Throughout my career, I have focused on designing professional learning, instructional materials, curriculum, and assessments for mathematics. Materials that provide students opportunities to build mathematical identity and agency. To see themselves as doers, knowers, and sense-makers of mathematics. To bring joy and authenticity to mathematics and to lift the voices of students and teachers of color. To help bring math to families in a way that is fun, engaging, and empowering.
I served as a Co-Principal Investigator for a project called MathicSTEAM. MathicSTEAM focused on developing curriculum resources to support conceptual development in mathematics as well as executive functioning skills. Our project MathicSTEAM is featured in EF+Math’s Insights report. This is a project that brings the voices of students, families, and educators together with curriculum developers to create content that is meaningful and relevant.
I am very excited about this white paper called The Art of Facilitation that I wrote to share what my team and I learned as we explored effective facilitation in the classroom. This paper looks at what we know from neuroscience and cognitive science and how we can make that actionable in the classroom to support student learning.
I have had the honor to create and lead stakeholder groups of educators, families, and students to co-design curriculum content. By co-designing content, we are able to work together to create curriculum materials that lift the voices of all of our students, especially our most marginalized. Click here to learn more about the work I did in partnership with EF+Math.
Most recently I had the privilege of serving on the Foundational Math Brain Trust with 100kin10. Working with educators, researchers, and thought leaders we took a look at the issues in early math learning, supports needed, strategies to support teachers, and how to bring joy and authenticity to math education for students. The work we did resulted in the report from 100kin10 called “Doing the Math”.
I was extremely honored to be one of four math educational leaders invited by Education Weekly to discuss the big shifts required by common core math instruction in the nation’s schools for their two Roadmaps to Success Leadership Forums. The focus was to provide information, ideas, advice, and support to organizations, districts, and other stakeholders across the country as they prepared to implement Common Core. Click here to view interview.
One of the coolest things I ever got to do was to go to Washington, DC and work with a lobbyist. My district was trying to obtain a $1 million dollar earmark for a reading program. I was able to plead our case before several men and women in congress. It did not get enough votes to pass, but it was a really cool experience.
I was really excited to get the opportunity to work on two of the PARCC Assessment Math Groups and help design the grades 3-5 math assessment. I was part of the Core Math Team and was very honored when the representatives from the Ohio Department of Education asked me to serve on the State Educator Team to represent the state in making the decisions for the content on the grades 3-5 assessments we would be giving in the state.
My first year as a Curriculum Director I was tasked with creating a PK-grade 6 STEM program for four inner city schools. Many students and families struggled with anxiety around Math and Science. Part of the challenge was to help them “see” themselves being successful in math and science. Working closely with the community, astrophysicist from Hubble telescope, our local science museum, my curriculum team, and community partners we were able to create content and opportunities for families to come together and explore the wonders of math and science.
How do you help students stay engaged over the summer in mathematics learning? One of my favorite projects was working in collaboration with the Ohio State University, Learn 4 Life, YMCA, Columbus Metro Parks, and Boys and Girls Clubs to design math content that could be used in conjunction with their programs. The activities we developed were used throughout the state to get students excited about learning math outside of the classroom.
Additional Projects
- Co-Principal Investigator for the MathicSteam project as part of the EF+Math Inclusive R&D prototyping track (2020-2023)
- Member of Instructional Strategies that Promote Classroom Equity Project team for 100kin10 (2022)
- Lead curriculum co-design efforts to develop instructional materials that are culturally relevant, designed through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provide opportunities for students, especially African American and Latinx to showcase their brilliance. Recruit, organize, and provide DEI training to educators from across the country as part of our co-design strategy. (2020-2023)
- Redesigned Pre-kindergarten blended learning curriculum program (2019-2020)
- Developed a Kindergarten – grade 5, five week blended learning summer curriculum program (2015-2019)
- Designed district and state level professional development trainings on a variety of topics (2004-2019)
- Developed and supported the implementation of a free Game Design Unit using engineering design principles (2016)
- Engaged in the development of a Health Sciences Academy for students’ in partnership with Columbus City Schools and The Ohio State University Medical Center (2013-2014)
- Developed math curriculum for a citywide camps and summer programming (2012-2014)
- Developed, trained and monitored a Math Intervention Program for struggling first and second grade students. (2010–2014)
- Designed, trained and monitored the implementation of a teacher coaching program (2012-2014)
- Developed math curriculum and assessments, organized writing teams and planned and presented professional development for Columbus City Schools (1999-2013)
- Assisted in creating a district STEM program for five elementary schools. Organized, lead, and developed curriculum and professional development. (2007–2008)
Twana Young 