New Teachers Join the ASSISTments Ambassador Community. These are their stories, from the classroom.

Twice a year, in the Spring and Fall, ASSISTments welcomes leaders from our user community as Ambassadors of our platform, creating a platform for amplifying teacher voices and teacher-to-teacher professional learning.

These amazing individuals use ASSISTments with their classes because they truly believe the platform has changed the way they can teach. They have elected to become Ambassadors because they want to introduce it to new teachers across the country. Throughout the year, you will hear their voices on the blog, they’ll facilitate targeted workshops/webinars on topical subjects from their classrooms, and they’ll share tips for making the most of ASSISTments.

Read on to meet some of the newest Ambassadors and hear from them on what a day in the life of their ‘classroom’ looks like this fall.

As an ASSISTments ambassador, I hope to inspire other teachers to use ASSISTments to empower their students' learning through reflecting on formative assessment data. - Mrs. Jenni Birrell

My love of teaching math to elementary school students and my own two children brought me back into the classroom at West Wing School in Peoria, AZ, where I have been teaching fifth and sixth grade math for the past three years. When we left campus last spring to teach and learn from home, I began using ASSISTments with my students to gain insight into their thinking and reasoning; I'm not sure what I would have done without it! Before returning to the elementary classroom, I taught math methods courses to future teachers at Arizona State University. I have also served as a middle school assistant principal, a math coach for K-8 math teachers, and a third and first grade math and science teacher. 

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My goal is to get more teachers to use ASSISTments and report back ways that ASSISTments helped them. This can help me expand my toolbox for working with my students. - Mr. Alfons Prince

A day in my classroom is a day where learning occurs in many different forms. Everyone will have their chance to lead and be an expert. This means that some days the learning might be about something outside the traditional math lesson. I want my students to know that they have as much to teach me as I to teach them. Lastly I use ASSISTments through my class as an example of life-long learning, continuous improvement and a bunch of other ways. When I am not teaching students I am watching sports or playing with my daughter and hanging with my family.

My goal with the ASSISTments Ambassador Program is to share the uses and benefits of ASSISTments in a mathematics classroom. ASSISTments is a great tool that leverages technology to inform teachers about their student's understanding. - Ms. Emily McDonald

For Fall 2020, my high school mathematics classroom is ever changing with both in-person and virtual classes. Regardless of the learning format, my class starts with a warm-up/launch in the form of a review problem, video, podcast episode, or ACT practice problem. Class proceeds with either an exploration activity or short lecture depending on the concept being covered that day. Class concludes with students applying the skills learned with a classwork/homework assignment. My goal for each day is for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics. 

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My goal in joining the ASSISTments Ambassador program is to share this fantastic tool with fellow teachers. I found ASSISTments just before the pandemic hit, so I have been predominately using it for distance learning. I am a self-taught ASSISTments user and find the supports and opportunities within the ASSISTments family extremely valuable. - Ms. Carrie L. Moy

The enthusiasm for learning of the students at my school is unparalleled. They come to math class, ready to be challenged. They are allowed to grapple with complex real-world problem solving as the vehicle to learn fundamental mathematical concepts and standards. It may be noisy with groups of students actively engaged in talking about math or silent as they work on an independent reflection or assignment. Loud or quiet, the students are always focused and trying to find new ways to think about solving problems critically. I use the ASSISTments Data Report to find common misconceptions that students can discuss and clarify understanding for each other. It helps me choose specific problems and discussion points to move learning forward. 

I want to learn more about ASSISTments and how to help other teachers use the platform. - Ms. Kanh Pham

I make sure to greet my students at the beginning of each class.  Students start off with warm ups/bell ringers. Right after, we discuss the warm up and transition into the lesson by going over the standards.  Then my class completes assignments utilizing the ASSISTments platform and as a class, we review the results and misconceptions. Class ends with an assessment of what they understood from the overall lesson.  

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We, at ASSISTments, are incredibly proud of our diverse Fall Ambassador cohort. We cannot wait to share all of the exciting resources that are slated for the coming months. In order to assure that you are always up-to-date; be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and sign up for our monthly newsletter!