teachers-learningGet Expert Professional Development in Math Teaching!

Enjoy customized professional development for K-12 math teachers and support staff on site, in school districts or at conferences

“I would recommend Mark Wahl to staff who work with students who either struggle or excel in mathematics…
…His presentation and materials are outstanding for staff development for multiple grade levels and student abilities.”—Linda Munson, Director Special Programs, South Kitsap School District, WA

“We have found his presentations highly useful for teachers and helpful for parent…Mark Wahl had what we needed and he was right on the mark! He makes teachers think about common math ideas differently and extends their conceptual abilities in many areas. We have found his presentations highly useful for teachers and helpful for parents trying to come up to speed with new math curriculum.” Aaron Feik, Math/Science Coordinator, Northshore School District, WA

“I can’t begin to tell you how impressed my faculty is with your book, Math for Humans. The book is not only filled with good ideas and strategies, it de-mystifies math for those of us who have difficulty balancing our checkbooks!… You should feel very, very good about your ability to help teachers move foreword!”  Thomas Hoerr, Ph.D., author of teacher resource books and director of The New City School, St., Louis, Missouri

“Mark Wahl has been instrumental in helping embed our math curriculum with multiple intelligences (MI) teaching strategies. He is an expert at teaching teachers how to lower the intimidation level that math often invokes for a majority of students by using insightful techniques founded in MI strategies. Mark is a knowledgeable resource and has given us the tools to greatly enrich our students understanding and enjoyment of mathematics. We highly recommend him!” Christa Krohn, Math Teacher/Dept. Chair, Lima Senior High, OH District, WA

Here are some exciting professional development possibilities:

  • Mark Wahl has trained staff of after-school programs on  how to creatively engage students of many ages and abilities in activities geared to state standards.
  • Mark Wahl can come to your location or conference to present a creative mathematics teaching workshop on teaching strategies and math activities related to needs in your programs. He can troubleshoot interactively with faculty on the teaching obstacles they face. While there are many standard topics in Mark’s repertory, the material and interactions are not “canned.” Topics are culled and custom-developed based on Mark’s and the teachers’ estimates of the most pressing needs of the participants. Sessions are lively and interactive with hands-on experience, humor and candor. Each presentation is adapted to its audience by pre-workshop briefings with knowledgeable parties. And prices are fit remarkably well into your staff development budget.*
  • Teacher workshops can take the form of a motivational presentation, designed to enthuse teachers about utilizing a greater of variety of math teaching strategies in the classroom. Or it can go into real depth and detail in a series of three to six workshops of three hours apiece, developing teacher’s math understanding and their teaching methodology simultaneously. It can even span a whole faculty, providing information on teaching any subjects through eight intelligences, deepening general problem solving thinking, and adapting to varied learning styles. Or, for more focus, it can zero in on subgroups of math teachers to pinpoint teaching strategies for various grades or learning groups e.g., primary (1-3), intermediate (3+ to 5+), middle school (6-8), high school (9-12), the gifted, girls only, or the unmotivated.
  • Depending on funds and scheduling, the ideal is to have more grade-specific instruction where detailed content and methods can be developed, and then a follow-up workshop can occur a month after the original ones. Mark’s latest book, Math for Humans: Teaching Math Through 8 Intelligences (click this on the home page) is an additional excellent follow-up resource for the content of such workshops. Mark’s insightful teaching expands a teacher’s repertory to many modalities, thus reaching and “turning on” a broader group of students.

Here are some sample focal topics (though custom topic requests are welcome):

Active Group Investigation Aids Deeper Skill Development

  • Conforming Math Lessons to Upgraded State Standards
  • Student Communication of Mathematical Ideas
  • Mathematics for Gifted Programs
  • Expanding Math Expectations for Exceptional Learners
  • Assessment through Activities and Investigations
  • Important Probability and Statistics Content and Methods
  • Regularly Making Real-life Connections in the Curriculum
  • Developing Algebraic Sense at All Ages
  • Developing Number Sense
  • Bringing the Eight Intelligences into the Math Curriculum
  • Using Manipulatives and Diagrams to Communicate Concepts
  • Teaching Mathematics Through the Personal Intelligences
  • Mathematics and its Mystery as Great Motivators

*COSTS: The reasonable fee for each professional development workshop is negotiated and individually based on length, number of participants, degree of customization, distance of travel, funding sources, and other specific circumstances. Call 1-360-221-8842 for estimates or e-mail mathman@markwahl.com.