Jeff Harding

Jeff has been a high school mathematics teacher for 33 years, the last 22 of them at Mundelein High School in Mundelein Illinois.  He has been an avid reader and researcher into the latest trends in education and has been operating a Standards Based Classroom for the past 11 years.   Jeff has designed numerous standards based grading scales that have been used in both his own and other schools.  He has worked with teachers across the country helping them to develop a high quality classroom.  Jeff especially enjoys spending time working with beginning teachers.

Assessments, SBG, and Brain Research…. An Intricate Trio

Writing a quality assessment takes more than just adding questions.  In this session, we will explore how to address learners at all stages and effectively determine the quality of their performance through leveled assessments.  We will explore how the brain learns and process information as well as how to effectively gauge the degree of understanding.  Finally, we will look at the natural connection between these practices and creating a grade using the standards based lens.  And best of all, we will unpack how to make all of this information clear to both parents and students.

BONUS Math Session:

Complete the Puzzle… and the Square

Help students uncover the mystery of completing the square.  You will see an approach that gets kids away from simply following steps.  This discovery-based lesson will allow kids to work at their own pace as they uncover the real truth to rewriting expressions algebraically.  Gets kids to be able to not only get the right answer, but be able to explain why it is the answer and be able to do so for a myriad of different problem types.