When I was a kid, my dad and brothers would listen obsessively to sports radio – and it drove me crazy! I hated how grown men would call in to the show host only to argue about sports. Every time the tensions on the radio would flare, I would think, “Who cares?” At least once a day, a caller would introduce himself and then say, “Long time listener, first time caller.” I interpreted this as a way for him to add credibility to his status and perspective (long time listener = not a newcomer to sports arguments) and credibility to his fresh  (first time caller = saying something new, therefore important) insights that he was about to offer.

I don’t know if they still listen to the radio (does anyone listen to sports radio anymore?), but the 21st Century version of “long time listener, first time caller” is “long time lurker, first time poster/blogger” or #LTLFTP. I’m calling myself a long time lurker and first time blogger even though I’ve been blogging regularly since I’ve been on the Fulbright DAT program. However, this is the first time I’ve blogged to reach out to the Math Twitter Blogosphere or #mtbos for advice on an upcoming Desmos talk I’m giving here in Singapore. Yes, I’ve been lurking on Twitter and learning from other math teacher bloggers about what they are doing in their classrooms. I’m trying to get better about being a regular ‘poster’ as I continue to lurk.

My sharing sessions with other math teachers here in Singapore have all included some aspect of how to use Desmos in their teaching. For most teachers I’ve met here, they have never heard of Desmos and I have not encountered a single teacher who had previously used Desmos Activity Builder. It’s been fun for me to share what I know about Desmos (as I continue to learn more!), how I have used it in my classes in Chicago, and what I have created for Singaporean math classes. Besides teaching teachers about Desmos, I’ve been given the privilege to teach a few math classes of *real* students here.  I’ve learned at least a few things from teaching students and working with teachers here that I want to be sure to incorporate into an upcoming workshop. Here’s my list of important take-aways from those experiences that I want to share with #mtbos. But, I’m hoping for more advice from the non-lurkers out there!

1. MORE TIME! – In every workshop teachers wanted more time to work with Desmos. As a result, my goal is to cut out as much *other* stuff as possible and give teachers time in the session to create their own activities. I want them to leave with a draft of something that they can use in an upcoming class. That draft likely increases the chances of them using Desmos in the short and long term. They will own what they’ve learned and continue to learn more…at least I hope!
2. Start small – Don’t create a 20 slide activity in Desmos Activity Builder for your first activity, which is something I did for a class here oops!. If it’s your students’ first time using it, they won’t get through them all, anyway. It’s better to focus on a smaller, more concise topic – at least at first.
3. Use what is already out there – Teachers do not have to re-invent the wheel. There are tons of excellent Desmos-created or Desmos-curated activities. I encourage teachers to copy and edit them (if possible) to make them their own.
4. Explicitly connect Desmos activity to standards/syllabus – The Maths Syllabus is a BIG DEAL here. Teachers do not veer from it. This is demonstrated by the fact that secondary schools across this city-state are pretty much in lock-step with what they are teaching and when. I’m doing my best to make sure that what I deliver is relevant to them by providing that connection to their syllabus.
5. Use answers to activities to generate discourse – I encourage teachers to anonymize students’ names, project answers and get kids to comment on each other’s ideas. It’s great that teachers have a way of assessing students’ learning in the moment of teaching with the dashboard, but it’s even better when students are doing that, too.

That’s all this #longtimelurker has for now. Any other ideas on how to make a 90 minute workshop productive, engaging, and relevant? I’ll continue my lurking/learning to see what others have.