where she was Math Specialist from 1975 - 2015. Peggy joined Synapse full time in 2016 and currently works with teachers in Levels I, II, and III. She is the co-author of several books on the use of various manipulative materials, many of which are currently used at Synapse School.

Ben Meiseles

This is Ben's third year as a Math Specialist and Middle School Advisor at Synapse. Earning his BS in Mathematics from Duke University, Ben went on to work in professional services at Red Hat for several years. Despite his foray in the tech world, Ben has always wanted to serve as an educator and role model for children. As a math teacher, Ben strives to enable students to embrace the skills and mindsets that create great mathematicians, lifelong learners, and intentional global citizens.

Eben LaPier

This is Eben's seventh year as a Synapse teacher. After three years in Level III, Eben joined the middle school team as the lead 7/8 math teacher. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2010 with degrees in Mathematics and Medieval Literature and received his credential from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont in 2012. Eben is happiest when teaching his students to not fear math, or running simulations and hands-on projects. Some sample projects Eben has run in class include an all-school Mascot Election teaching statistics and the mathematics of voting, designing and building a 10-ft tall Geodesic Dome, and Alaska Pipeline problems on rates, proportions, unit conversions, and scientific notation.

Isha Jain

Isha holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Boston University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration. As a child, Isha had the opportunity to go to an experiential and project-based school and is a strong proponent of this approach to education. She believes that learning takes place internally and that the role of an educator is to hone the natural curiosity of young adults and convert it into powerful learning opportunities. Isha recently took on the role of Director of Distance Learning at Synapse and teaches 5/6 Math & Problem Solving.

Mark Leitch

Mark has been in love with mathematics for quite a while now. He holds a BS in Energy Engineering from Penn State University with a focus on studying renewable energy. Toward the end of college, Mark discovered a passion for teaching. He moved to New Orleans and taught 7th/8th graders in math, science, and special education for 3 years. In his last year in New Orleans, he also enjoyed tutoring advanced mathematics to students up for a challenge. Mark moved out to the west coast and has now been at Synapse for two year as a 5/6 math teacher and advisor. Mark’s favorite thing about Synapse is that he gets to explore mathematics through unique and exciting projects!