Annual Fall Conference of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics of New York City (ATMNYC) held at Hunter College

The Annual Fall Conference of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics of New York City (ATMNYC) co-sponsored by the Hunter College Mathematics Center for Learning and Teaching (MCLT) was held at Hunter College on Saturday, November 18, 2023. Since 2002, this conference has been a joint undertaking of these two groups attracting presenters from throughout the regions and mathematics teachers at all levels from throughout the New York City area. It should be noted that through the efforts of ATMNYC President, Ms. Ronni David, the conference was also held virtually during the pandemic with attendees from throughout the United States.

The Conference is coordinated by Dr. Robert Gyles, Director of the MCLT and Ms. Ronni David, President of the ATMNYC.

Attendees included practicing teachers from New York area schools as well as graduate and undergraduate students in education programs. In all three groups there are students enrolled in Hunter College mathematics education courses in the School of Education. For these students, the Board of Directors of the ATMNYC waives the conference fee.

Throughout the years, the large number of mathematics teachers attending the conference have heard from many leaders in the field of mathematics education. This year’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Irina Lyublinskaya from Teachers College/Columbia University. The very timely title of her presentations was, “The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Mathematics Education.”

After the keynote, attendees were given the opportunity to attend two sessions, one at 10:30 am and the other at 12 pm. In each of these time slots, attendees had a choice of nine workshops. These addressed topics ranging from elementary through high school mathematics as well as ideas relative to leadership in mathematics education.

This year’s event was notable as, for the first time, five presenters were affiliated with the Hunter College Mathematics Education Programs.

Donna Balter-Meislin teaches mathematics education in the QUEST program and has done so for over 25 years. She is the former Director of Mathematics in Community School District 4.

Akia Goudy is a 2019 graduate of the Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program and is presently the mathematics specialist, grades 1 to 4, at the Bank Street School for Children. Ms. Goudy is also an adjunct professor in mathematics education at Hunter.

Kristen Coyle is presently a student in the Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program having entered the program after her completion of the Algebra-4-All Program at Hunter. She is a mathematics specialist at the Matilda Avenue School (PS483x) in New York.

Jaclyn Greco is a mathematics teacher at Saugerties High School, Saugerties, NY. A 2020 graduate of the MA Professional Certificate Program in Mathematics, Ms. Greco taught for five years at the El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in Brooklyn. She is the co-author of an article on Venn diagrams and has been an adjunct professor in the MA Adolescent Mathematics Program.

Will Goss is a mathematics teacher at Scarsdale Middle School in Scarsdale, NY. A 2019 graduate of the MA Professional Certificate Program in Mathematics, Mr. Goss has taught for seven years, the last 4 of which in Scarsdale. He is the co-author of an article focusing on his classroom work in the creative teaching of statistics to middle school students.

Responses to the workshops were excellent as a professional experience:

• “The structure of the two sessions was quite neat. I liked that we were given nine choices for each session, so we were able to attend the one that suited our profession/age-group best”
• “I had a chance to meet a lovely educator at Hunter College. She was so excited to have us in her session. I was amazed with all the different ways you could create fun and engaging study material for and with your students. She quite literally had a representation for everything that I am struggling with. By the end of the session, I really did not want to leave”
• “I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the conference because I never attended one like this before that was content specific but it definitely changed my perspective on my practice”
• “I really was in awe with the math convention that was held at Hunter College”

And some mentioned the sacrifice made to attend the Conference.

• “I have to be honest with you, I was not thrilled that I needed to wake up early. That quickly changed once I went to the first of the two sessions.”
• “It was hard waking up Saturday morning, but it was worth it!”

Plans for the 2024 Conference are already underway.