Math in Action: (Keeping the Thinking Brain Online to Build Number Sense)

 Math in Action: (Keeping the Thinking Brain Online to Build Number Sense) 

We are running Math in Action for the 2nd year in a row due to the high levels of success and participation for our K-8 educators.

Math in Action - Building Number Sense for K-8 Students by Keeping their Brain Online
When a student panics during a timed test, loses track of multi-step directions, or shuts down at the first sign of a challenging task, it isn't a behavioral issue, it's a neurological shutdown. When stress spikes, the cortex (the logical, problem-solving brain) goes offline, forcing students into survival mode. If we want to build robust, flexible number sense in K-8 learners, we must design classrooms that work with the brain, not against it.

Math In Action is a transformative professional learning experience that bridges cutting-edge neuroscience with practical, high-impact mathematics instruction. Rooted in Dr. Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model and the latest cognitive research, this series gives educators the tools to cultivate deep mathematical fluency by understanding how the brain actually processes, stores, and retrieves numerical concepts.

Throughout this collaborative experience, you will learn how to move students away from fragile, rote memorization and toward durable, interconnected neural networks.

What You Will Explore:

• The Neuroscience of Math Anxiety: Understand the "Sequence of Disengagement" and discover how to regulate the nervous system to keep the thinking brain online.
• The CRA Sequence & Visual Models: Leverage physical manipulatives, Rekenreks, and open number lines to map abstract mathematical concepts onto the brain’s visual and spatial pathways.
• Daily High-Cognitive Routines: Implement low-floor, high-ceiling rituals—like Numberless Word Problems and Estimation Routines—that stimulate executive functioning and mathematical reasoning.
• Data-Driven, Human-Centered Assessment: Move past traditional timed tests to assess true number sense through structured student interviews, formative observation trackers, and reflective peer roundtables.

The Learning Journey Includes:

• Kickoff Workshop - September 17, 2026: Ground your practice in brain science, learning how neural pathways form and how to intentionally craft classroom conditions that reduce cognitive stress.
• Monthly Actionable Webinars: Six targeted, one-hour virtual deep dives mapping directly onto classroom implementation pillars, from concrete tools to student reflection metrics.
• Capstone Final Workshop - April 28, 2027: A collaborative, roundtable networking session to reflect on your growth, share actionable "Glows and Grows," and build a sustainable blueprint for the upcoming school year.

Stop teaching to the memory; start teaching to the brain. Join a community of forward-thinking K-8 educators and transform your math block into a dynamic environment where every student has the cognitive readiness to engage, learn, and grow.

$500 per person includes AM refreshments and lunch for in-person sessions