Pre-Conference Workshops
As part of SUM2025, you are able to register for a pre-conference workshop where you’ll have the chance to dive deep into a topic with one of our featured speakers. Descriptions for each workshop can be found below.
Note: To attend a pre-conference workshop, your conference ticket must include the pre-conference workshop.
Jenna Laib
Using Math Games to Affirm and Develop Student Brilliance
Playing games in math class can be more than just “fun”! Games provide opportunities to enhance access to content, delve deep into mathematical ideas and strategies, and affirm students’ mathematical identities. This session will explore several adaptable “low prep, high leverage” games that work across many grade levels, K-8 and beyond. We will discuss characteristics of high leverage games, and how our facilitation moves can support equitable teaching practices.
Chris Luzniak
Arguing in Math Class
What if our students were not focused solely on finding the correct answer? What if they felt motivated to discuss and explain math topics? If we want students to deeply understand topics, they need to communicate their thinking, construct arguments, and listen and respond to others. We have to create a classroom where discussion and debate is the norm. So how do we do that? How do we help students develop their voice in the math classroom? Come dive into DebateMath with us and find out!
Maegan Giroux
BTC Meets Manipulatives: How Concrete Experiences Elevate Thinking
This session explores the powerful role manipulatives can play in supporting Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC). Participants will explore and discuss strategies for incorporating manipulatives into BTC math tasks in ways that deepen both conceptual understanding and student engagement. Teachers will discover how manipulatives can bridge the gap between concrete experiences and abstract strategies, while also challenging students’ mathematical thinking. Through this session, participants will gain practical insights into embedding manipulatives across grade levels to foster a more dynamic and meaningful math learning experience.
