Hear from math teachers who love Patterns for its flexibility, practicality, and more.
Even if it’s been a few years since you were last in the classroom, you’ve likely been to bad PD. Right?
We definitely have, and during our 10+ years as teachers and administrators, we liked to judge PD by an informal metric dubbed the "burnt coffee" rule. If we got up two or more times to refill our cups of the provided burnt coffee, we knew it was bad PD. Why else would we find micro opportunities to escape from it?
Bad professional development takes many forms, but there are some "tells" that serve as red flags.
The presenter has never taught? Bad PD. They're using ill-defined jargon? Bad PD. They're addressing education through only a theoretical lens? Bad PD.
So, as an administrator, how can you identify good PD for your faculty?
Good professional development acknowledges and honors the genius that teachers bring to their classrooms. It doesn't preach, scold, or only talk about teaching in the abstract. Good professional development gives teachers additional tools to be their best selves, which in turn helps your district be the best it can be.
And that’s why we set out to create the best experience in mathematics PD.
Patterns is good PD
Our PatternsTM program is professional development for teachers, by teachers. It is a flexible, scalable, evidence-based virtual professional learning program designed to meet the specific needs of K-8 mathematics teachers and districts seeking to implement high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).
Patterns was born of a need we heard loud and clear from districts across the country. So many school and district leaders like you shared their challenges in establishing district-wide norms for high-quality K-8 math instruction. Determined to help them align their teachers' instructional practices and create district-wide coherence, we set to work creating a PD experience like no other.
Patterns has what districts need
One goal of Patterns is to help hard-working teachers use high-quality grade-level tasks every single day for all of their students. We’ve created high-quality professional development (HQPD) that makes this goal achievable for educators across the country. But that's not all. We figured we'd help your school or district address other needs while we’re at it.
Teachers pour their hearts into ensuring every student gets an amazing education—but that job isn’t as easy as opening a textbook and teaching! A lot of work goes into getting classrooms aligned and teachers in sync with what works best.
Patterns online professional development helps ease the burden of district-wide alignment and instructional coherence.
Take it from Ryan Roth, a special education teacher from River Bend Education Center in Minnesota. He shares, “As special education teachers, we jump between classrooms so often that we don’t have time to master a subject like a regular education teacher. But Patterns has helped me fill in some of those gaps,” he explains.
By the time teachers have completed Patterns’ semester-long course, they have a thorough understanding of what high-quality math instruction looks, feels, and sounds like.
Teachers and districts alike also love Patterns for its assurance that everyone is on the same page. No more playing telephone with instructional objectives or trying to eke out time to keep up with content knowledge and best practices.
“Patterns is high-level stuff,” asserts Patty Miloro, a PACE Teacher from Grinnell Elementary School in New Hampshire. “The math isn’t gimmicky. There are no quick little tricks. Patterns teaches high-level content and rigorous tasks that all students should have access to.”
Mr. Roth is grateful for the content knowledge and confidence he’s gained from Patterns. “I know all of this math, but some of it I haven’t used in a long time,” the special education teacher shares. “Patterns showed me new ways to think about it.”
Patterns has what teachers need
Professional development is only as good as its perceived value among its primary stakeholders: teachers. With that in mind, we’ve created Patterns to address areas of the profession where teachers ask for the most support.
You know that no teacher should be an island. They thrive as part of a team and often learn the best strategies and new insights from each other. That’s why we’re proud that Patterns helps foster community among teachers.
“Patterns allowed me to try things out with my peer group and then try it out with my class,” says Susan Garland, a math specialist for grades 4–6 from Dayton Public Schools in Ohio. “Then, I was able to come back to the whole group online and discuss what went well, what didn't go well, and get suggestions from other people as to what I could do next. I really appreciate that.”
Mr. Roth agrees. “I like how Patterns allows me to see my colleague’s work. I learned a lot from just reading their thoughts.”
Patterns doesn’t offer vague or theoretical advice. Instead, it engages your teachers with pragmatic strategies for practical use. Our highly experiential program models best practices that your teachers can implement immediately.
“It's clear to me that many teachers are involved in this program,” noted Ms. Miloro. “I can tell by the activities and the way the program’s designed that these aren't business people sitting behind a desk. Patterns presenters have practical knowledge about what it's like in a classroom.“
“One of the [best] things about Patterns is that it's very practical information,” added Mr. Roth.
Banish burnt coffee forever by offering your teachers the best professional development from anywhere! Whether it’s a table at the gourmet roaster down the street or the comfort of their couch at home, teachers can access Patterns online modules and on-demand, just-in-time strategy videos whenever and wherever they like.
“Patterns is the most creative online class that I've taken because it allowed me to work individually at my own pace,” noted Ms. Garland. “I really like that you have [synchronous] online meetings where you’re all together and then individual modules to work through on your own.”
The best math professional development can be yours
Shout out to Mr. Roth, Ms. Garland, and Ms. Miloro for seeing the value in Patterns and saying it better than we ever could have. We’ll leave you with one final thought from Mr. Roth.
“I’ve taken a lot of PD over the years, and I’ve wasted a lot of time,” he asserts. “But Patterns was definitely valuable. I didn’t feel like I wasted my time.”
We love to hear it, because PD that teachers can actually use is what it’s all about.
Looking for math PD that will help your K–8 math teachers not only survive but thrive? Get in touch below, and we’ll hook you up with the best math PD your district has ever seen.
Before joining Carnegie Learning's marketing team in 2022, Karen spent 16 years teaching mathematics and social studies in Ohio classrooms. She has a passion for inclusive education and believes that all learners can be meaningfully included in academic settings from day one. As a former math and special education teacher, she is excited to provide educators with the latest in best-practices content so that they can set all students on the path to becoming confident "math people."
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Kelly joined Carnegie Learning in 2023, bringing a decade of diverse educational experience. Her career includes one year as a high school Dean of Students and nine years teaching French at secondary and post-secondary levels. An AP French exam reader in 2017 and 2020, Kelly holds ACTFL OPI certification and is versed in various world language pedagogies, including TPRS and Organic World Language (OWL). She taught using Carnegie Learning's T'es Branché? curriculum for six years. As a content writer, Kelly is dedicated to highlighting educator experiences and empowering teachers to enhance student outcomes nationwide.
Explore more related to this authorPatterns showed me new ways to think about math.
Ryan Roth, special education teacher at River Bend Education Center, Minneapolis, MN
