57th Annual Conference Extended Sessions
2025 EXTENDED SESSIONS
Deepen your learning even further with extended sessions during our annual conference. NCSM is offering extended sessions for the first time ever, providing a unique opportunity to engage in in-depth learning and explore key topics with some of the most requested leaders in mathematics education leadership.
Extended sessions will be held on Monday, October 13, and Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Space is limited to 100 registrants in each session.
Take advantage of this chance to dive deeper into areas that matter most to you, connect with experts, and gain valuable insights to elevate your leadership in mathematics education. Secure your spot and make the most of your conference experience.
From Survive to Thrive: Supporting the New Math Teacher
As a mathematics leader, you play a critical role in supporting teachers—especially new teachers and those new to teaching math. You help them shape effective mathematics instruction. But how do you help those teachers navigate their biggest challenges—from classroom management to assessment, from building conceptual understanding to fostering fluency, from problem-solving to discourse and assessment? How do you help them realize equitable learning for all students?
This session, based on Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Mathematics, helps you target their biggest—and sometimes hidden—questions. It provides practical guidance and leadership strategies to offer answers and support that strengthen their instruction.
Monday, October 13, 2025, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Presented by: Georgina Rivera and John SanGiovanni
Georgina Rivera is a mathematics leader, educator, coach, presenter, and author. Currently, she serves as the Principal for Charter Oak International Academy, an IB School in West Hartford, CT. Georgina has previously served as an Elementary STEM Supervisor, and district-wide elementary mathematics coach, and began her career as a middle school mathematics teacher. She serves on several boards including the CAS Activities Board, Vice President for the National Supervisors of Mathematics and co-designed a National Conference, and serves on the advisory board for Math Teacher’s Circle for Social Justice. As an author, her titles include Math by the Book (Grade 1) , Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Math, K-5 and 6-8 Reveal Math Textbook Series by McGraw Hill, and Culturally Relevant Mathematics Leadership. Her most important role is working with teacher leaders to create equitable math classrooms for every student.
John SanGiovanni is a best-selling author and nationally recognized leader in mathematics education. He works as a district mathematics coordinator in Maryland leading curriculum development, professional learning, assessment, and intervention. John is passionate about developing mathematics specialists and teacher leaders in his district and at McDaniel College. He also works as an international consultant providing professional learning for mathematics content, pedagogy, curriculum design, and leadership. John is a frequent speaker at conferences across the country. He is active in professional organizations serving on the Board of Directors for several including both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.
Understanding and Communicating Current Educational Research
What does current research tell us about mathematical pedagogy? In this presentation, Dr. Lambert will explore current research on the efficacy of different pedagogies in mathematics, including explicit instruction and guided inquiry. Dr. Lambert will provide an overview of current debates about pedagogy from a research perspective, including cognitive load theory and explicit instruction, research on effective scaffolds for guided inquiry, and current research on sequencing exploration and teacher explanation. We will also discuss how research in the area of special education and mathematics has historically been different, as well as current research in this field. We will pay attention to how to communicate research without falling into oversimplification and/or unhelpful binaries.
Monday, October 13, 2025, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Presented by: Dr. Rachel Lambert
Dr. Rachel Lambert is an Associate Professor in Special Education and Mathematics Education at the University of California Santa Barbara. Before becoming a researcher, she worked for over 10 years as both a special education and a general education inclusion teacher. Her work has focused on critical analysis of research in both special education and mathematics education using a disability studies in education lens. Dr. Lambert researches emotion and identity in mathematics classrooms, particularly for neurodiverse students of color. She has designed a mathematical version of Universal Design for Learning that integrates Design Thinking (UDL Math). Other current work includes designing agentic intervention through non-digital games. She is the author of Rethinking Disability and Mathematics; A UDL Math Classroom Guide for Grades K-8. You can find her work on mathematizing4all.com.
Adapting and Designing Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: A Hands-on Learning Lab
How can we design culturally relevant mathematics tasks that foster hope, joy, and love in our classrooms? This interactive, hands-on lab will guide educators through the process of adapting and designing math tasks that center students’ identities, lived experiences, and communities. Using the Hope Wheel as a lens and drawing from `3 key approaches featured in our book Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Task Building, participants will reimagine their math instruction by aligning tasks with meaningful cultural and social contexts. Through structured activities, task design exercises, and collaborative refinement, attendees will leave with tangible strategies for transforming their curriculum while fostering deep student engagement, rigour and agency.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 8:30 am – 11:00 am
Presented by: Dr. Lou Matthews, Dr. Shelly M. Jones, and Dr. Yolanda Parker
Dr. Lou Matthews is a mathematics educator, researcher, and thought leader in culturally relevant mathematics teaching. As the founder of InspireMath and the Inspire Institute, he has dedicated his career to transforming mathematics education through humanizing, culturally grounded pedagogies. He is the creator of the Hope Wheel, a framework that reimagines mathematics as a space for love, justice, and empowerment. With over 25 years of experience in K-12, higher education, and professional learning, Dr. Matthews leads national efforts in mathematics equity, culturally relevant pedagogy, and AI-powered math education. In 2024, Dr. Matthews was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the White House for the “You Belong in STEM” convening, advocating for human-centered and equity-driven STEM education. In 2025 Dr. Lou was honored by the Benjamin Banneker Association as part of its Mathematicians We Honor series for his dedication to empowering students and educators through culturally relevant mathematics.
Dr. Shelly M. Jones is a Professor at Central Connecticut State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate mathematics and STEM courses. With over 30 years of experience, including nine years in K-12 education and two decades in professional development, she is passionate about culturally relevant mathematics education. Her research explores teachers’ experiences with implementing culturally relevant pedagogy, a topic she discusses in her CCSU TEDxTalk. Dr. Jones is the author of Women Who Count: Honoring African American Women Mathematicians, co-author of Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: Fostering Hope, and a contributing author to The Brilliance of Black Children in Mathematics: Beyond the Numbers and Toward a New Discourse. Active in the mathematics education community, Dr. Jones is a Past-President of the Benjamin Banneker Association, a Board Member of NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), and serves on the Education Advisory Board for Mathkind. In recognition of her contributions, she was honored by Mathematically Gifted & Black as a Black History Month 2019 Honoree.
Dr. Yolanda A. Parker has been an educator for over 25 years and is a professor at Tarrant County College-South Campus. Her career started as a middle school mathematics teacher, and she has also been an assistant professor in university undergraduate teacher preparation and graduate education programs. Dr. Parker has presented at numerous conferences on topics such as integrating children’s literature and mathematics, manipulatives with adult learners, and culturally relevant mathematics tasks.
In 2017, she was honored as one of the “Hidden Figures of Dallas: Top Women of Color in S.T.E.M.” by the National Society of Black Engineers Dallas/Fort Worth Professionals chapter and received the Tarrant County College “Chancellor’s Award for Exemplary Teaching.” She is a contributing author to several books, including A Commitment to Teaching: Toward More Efficacious Teacher Preparation and The Brilliance of Black Children in Mathematics: Beyond the Numbers and Toward a New Discourse. She is also a co-author of Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks: Fostering Hope.
Experiencing a Thinking Classroom
Much of how classrooms look and much of what happens in them today is guided by institutional norms laid down at the inception of an industrial-age model of public education. These norms have enabled a culture of teaching and learning that is often devoid of student thinking. In this workshop, participants will experience some of the results of over 15 years of research into how teachers can transform their classrooms from a space where students mimic to where students think.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Presented by: Dr. Peter Liljedahl
Peter Liljedahl is a former math teacher and current professor of Mathematics Education known for his significant contributions to the field of mathematics education, particularly in the development of “Building Thinking Classrooms.” With a passion for fostering deep mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills, Peter has dedicated his career to reshaping classroom environments. His work emphasizes collaborative learning, problem-solving, and student engagement, leading to more effective and meaningful mathematics education experiences. Through his innovative teaching methods and research, Peter continues to inspire educators worldwide to create dynamic and thought-provoking learning spaces.
Each session requires a minimum of 25 participants to run and is limited to the first 100 registrants.
NOTE: Registration is required for all extended sessions . Online registration is now open: Member Registration / Non-Member Registration.