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I am hoping to see everyone on September 4th. We will learn how to post to this blog and share classroom experiences.

This is to inform you that UTSA’s Academy for Teacher Excellence and Aztlan Associates will host the ‘First Thursday Make and Take session’ on Thursday, September 4 from 4-7 pm at the Downtown UTSA campus in FS1.402. Please mark your calendars to reserve the first Thursday of each month for the rest of the academic year 2008-2009. As recommended, plans have been made to continue meeting, learning and making manipulatives for your classrooms. We are pleased to announce that a set of 8 Nepohualzitzins for your classroom learning center will be available for check out for each of you. There will also be time for teachers to share classroom experiences and strategies with one another. A light dinner will also be provided so please make plans to attend now. You may RSVP by replying to this e-mail: ate@utsa.edu

For more details go to http://ate.utsa.edu/blog/ or download our Flyer  HERE

On May 15-17, 2008, through the collaborative efforts of the Academy for Teacher Excellence and Aztlán Associates, over 35 area educators had the opportunity to attend and participate in the Pre-Columbian Mathematics Workshop held at the UTSA downtown campus. The workshop’s lead presenter, Everardo Lara González, a native and resident of Mexico City, is the author of three books regarding the use of the Nepohualtzitzin, an ancient counting instrument used for thousands of years by Meso-American societies. Workshop participants engaged in hands on activities to facilitate their own learning of the use of the Nepohualzitzin for mathematical calculations in the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as for the understanding of the square root of numbers. Additionally, participants were given the opportunity to play a number of indigenous games that stress both mental dexterity and the understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts exploring how these games can be used in the classroom of today for the same purpose. The participants were then able to create a number of lesson plans that directly correlate to the State’s curriculum objectives. All participants indicated an interest and commitment to continuing this Community of Practice by attending regularly scheduled monthly Make and Take sessions (1st Thursday of the month) and building various teacher resources which will be shared on the ATE Pre-Columbian Blog. Community of Practice participants gathered for their first monthly gathering in August sharing with each other a variety of hands on games including the use of technology for furthering the community’s repertoire of resources for use with the Nepohualzitzin in their respective districts and schools.
Carlos Gonzalez/Aztlan Associates

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You can also save the file and export it to your IPod.

1) Place mouse on top of link

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Hola Amigos del Nepohualtzitzin,

The class on Indigina historical math was a revelation. Why aren’t the calculators and mathmatics of the early America ever discussed in historical treatises. Much of what we learn is that India, China, and the Mediterranean were responsible for the breakthroughs. Thanks to ATE and to el estimado professor, I have a whole new means of seeing not only math in action, and a fun way to approach it, but also the greatness of the CIVILIZATION which created it.

What great people in the class–very helpful and entertaining! But–what about forgetting some of the finer points such as how to do square root? David and I played around and figured out (again) how to multiply. It’s not hard, it’s just that you have to remember a couple of details. Is anyone there a ayudar?

Gracias y saludos,
Carol

My experience was most enriching because I placed myself out of my element. I now know what my LEP students felt like. Further more, many of my special education students have probably felt this way. When the instructor was explaining how to use the Nepohualtzitzin, I was getting frustrated. My translators were gone and helping other people. Just before I had given up completely a little angel approached my side and began helping me. However, this little angel spoke only Spanish. The amazing thing about our little duo is that neither one of us gave up because once I realized that she was determined to help me understand I was determined to learn. I bring this point out to say, this is the type of determination our students need to see in their teachers. We shouldn’t give up because we have cultural or language barriers.
Posted by Stephanie

The Pre-Columbian Math Workshop encompasses the core theory and practice of bilingual education: it promotes higher order thinking skills through rich mathematical strategies while embracing Latino children’s ancestral heritage. Participants will engage in learning about; the use of the Nepohualtzitzin and other ancient children’s games that stress mental dexterity and the philosophical understanding of mathematics in relation to creation. This curriculum is a great example of culturally relevant pedagogy

The Academy for Teacher Excellence welcome you, and wish you become part of our family. We are very excited about our new web site that should be up in the next following weeks. Also, our program purchased a big lot of IPods Touch for our Teacher Academy Learning Community (TALC) members. These devices will help our future teachers to become more technology savy and implement new learning methods in their classrooms. Please don’t hesitate to visit our offices in the Main Building, room 0.312 of UTSA 1604 campus for more information about how our program could help you with your teaching career and certification requirements.