Atrium School

Excellence with Joy

Atrium Summer Math Institute 2024
Balancing Concept Acquisition and Skill Development in K-8 Mathematics

Atrium Summer Math Institute has concluded for 2024 – check back in 2025 for information about upcoming workshops.

Tuesday, July 16 – Thursday, July 18

8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT

Math educators engage in hands-on learning with blocks during the Atrium Summer Math Institute at Atrium School, a progressive independent school in Watertown, MA.
Teachers collaborate at a whiteboard during the Summer Math Instistute at Atrium School, a progressive private school near Boston.
Teachers in a circle outside sharing during the Summer Math Institute at at Atrium School, a progressive independent school on the Watertown-Cambridge line.

The Atrium Summer Math Institute continues in its sixth year this summer, July 16–18! The Atrium Summer Math Institute is a three-day, in-person program that provides teachers, coaches, and administrators space to learn together, inspiring curricular shifts at their school site. The 2024 theme is Balancing Concept Acquisition and Skill Development in K-8 Mathematics.

We will have generative workshops for math educators, as well as math teachers' circles and collegial time spent together over the course of three fun and rewarding days at our school on the Watertown/Cambridge line. Thanks to a generous donation from Alnylam Biotech, we have a limited number of scholarships available for those who are in need – a 25% discount for teachers and 50% discount for graduate students! Save the date, and please share with interested colleagues and friends. The full-cost workshop price is $499 per person.

Who You Are: A teacher, aspiring teacher, administrator, learning specialist, or coach (at an early childhood center, public, charter, independent, parochial school, after-school program, etc.) committed to evolving your practice and refining your pedagogy. You seek resources beyond your school’s curriculum and a collegial environment of like-minded faculty for collaboration and community. You seek effective and exciting growth this summer.

What You Will Learn: Atrium School’s Summer Math Institute is a three-day, in-person workshop series and professional learning community where you will have the opportunity to connect with educators from different grade levels and curricular backgrounds. Each day we will also dive into specialized workshop time together. We’ll do math together, experiencing moments of productive struggle, just as we ask our students to do.

Learn more about the core workshop strands below.

A fifth grade student solves a problem on a white board at at Atrium School, a progressive independent school in Watertown, MA.
Two first graders play an educational dice game during math class.
Middle schoolers explain their lucky duck carnival game during a project-based learning math event.

  • As math educators in 2024, we are striving to find a balance between mastering procedural fluency and conceptual understanding. We want our students to have strong automaticity while also providing the opportunity to explore and construct deep mathematical thinking in order to become efficient problem solvers in the real world. So what does it mean to be fluent, and what does it look like in an inquiry-based classroom?

    Together we will dig deeper into the three features of fluency – flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency – by way of best practices, activities, and strategies for enhancing mathematical discussions. Participants will leave with practical tools to apply in their classrooms, as well as many inspiring ideas for how to integrate fluency practices into everyday lessons. Participants are encouraged to bring resources that will help build a rich mathematical learning community.

Who We Are: Come work with three of Atrium School’s innovative educators with a combined 50+ years of teaching and professional development experience.

Liz Caffrey (she/her)

Atrium’s Middle School math teacher and the founder of the Atrium Summer Math Institute, Liz has presented at the Playful Schools Conference in Denmark 2023, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference 2019 (and upcoming Chicago 2024!), Twitter Math Camp 2018, and the Progressive Education Network National Conference 2017. She is also a 2018 Desmos Fellow. With over 20 years in Grades 6 – 12 teaching, some of Liz’s educational passions include empowering all students to see themselves as mathematicians and designing interdisciplinary projects that advance social justice through math.

Twitter: @AsymptoticLiz

Fallon Katz (she/her)

The Lower School Math Specialist and a Learning Specialist at The Rashi School, Fallon’s primary goal in her role is to inspire the love of mathematics in all – both children and adults alike! Fallon works with students in various capacities (one-on-one, small group, and whole group) providing both remedial and enrichment support. Fallon also coaches the teachers with the intention to empower them to bring richness to their mathematics classroom.

Nicole Moran (she/her)

Currently the math specialist at Atrium School and interim Director of Learning and Instruction, Nicole works to support individual learners as well as new teachers in mathematics. Nicole is also a veteran upper elementary and middle school teacher with over 20 years of classroom experience. Her passion is to help every child see themself as a capable math thinker and for students to realize the work they do in the classroom can and will have a great impact on the world around them.

  • $499

    Thanks to a generous donation from Alnylam Biotech, we have a limited number of scholarships available for those who are in need – a 25% discount for teachers and 50% discount for graduate students!

    Note: Certificates are available for continuing education equivalent to 19.5 hours of credit.

  • 8:30AM – 9:00AM Breakfast

    9:00AM – 12:00PM Main workshop

    12:00PM – 1:00PM Lunch

    1:00PM – 2:00PM Mini-workshop (elective)

    2:00PM – 3:00PM Math Teachers’ Circle and end-of-day closure together

  • We are excited for you to join us! The Atrium Summer Math Institute will take place in-person at Atrium School, located at 69 Grove Street, Watertown, MA (GPS: 60 Crawford Street).

    The closest airport is Logan International Airport, less than 30 minutes away. There is plenty of parking on campus. Our school is also accessible by bus via Harvard Square (71 Bus).

    There are three hotels within a short distance of the school. We would recommend the Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Watertown. This hotel is less than a mile from Atrium School.

    If you have any specific questions about travel and accommodations, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Questions? Email us at institute@atrium.org.

20 teachers and instructors pose for a photo during the Atrium School Summer Math Institute.

Testimonials:

“The facilitators were AMAZING and I learned so much from a school that is such a different model than schools I have personally had experience with.”

“It's already my second time! The openness of the presenters and people attending is fabulous. I leave with so many ideas!”

“Liz is awesome and this was so warm and well put together.”

“I feel comfortable at Atrium. It is important to me to spend time learning with others because much of what I do these days is a bit isolated.”

“Every math teacher needs to be inspired and encouraged to engage in lifelong learning activities and this experience was well worth it!”

Teachers collaborate on a math challenge at Atrium School, a progressive independent school in Watertown, MA.
Educators write thoughtfully during the Atrium School Summer Institute professional development for PreK – Grade 8 teachers.
Teachers gather at tables to present their ideas around math education in progressive and project-based classrooms.