Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96J8xE-dhSM&feature=youtu.be
OCTM's Mission
OCTM promotes quality teaching and learning of mathematics in Ohio by supporting educators and their professional growth, fostering collaboration, and advocating for informed public policy.

OCTM's Vision
To be a highly valued community in which teachers of mathematics can grow professionally in order to foster deep mathematics understanding for all learners.

OCTM Board
Find the full directory of OCTM leaders here.

********

OCTM Western Round Up on June 13:

Not Your Typical Rodeo of Professional Development

Wayne High School
5400 Chambersburg Road, Dayton, OH 45424

Join us for a great day of professional learning and connections with colleagues!  Start your day with sessions from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Wayne HS...

Keynote speakers are:
  • Mike Lipnos
  • Meghan Arnold
  • Jim Mamer
Then, continue the fun with Mathy Hour Trivia starting at 1:00 at TJ Chumps, where you can purchase your own lunch and win prizes!

Click here to find more information and to register.  Hope to see you there!

********

OCTM Annual Conference


OCTM invites you to participate in the 69th Annual Conference at the beautiful Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Sandusky!  The full conference will take place on Thursday-Friday, October 24-25.  The evening of Wednesday, October 23 may include a related professional event.

***The full conference program (as of May 15) is now available here!  Note that the schedule is tentative and may change before the actual conference.  Find an "at-a-glance" version of the tentative schedule here.

***Register now!  Click here to begin.  Early registration rates are valid through October 1, 2019.  Pay online with a credit card or by check or purchase order (see this page for additional details).  You can also use the form to register for the awards luncheon only.

Find all other current information, including the hotel reservation form, on this page. 

********

OCTM scholarships for college students:
Accepting applications through June 15

Each fall, OCTM awards six $750 scholarships. Anyone interested in applying must fit the following qualifications:

  • be a junior, senior or graduate student in the fall of the award year at a college or university in Ohio; 
  • be enrolled in a program that leads to an Ohio Resident Educator license in a field which includes the teaching of mathematics at some level, K-12 (Early Childhood (EC), Middle Childhood (MC), or Adolescent Young Adult (AYA)); and 
  • be a prospective first-time teacher (i.e. must not have taught professionally).

     OR

  • be enrolled in a full-time graduate program related to the teaching and learning of mathematics for those who already hold an EC, MC, or AYA license that includes the teaching of mathematics at some level in grades K-12*.

Persons interested in applying for OCTM Scholarships must download the application form and submit the completed application, official college transcript(s), institution verification form, and one letter of support from a college/university faculty member or cooperating teacher. 

We encourage prospective elementary teachers who have an interest in mathematics teaching to apply.

Questions may be addressed to OCTM Scholarship Chair Kate Lane at clane@bw.edu.  Please use "OCTM Scholarship" as the subject of your email.


********

Congratulations 2018 OCTM Awardees!
See this page for more information.

District Awardees:
Central District: Katie Castle, Ali Fleming, Alisha Sleeper
East District: Molly Bordenkircher, Lisa Maiorana, Ashley Meinke
Northeast District: Allison Klutarich, Suzanne Malak, Rebecca Mele
Northwest District: John Eckhart, Sarah Moore, Tara Urbanyi
South District: Sarah Hatfield
Southeast District: Maria Douglas, Amanda Kolbe
Southwest District: Nichole Bruce, Scott Cropper, Joe Stahl
West District: Michelle Kessen, Michelle Owen, Laura Sturey


State Awardees:
Elementary (Miller/Werner): Laura Niswonger
Middle School: Nicole Kelley
Secondary (Buck Martin): Amy Latsch
College (Kenneth Cummins): Gabriel Matney
Emerging Leader: Jared Olson
Friend of Mathematics (Bert Waits): Brian Bickley

Christofferson-Fawcett (Lifetime Achievement) Awardee:  Anne Mikesell

Questions about awards may be referred to Heather Wukelich, OCTM District Director at Large, at heather.wukelich@ohioctm.org .

Congratulations to our newly elected board members!

The following leaders will assume these roles in October at the annual conference in Sandusky.
  • President-Elect: Heather Wukelich (Austintown Schools)
  • Vice President, Elementary: Courtney Koestler (Ohio University)
  • Treasurer: Samantha Fales (Nordonia HS)
  • District Director At-Large: Matt Carpenter (Jonathan Alder HS)
  • East District Director: Lynne Pachnowski (University of Akron)
  • Southeast District Director: TBD (a tie!)
********

OCTM Membership

What opportunities do you and your mathematics colleagues have to participate in informed, collaborative professional growth?  If you are an administrator, do your teachers participate in OCTM?  You can help colleagues become part of this organization comprised of a strong network of 3,000+ educators in Ohio.
  • Information you can share about OCTM: Share this video in which 5 OCTM members talk about their reasons for being involved, and share this flyer that includes information about our organization.  Visit the links to the left for more details.

Additional ways for you to be involved:

  • We invite you to respond to this brief survey that will help OCTM leaders to provide opportunities that support professional growth.
  • On Twitter, watch for tweets from OCTM members sharing why they are part of OCTM at @ohioctm and #octmconnects .
See a list here of all those who invited at least one new member to become part of OCTM during the 2018 Membership Drive.  This is how we grow!


********

The OCTM Journal is equitably and ethically connecting people across the country and beyond

Recently, Julie Nurnberger-Haag of Kent State University shared a story with Todd Edwards, the editor of our Ohio Journal of School Mathematics, about how the Journal is helping mathematics educators across the country to connect and share ideas.  Last fall, the OJSM included an article of Julie's in which she shared guidelines and templates for selecting, using, and even creating children's books about geometric shapes.  A librarian in Wisconsin contacted Julie to let her know that the article had been very helpful to her, and this helped Julie to connect with additional librarians.  

Julie notes that the online, open-source format of the OJSM allows for equitable access to information that is useful to educators.  Further, since our authors maintain their copyrights, they are able to ethically share their own work as they choose.

Thanks very much to Julie for sharing this experience with us, and thanks to all of our OJSM authors, reviewers, and our editor Todd Edwards!  Read Julie's complete comments on our OJSM page here.


********

OCTM's Last Surviving Charter Member

Luther Shetler, Mathematics Professor Emeritus at Bluffton College/University, was the last surviving charter member of OCTM.  During the banquet at our conference this past October, several OCTM members wrote a brief note to Dr. Shetler to thank him for his role in the creation of our organization.  Duane Bollenbacher (OCTM Historian) was able to visit Dr. Shetler to share our message of gratitude.  Many commented on the impact Dr. Shetler's "Mathematics of Bubbles" presentations had made on them.  We are saddened to share that Dr. Shetler passed away on December 15, 2018.  (You can read his obituary for further details about his life.)  When Duane shared the news of Dr. Shetler's passing, he mentioned how appreciative Dr. Shetler was of the note from OCTM.

As an organization, we are incredibly grateful for the work of those who came before us.  We truly stand on the shoulders of giants.  In honor of those who have come before, we will begin a new series in February to highlight charter members and other leaders of OCTM.  Find this and other OCTM history at this page on our site.

********
Professional Opportunities in Ohio for Mathematics Teaching and Learning

View professional development opportunities that are open to all Ohio mathematics educators at the OCTM event calendar HERE. Please note that these events are not sponsored or officially endorsed by OCTM unless indicated.  We encourage you to participate in the events sponsored by our local affiliate groups and the Ohio Math Teacher Circles. If you are offering an opportunity that you would like to have posted, please e-mail Matt Carpenter.

SE Ohio Math Teachers' Circle 
photos provided by Courtney Koestler

********

2018 OCTM Scholarship recipients:
Congratulations!
See this page for more information.

Lindsay Cater, Marissa Kalina, Jenna Odom,
Camila Rodriguez, Kylea Royal, Tiffany Ward, Taylor Wood