Mr. H’s Math Show Helps Poland Community School Second Graders Show off their Math Skills

RSU 16 Second Grade Teacher Philip Hodgkins, or Mr. H. as his students call him, has been producing and starring in a weekly gameshow style math show to supplement math lessons for this 2nd grade students.

“During class I’m always hyping something up–birthdays, school assemblies, whatever the next big thing may be,” explains Mr. H. Extending that same level of enthusiasm into a new project, Mr. H uses his exciting game-show style voice, that his students love so much, in a new video series about math, providing an opportunity for his students to engage with math in fun and exciting ways.

“This is a really fun thing to do with the kids and it gives my 2nd graders a chance to show off their math skills,” said Mr. H. The shows are available as an option to his 2nd grade students in class after they have completed their regular math lesson. He explains that the show is a bonus for the students and supplements what they are working on.

With a little help from family members and friends, The Mr. H. Math Show has been uploading a new episode on YouTube every Friday at 7:00 p.m. successfully ever since February break and continues to evolve as the show’s audience expands.

“It’s awesome to see how excited students are to solve the new math questions every week,” said Mr. H. “It’s always great to hear their ideas for future episodes.”

The success of the show has spread to a few other classes at Poland Community School with the Functional Life Skills class and some of the 1st graders and 2nd graders now getting the chance to watch the Mr. H. Math Show too. Mr. H. hopes to expand his audience even further. “I’d love to have math fans watching around the world, tuning in with their families to show off their math skills,” says Mr. H.

In the meantime, he continues to look for ways to add cool new features. Recently he has been looking into adding a musical element to the show with math rap songs.

Check out The Mr. H. Math Show on his YouTube Channel:

For further questions about The Mr. H. Math Show, contact Philip Hodgkins at philiphodgkinsvideos@gmail.com.

Registration for Math4ME is Now Open

The Maine Department of Education Office of Special Services, in collaboration with the Maine Math and Science Alliance (MMSA), is pleased to announce a new Math4ME cohort for the 2022-2023 school year. Math4ME is designed to increase access to mathematics for all learners through teacher professional development. This year, participants will register as a team – an administrator, general educator, special educator and ed tech for hands on in person learning and remote synchronous interactive sessions. To learn more about this math learning opportunity, please view the Math4ME Informational video found here:

To receive an application for the 2022-2023 Math4ME cohort please go to https://forms.office.com/g/PUizY0fmF2.

If you have questions, contact Anne-Marie Adamson at anne-marie.adamson@maine.gov.

Auburn Teacher, Lisa Coburn Honored with 2022 Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award

During their annual spring conference, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM) honored Lisa Coburn for her outstanding contribution to mathematics in the state of Maine with the 2022 Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award. This award is given annually to an outstanding educator who demonstrates a commitment to Maine’s mathematical community through dedicated service.

Currently a mathematics coach at Auburn’s Washburn School, Lisa is a leader in math education in Maine. She is a graduate of the Maine Mathematics Coaching Project at UMF, attends and presents at ATOMIM and national mathematics conferences, and is a current member of the ATOMIM Board. She helped plan and implement the “Podcast in Pajamas” sessions and was instrumental in securing Pam Harris as a presenter at both the “Podcasts in Pajamas” and the 2022 ATOMIM Annual Spring Conference.

Her colleagues say the following:

“Lisa works with all the teachers in the building. She is a resource for the staff and is always bringing something new for the teachers to think about and helps them add to their teaching toolbox. Lisa is dedicated to providing students with quality mathematics instruction. Lisa is also working closely with another math coach in the district – helping her as she grows into the math coaching role.”

“When it comes to quality pedagogy, Lisa is the person that comes to mind. She encourages and supports teachers to improve mathematical practices in the classroom and engages students in rich meaningful learning experiences that promote strong mathematicians.”

Congratulations, Lisa Coburn, for all your work in mathematics and mathematics education!

Do you know an outstanding educator who, through dedicated service, has demonstrated a commitment to Maine’s mathematical community?  If so, consider nominating them for the 2023 Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award by filling out this form. Nominations for the 2023 award close on Friday, January 13, 2023.

To learn more about the award visit: Jacqueline Mitchell Mathematics Educator Award.

2022 Maine State Science Fair Brings Together Talented Young Researchers from Across Maine

Pictured (L to R): Ogechi Obi, a student from Bangor High School with James Crowley, a judge from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Students were thrilled to be back together in person to share their science and engineering projects at the 2022 Maine State Science Fair, held on Saturday, March 26, at Colby College.

This year’s Grand Award winners, who will represent Maine at the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair are:

First Place: Cuthbert Steadman of Bangor High School. Cuthbert’s engineering project used computer programming to create an inexpensive and non-invasive blood glucose monitoring and automatic insulin injection system.
Second Place: Emma Markowitz, a homeschooled student from Boothbay. Emma experimented with a non-invasive approach to treating White Line Disease in horses using poly-wrap and manuka honey.
Third Place: William Xu of Bangor High School. William developed a computer program that uses medical imaging to better diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The full list of awards, including over $875,000 in college scholarships and $1,800 in prizes from local and national organizations, is available on the Maine State Science Fair website.

Emma Markowitz, Boothbay

Nataly Fitzpatrick, Nokomis Regional High School

Amber-Rae Pesek of Hancock County Technical Center in Ellsworth

Ruth Havener, Medomak Valley High School

The event convened 144 students from 22 high schools and two home schools. Another dozen students participated virtually.

“After two years of virtual events, we’re glad we can give students a chance to meet each other and share their ideas and passion for STEM,” said Stefany Burrell of Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. Laura Muller, her counterpart at The Jackson Laboratory, commended the students for their resilience, creativity, and perseverance as the event drew to a close. The two organizations were the presenting sponsors of the Fair.

For more information about the Maine State Science Fair visit the website.

Register Now for April 5th Math4ME Interest Session

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Special Services, in collaboration with the Maine Math and Science Alliance (MMSA), is pleased to announce a new Math4ME cohort for the 2022-2023 school year.

Math4ME is designed to increase access to mathematics for all learners through teacher professional development. This year, participants will register as a team – an administrator, general educator, special educator, and an education technician, for hands on, in-person learning and remote, synchronous, interactive sessions. For a glimpse into this math learning opportunity, please view the Math4ME informational video found here:

To learn even more about the program, please attend the Math4ME information session on April 5th from 3:30- 4:15 pm.

Please register in advance for this meeting and to receive the Zoom link.