More than 80 teachers explored math activities that they can share with their students at the 2012 Summer Institute held at Perris High School hosted by Project DELTA (Developing Educators Learning to Teach Algebraically).
Teachers measure the distance traveled by a projectile during the 2012 Summer Institute held at Perris High School hosted by Project DELTA. (Courtesy photo)
The institute calls on teachers to collaborate with colleagues, discuss best solutions and research for students, and pay careful attention to whether students understand concepts and are not just coming up with correct answers.
“It’s very useful for us, and we can transfer what we learn here when we return to our school sites,” said Jason Eskridge, a sixth-grade math teacher from Hans Christian Anderson School in Menifee. “The idea is to increase academic achievement for students in math.”
Teachers take part in hands-on problem solving during the summer session, including measuring the flight distance of drinking straw rockets. They work in groups to solve math problems. Teachers said working out the problems with their peers helped them see how their own students might struggle to understand key concepts.
Teachers are in their third and last year in Project DELTA. They spend two weeks in the summer program, and they work closely with their peers throughout the school year. They also share information with teachers in other districts.
This year Project Delta also included student volunteers, including Ruben Guevara, a junior at Heritage High School in Perris. “It’s cool to know that teachers spend their summer doing this, learning better ways to teach math,” he said.
Project DELTA is funded by a grant from the California Math Science Partnership. It involves the elementary districts in the Perris area — Menifee, Nuview, Romoland, and Perris elementary – as well as the Perris high school district, and the Riverside County Office of Education Alternative and Special Education departments.
*Contributed by Riverside Office of Education
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