Covid-19 Update
For the first time since 2014, we will not be hosting our national Math Plus Conference or any regional, summer conferences. But there is a silver lining. We are starting a Virtual Math Academy that kicks off the summer with a series of 20 virtual workshops, each given multiple times. Teachers will now have more flexibility with 20 dates to choose from, the choice of 2 or 4 workshops per day, and the option to sign up for a half day, 5 days, or a number in between.
Click here to see details on our new summer schedule!

Chicago Math Conference

Greg Tang's inaugural Chicago Math Conference will be held July 29-30, 2020 in Itasca, IL. We will have three specially-designed learning tracks for K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 teachers.

Do you have students who struggle with math facts or lack number sense? Do you have advanced learners who need to be challenged? Do you have students in the middle who are capable of so much more? If you are ready to take your teaching and students to the next level, then join us for Greg Tang’s 2020 Chicago Math Conference!

The theme for our conference this year is Back To Basics. Can less ever be more? Can focusing on a few, key concepts and strategies at each grade level be helpful to students of all abilities and especially those who struggle? Is mastering fundamental skills the secret to learning and mastering more advanced, higher level skills later?

For this year’s Chicago Math Conference, Greg has designed a curriculum that consists of core workshops plus electives. No hit-or-miss sessions here, our speakers will cover fundamental concepts in depth during our core sessions, then apply them in creative and compelling ways in our elective sessions.

Since a curriculum is only as good as the teachers who teach it, Greg has assembled a team of the most well-respected and highly-regarded math educators in the U.S. today. Together, they have sold more than a million books, and pioneered some of the most effective teaching methods used in classrooms around the world.

Our speakers will make sense of the most important concepts and strategies at each grade level, share daily routines and activities that build foundational skills and fill gaps in understanding, and explore teaching methods that develop the higher-order thinking skills kids need to excel in math and in life.


Dr. Yeap Ban har

Dr. Nicki Newton

Greg Tang Sr

Eddie Woo

Cathy Kuhns

Greg Tang Jr
WHAT MAKES OUR INSTITUTES SO DIFFERENT?

First, we offer carefully coordinated workshops that provide a deeper, more connected understanding of mathematics. The strategies and teaching techniques we teach have been pioneered by our speakers and tested in classrooms across the country.

Unlike many conferences that offer a hodgepodge of sessions and topics, Greg’s carefully crafted curriculum targets the most important strategies, skills and standards. Attendees gain a deeper understanding of both effective teaching methods and important mathematical content.

Second, our speakers have been selected because they are master communicators who can articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely. Each is a proven orator and author, and together they have trained thousands of teachers and sold millions of books.

Every speaker is friendly, approachable and exceptionally gracious too. Our goal is a collegial atmosphere that encourages questions, dialogue and meaningful interactions. We want this to be the best two days of learning you have ever experienced!

Third, unlike large conferences with huge budgets for marketing, we put all of our time, energy, and resources into our speakers and curriculum. We provide 12 hours of world-class instruction in 2 days. We are excited and ready to work with you!

We hope you will join us for two magical days in July. Math Plus represents a new paradigm for professional development – idealistic, intimate and inspiring. Attendees describe our family-run conferences as "life changing" and “by far the best they have ever attended.” You will feel inspired, encouraged, challenged and cared for. We welcome you to Boston's North Shore!

Register

The cost of our two-day institute is $697, and that includes coffee and danish each morning and lunch at noon. Register by March 31st to receive a $52 discount, early-bird price of only $645 per person!

We also have a special student discount for pre-service teachers. Please contact us at: contact@tangmath.com for more information or questions.

Our goal is to make this the best two days of learning you have ever experienced. We hope you will help us spread the word by sharing our link with your friends and colleagues: https://gregtangmath.com/chicagomath.

Click here to register now!

Presenters

Math Instructors
Greg Tang has done over 4,000 workshops, conferences and school visits in the past 19 years. He is the NY Times best-selling author of The Grapes of Math, gold medal-winning eBook Math Appeal, and 6 other books from Scholastic. His website GregTangMath.com has over 93 million page views to date and is a cornerstone of school math programs across the country.
Dr. Yeap Ban Har is considered by many to be the foremost expert on Singapore Math. For over 10 years he taught at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Currently, Ban Har is the Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Pathlight School, an autism-oriented school in Singapore. He is also the author of Think Mathematics.
Eddie Woo teaches high school mathematics in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of It’s a Numberful World and Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths. His YouTube channel misterwootube.com has more than 800K subscribers and his videos have been viewed more than 50 million times. In 2018, Eddie was named one of the Top 10 teachers in the world by the Varkey Foundation and he was also named one of Australia’s Local Heroes.
Dr. Nicki Newton builds on current curriculum research and theory to provide practical and realistic 21st century strategies for today’s elementary classrooms. She is the author of professional development books including Guided Math in Action, Math Workshop in Action, Math Running Records in Action, Math Problem Solving in Action and Math Workstations in Action. She is an avid pinner, blogger and tweeter.
Cathy Kuhns is a National Board Certified Teacher and has taught every grade from preschool through fourth grade. She is the author of several books including Common Core Math in Action, Building Number Sense, and Number Wonders. Catherine received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching given by the White House and National Science Foundation.
Greg Tang Jr. leads more than 200 onsite teacher workshops, student enrichment sessions, and family math nights each year. He is the creator of Tangy Tuesday™ and Wordy Wednesday™ puzzles, and inventor of the popular math game Tenframe Mania™. He is a master game developer, programmer, and favorite among teachers, students, and math coaches.

Schedule

(Click here for printable schedule)

Sessions

JULY 29

JULY 30

Keynote

Lesson Design, Keynote All Grades
Yeap Ban Har

What learning experiences must math lessons include? What learning theories mold lesson design? What are the guiding questions in lesson design? What knowledge should teachers bring with them in designing effective math lessons? In this keynote lecture, we will look at lesson design from the perspective of a teacher.

K-2 Sessions

Addition and Subtraction – Grades K-2
Nicki Newton

Fluency doesn’t just happen. In this interactive workshop Dr. Nicki will discuss the what, the why, the how and the when of getting all of your students fluent with basic addition and subtraction facts. We will look at an intentional fluency plan for developing fact power throughout the year. We will look at how to assess for fluency, develop differentiated workstations and create homework that helps. Come and join us and learn how to get everybody working towards your grade level fluency.

A Visual Approach to Word Problems – Grades K-2
Greg Tang Jr

Do your students struggle with word problems? Do they guess at operations based on key words? Do they think the bigger number in a problem is always “the whole?” Do you find yourself repeatedly asking kids to read the entire problem and to try to make sense of the story?

Join us as we use part-whole models and tape diagrams (bar models) to make sense of all 15 types of addition and subtraction word problems. We will put problem types in a sensible order, and build skills systematically so kids naturally learn to solve more challenging start unknown problems, comparison problems, and two-step problems.

To develop our kids' conceptual understanding, we will explore numberless problems, questionless problems, problems with errors, and rigorous problems that require greater reasoning skills, not more arithmetic. We’ll see how word problems can be a powerful tool for developing mathematical thinking.

Visualization – Grades K-2 (afternoon elective)
Greg Tang Sr

Do you have students who struggle with their basic addition facts? Have poor number sense? Have trouble with place value? Are easily confused when subtracting and regrouping?

Join Greg as he shares his “less is more” approach to teaching critical concepts and skills, including his progression of concrete, pictorial, and abstract models (C-P-A) that gives primary students a deeper, more connected understanding of number and operations.

We will focus on a limited number of visual models and materials including linking cubes, Cuisenaire Rods, ten frames, number bonds, and tape diagrams. See how a few, truly meaningful changes to your practice can boost engagement, excitement, and excellence. See why less can be so much more!

3-5 Sessions

Fraction Foundations – Grades 3-5
Greg Tang Sr

The goal of this session is to model the teaching of fractions in a way that gives kids a deeper, more connected understanding of numerators, denominators, fraction notation, unit fractions, proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers.

To represent fractions, we will use a progression of concrete, pictorial, and abstract models, including Cuisenaire Rods, folding paper, tape diagrams, number lines, and eventually, formal fraction notation.

Join us as we build the strong foundational understanding that allows kids to transition from whole numbers to fractions and decimals. We will use concrete experiences, common sense thinking, and cleverly constructed teaching materials to reason about and make sense of fractions.

Open Problems for Understanding Fractions – Grades 3-5
Eddie Woo

Manipulating fractions is one of the keystone skills that students struggle with as they enter the middle school years. Part of the reason for this is that we often rely on algorithms and procedural fluency without giving students the opportunity to develop true conceptual understanding. New kinds of tasks need to be employed in our classrooms to help students cultivate multiplicative thinking and effective use of strategies when it comes to operating with these important numbers.

Geometry – Grades 3-5 (elective)
Yeap Ban Har

What’s the essence of geometry at elementary levels? Ban Har will address how geometry topics can develop visualization, a key ability in doing mathematics and some teaching tools to enhance visualization.

Daily Math Fluency Routines – Grades 3-5 (elective)
Nicki Newton

In this session we will look at how Daily Interactive Math Thinking Routines provide a student-friendly, engaging, standards-based way to engage in distributed practice of priority standards throughout the year. In this session we will go over 20 Must Do Routines that get students thinking, discussing and wrestling with math. We will also discuss how to set up routines so that you are reviewing place value, fluency, vocabulary, fractions/decimals and word problems on a continuous basis. These routines integrate the content and the practices to provide rich activities that students love doing because it is “hard fun!”

6-8 Sessions

Exploring Functions Dynamically – Grades 6-8
Eddie Woo

Functions are central to the usefulness of mathematics in the real world - but they are often viewed as pointless and abstract when left in merely algebraic terms. Students can gain a deeper understanding of this topic by exploring the patterns that lead to functions, and the functions themselves, in a dynamic way with the aid of technology.

Exp & Equations – Grades 6-8
Yeap Ban Har

Let’s explore how the learning of algebraic thinking can be made accessible to all learners and how the solving of equations can be used to develop thinking, not just the ability to execute procedures.

Electives

Visualization – Grades K-2
Greg Tang Sr

Do you have students who struggle with their basic addition facts? Have poor number sense? Have trouble with place value? Are easily confused when subtracting and regrouping?

Join Greg as he shares his “less is more” approach to teaching critical concepts and skills, including his progression of concrete, pictorial, and abstract models (C-P-A) that gives primary students a deeper, more connected understanding of number and operations.

We will focus on a limited number of visual models and materials including linking cubes, Cuisenaire Rods, ten frames, number bonds, and tape diagrams. See how a few, truly meaningful changes to your practice can boost engagement, excitement, and excellence. See why less can be so much more!

Measurement – Grades K-5
Yeap Ban Har

Using length and area as case studies, we will look at the essence of all measurement topics and the types of competencies that measurements topics can help students develop.

Math Centers – Grades K-5
Greg Tang Jr

Can math centers be an effective way to reinforce key skills, fill gaps in knowledge, provide thoughtful repetition and practice, and make learning more personal for kids of all abilities? Yes – provided that the activities are well-designed, carefully-thought out, and target key skills, strategies and standards in a systematic and sensible way.

In this session, we will explore what makes a math center effective. Does it develop reasoning or computational skills, or both? If it’s a group activity, does it encourage cooperation or competition? Can it be used for independent practice? If so, is the activity self-checking or does the teacher have to key an eye out to make sure students are not practicing mistakes? Does the activity have high “math density” or is a lot of time spent on non-math activities?

Join us as we play 5 engaging and educating math games, and solve 5 amazingly addictive math puzzles. Our card games, board games, digital games, and puzzles develop key reasoning and computational skills at each grade level and encourage the mindset and perseverance kids need as they grow older. Should every second of math class be filled with joy? No, but every second playing our games will be!

Number Systems. The Cartesian Revolution – Grades 5-8
Eddie Woo

Most of us think of the Cartesian plane as a way to map out coordinates which eventually leads to functions, but it was actually a watershed for our ability to conceptualise numbers themselves in a way that allows us to use our visual intuition. This session will explore the connections between deductive geometry and coordinate geometry, as well as lay the foundations for students' future understanding of concepts like complex numbers.

JULY 29

JULY 30

Keynote

Dispositions for Mathematical Success – Keynote All Grades
Eddie Woo

One of the central challenges to effective mathematics learning is that we must cultivate an environment and a view of mathematics that motivates students to undertake the work of learning. In this session, we will explore aspects of mathematics that are often under-emphasised but must be recovered to engage a broad range of students in our beautiful and practical subject.

K-2 Sessions

Place Value – Grades K-2
Cathy Kuhns

It’s critical that our students have a solid foundation in place value. Teachers will leave this session with lessons that transition from concrete to pictorial to abstract along with the reasons for students to develop a solid understanding of the meaning of the placement of the digits.

Daily Math Fluency Routines – Grades K-2
Nicki Newton

In this session we will look at how Daily Interactive Math Thinking Routines provide a student-friendly, engaging, standards-based way to engage in distributed practice of priority standards throughout the year. In this session we will go over 20 Must Do Routines that get students thinking, discussing and wrestling with math. We will also discuss how to set up routines so that you are reviewing counting and cardinality, place value, fluency, vocabulary and word problems on a continuous basis. These routines integrate the content and the practices to provide rich activities that students love doing because it is “hard fun!”

3-5 Sessions

Great Times & The Great Divide – Grades 3-5
Greg Tang Sr

In this session, we start by exploring a progression of models that lays the groundwork for understanding multiplication and division with whole numbers. Later, we can use it to make sense of multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, and polynomials.

We will use linking cubes to model equal groups and arrays concretely, area models and number bonds to model and solve multiplication and division problems pictorially, and partial products, partial quotients, and standard algorithms to solve problems abstractly.

We will also factor numbers within 100, identify prime and composite numbers, and make sense of divisibility rules. Our ultimate goal is to help kids learn to think proportionally and get them ready for ratio, percent, unit rate, and slope. Great times are ahead!

A Visual Approach to Word Problems – Grades 3-5
Greg Tang Jr

Do your students struggle with word problems? Do they guess at operations based on key words? When they read “3 times as many” do they multiply whatever number they see by 3? When they read “1/2 as many” do they automatically divide a number by 2? Do you find yourself repeatedly asking them to read carefully and try to make sense of the story?

Join us as we use tape diagrams (bar models) to visualize and model challenging, multistep addition and subtraction word problems with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. We will then apply them more generally to solve multiplication and division problems with remainders, and multiplicative comparison problems with both whole numbers and fractions.

Throughout the session, we will solve problems in a strategic order as we build skills systematically and sensibly. You will come away with a better understanding of the many types of multiplication and division word problems, how to model and teach them more effectively, and how to develop the proportional reasoning skills kids need for higher math.

Math Running Records – Grades 3-5 (elective)
Nicki Newton

Math Running Records is a way to assess the overall basic fact fluency of the elementary student. It is a 3-step interview assessment that looks at accuracy, flexibility, efficiency and automaticity. The first part of the assessment is a quick overview of where students are with basic facts and how they are thinking about numbers. The second part of the assessment takes a deeper dive into finding out what student strategy levels are and how they are using various strategies to solve facts. The third part of the assessment looks at the mathematical disposition of the student and how that informs their effort in learning their basic facts. Taken together this gives the teacher an overall basic math fact profile to inform instruction. This evidence-based system is being used around the U.S., Japan, Qatar and Mexico. Come learn how to do them!

Problem Solving – Grades 3-5 (elective)
Cathy Kuhns

Problems that appear more like puzzles are also more engaging to students. Engaged students are more likely to persevere and solve a task. Participants in this session will be placed in the problem solving mode to experience the “ah-ha” students feel when a problem is solved, just like placing that last piece of the puzzle

Algebraic Thinking – Grades 6-8
Eddie Woo

"What books are to reading, play is to mathematics," says Dan Finkel. Can this really be true? Aren't games in the classroom just a gimmick to keep bored kids from causing behavioural problems? If chosen carelessly and used ineffectively, then the answer is yes. But the reality is that mathematical exploration is often inherently playful, and this fact means that we can authentically use play to motivate and develop sophisticated mathematical thinking in areas like algebra.

Geometry – Grades 6-8
Eddie Woo

Different families of shapes provide rich opportunities for discussing geometric properties and exploring the sometimes surprising connections between seemingly unrelated fields of mathematics. In this workshop, we'll engage in problem solving with one of the most intriguing objects in all of mathematics: the polyomino.

Electives

Guided Math – Grades K-5
Nicki Newton

Guided math is one of those opportunities to have a deeper discussion, a meaningful, rich interactive conversation with students about their knowing and learning of mathematics. Come learn how to form, teach, and assess small guided math groups. We will look at the why, the what, the when and the how of guided math groups. Dr. Nicki will teach about managing flexible groups, matching activities to students, and incorporating manipulatives. We will talk about how to use Guided Math as an instructional strategy with any program.

Algebraic Reasoning – Grades K-5
Cathy Kuhns

We will look at lessons that focus on patterns and reasoning and how these lessons can easily transition from concrete to pictorial to abstract. See how this understanding enables students to solve complex problems. In this hands-on session participants will leave with five minute and full class session lessons that promote algebraic thinking.

Rigor, Reasoning, and Results! – Grades 3-8
Greg Tang Sr

Are your students getting a steady diet of reasoning-rich problems? Can they reason through multiplicative comparison problems? Do they see and understand the relationship between fractions, ratios, unit rates, and slope?

Join us as we model and solve a cleverly-designed progression of challenging word problems. We will use tape diagrams, double-sided number lines, area models, and tables to make sense of multiplicative relationships and encourage proportional reasoning.

Modeling and solving more rigorous problems enriches the learning of all students. Their success depends on the tools we teach, the scaffolds we supply, and the encouragement we give. Rigor plus reasoning equals results!

Addressing Anxiety – Grades 5-8
Eddie Woo

The vast majority of people, mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike, would consider mathematics an unemotional subject. But the reality we know as educators is that students (and their parents!) will both engage and disengage with our subject on an emotional basis. The joyful satisfaction of solving a complex problem is often counterbalanced by the unshakable dread of many who find mathematics unpalatable. Why is anxiety a special issue in the mathematics classroom, and how do we help our students overcome it?

JULY 29

JULY 30

Hotel

Holiday Inn Itasca
860 W. Irving Park Rd
Itasca, IL 60143
Phone: 630-773-2340
Holiday Inn Itasca
All workshops and activities will be held at The Holiday Inn Itasca.

We have secured a discounted room block at the Holiday Inn Itasca. Dual occupancy rates start at $99* per night subject to availability. Click here to book your room today. Rooms must be booked by July 10th and while rooms are available.
*Additional taxes and fees may apply.

Meals

To make sure everyone is caffeinated and on time for their workshops, we’ll provide coffee and danish from 7:30-8:00 each morning and a deli lunch each day from 11:00-11:45. It’s all part of your registration fee, and we’re still less expensive than many conferences!

Why don’t other conferences supply breakfast and lunch like us? Because it’s expensive. But we believe it’s money well-spent as it allows us to compress our schedule and offer additional workshops each day. In addition, one of the important goals of our conference is to encourage camaraderie and collegiality and eating together is a great way to meet new people and get to know our friendly presenters.

We do not provide dinner, so grab a few of your newfound friends and head to one of Boston's culinary options.

Course Credit

Our 2-day workshops are eligible for 1 semester unit of college credit through Humboldt State University for an additional cost. These courses are offered primarily for elective or professional development purposes. The cost is $50 per semester credit.

For attending a Greg Tang math workshop you will also receive course completion certificate which will be emailed to you at the end of the institute.

If there are special requirements you or your state have for CEUs, please contact us at: contact@tangmath.com as soon as possible so we can attempt to accommodate you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay with a credit card?
Yes, we accept credit card payments on our website. After completing your registration information you will be taken to the payments page where you can complete your registration using your credit card. You will receive an email once your payment has been processed.

Can I register using a purchase order?
Of course! We know that many districts will only allow workshop registration using purchase orders. Once you complete your registration information, you will be taken to a page to complete your payment information. Your registration is not confirmed until you enter your purchase order information or complete purchase with credit card. If you do not have a PO # at the time of registration, enter "email" in the PO # field and send us an email at contact@tangmath.com to confirm your registration. You can email, fax or mail your PO to the information below. Payment is preferred prior to the event.

Do you have a paper registration form?
We accept registrations using this form, although we cannot guarantee space will be available at the time of receipt. To ensure your spot is saved for the workshop, you must first register online: registration link. If your school requires paper registration, you should still complete the online registration and save your spot by entering the purchase order number as "Paper".

When is my payment due?
Payments are due prior to the event. We can accept cash, check and all major credit cards on-site at the workshop if prior arrangements have been made.

Do you offer group discounts?
For the 2020 Summer Math Events we have decided to forgo the group discounts and offer Early Bird Registration instead. Register by March 31st to receive a $52 per person discount, or by May 31st for a $23 per person discount.

I am unable to attend. Can someone take my spot?
Yes, you can switch out attendees at any point leading up to the conference. Just send us a quick email to contact@tangmath.com with the name of the attendee who is unable to join, and the name, grade level, and email address of their replacement. In-case there are last minute changes, have the replacement let us know at check-in who they will be filling in for.

What happens if I have to cancel?
We understand there are times where you may be unable to attend a conference you have registered for. If cancellation is done more than 30-days from the event, we will refund your registration cost minus a $100 administration fee. We will waive the cancellation fee by holding the balance paid to a future workshop hosted by Creative Smarts, Inc. if requested.

There are no refunds for cancellations within 30-days of the event (no refunds for cancellations requested after June 29th).

Can I get an invoice for my registration?
When you complete your registration, an automatic confirmation email is sent to the email address listed as the payment contact. This email includes a link to download your invoice. Please check your junk/spam folder to see if this email was caught up there. If you are still unable to find the invoice, write to us at contact@tangmath.com with the primary registrant’s name and we will email you an invoice.

Are you a vendor for my district?
There is a good possibility we have been added as a vendor in your district for a previous workshop, if so we would be listed as "Tang Math LLC". If we are not listed as a vendor, we would be glad to provide you the information you need to have us added. Email us at contact@tangmath.com and we will send over the required tax form. Our contact information is listed below.

Do you offer college credit for this workshop?
We are still finalizing the details of college credit for the 2018 Math Institutes. The past two years we were able to offer 1 semester unit of college credit through Humboldt State University at the cost of $50 per unit. These courses are offered primarily for elective or professional development purposes.

What time is the conference?
The full daily schedule can be seen at the bottom of the sessions tab. Check-in on Wednesday, July 29th will start at 7:00 am. Further registration details will be provided nearer to the event.

May I record a session at the conference?
Audio or visual recording is not permitted at any workshop or seminar due to copyright/trademark issues.

What is your contact information?

Company name:Tang Math LLC.
Mailing address:PO Box 777850
 Henderson, NV 89077
Email Address:contact@tangmath.com
Phone Number:858-244-0498
Fax Number:858-408-2986

Register

The cost of our two-day institute is $697, and that includes coffee and danish each morning and lunch at noon. Register by March 31st to receive a $52 discount, early-bird price of only $645 per person!

We also have a special student discount for pre-service teachers. Please contact us at: contact@tangmath.com for more information or questions.

Our goal is to make this the best two days of learning you have ever experienced. We hope you will help us spread the word by sharing our link with your friends and colleagues: https://gregtangmath.com/chicagomath.

Click here to register!

Click here to register now!