We were thrilled to have Stephanie Iacadoro (@Mathiacadoro) as our guest for Help Desk Live-Episode 31. Stephanie serves as the Mathematics Supervisor for grades 6-12 in a 1:1 environment in Duxbury Public Schools. In this role, Stephanie supports the development and revision of curriculum in alignment with the Common Core and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. She provides teachers with meaningful professional development and support with the new Massachusetts evaluation tool. Additionally, Stephanie designed and teaches a project-based math course called Math Technology Applications. The essential question of this course is, “How can I use Mathematical Modeling to understand the world around me?” and it is the driving force behind the five units of study which include:

1. College and Career Exploration
2. Alternative Energy
3. Architecture and Design
4. Sports
5. Business and Finance

The course emphasizes student voice and choice as well as real world applications of mathematical concepts. It brings relevancy to learning math and allows students to develop authentic problem-solving skills. To learn more about the course, and to discover ways you could create a similar a course in your school district, you can visit Ms. Iacadoro’s website or here from her directly by watching this video about the Math Technology Applications course offered at Duxbury High School.

The Help Desk Live video below is a must watch for math teachers, curriculum coordinators, and/or department heads who are looking to change their math curriculum and integrate a more project-based approach to their instructional practices.

It was a pleasure to meet Ms. Iacadoro and her students in person at the Learn Launch Classrooms of the Future showcase and hear about this progressive course. We are grateful Ms. Iacadoro took time out of her schedule to talk with us and we are hopeful the course she has designed will serve as a source of inspiration to other school districts in and outside of Massachusetts.

Stay tuned for future episodes of Help Desk Live!