EDUCATION
We offer 24-MONTHS
Paz will share the methods behind those moments this month when he presents at the University of Arizona’s statewide mathematics educators conference Jan. 24. The gathering is the largest of its kind in the state, and this will be Paz’s second year speaking. “I didn’t expect to present last year,” he said. “Now I’m doing it again, and it still feels like a big opportunity. Every year I have to refresh, relearn and even learn from my students. That’s why I do this.” Making math click Paz, who teaches Algebra 2 after two years of Algebra 1, says the hardest part of teaching math is taking concepts that feel vague or theoretical and giving students something they can actually grab onto. “As a math teacher, your struggle is to concretize the abstract,” he said. Students often question the relevance of what they are learning, especially when the material feels disconnected from everyday life. Paz doesn’t argue with that reaction. “Kids look at something like polynomials or trig and think, ‘I’ll never use this at Walmart,’” he said. “And honestly, they’re right; not in that form.” What matters more to him is the process behind the work. Paz believes math is valuable because it teaches students how to approach a problem and work toward a solution, a skill he says carries beyond the classroom. To get there, Paz keeps lessons narrow and deliberate. One goal at a time. No stacking concepts before students are ready. That approach is supported by the school’s intervention and retake system. Students who do not pass an assessment can review their work with Paz and then retake the same questions, allowing them to see where their thinking went off track and correct it. Paz’s conference presentation this year focuses on a hands-on way to teach trigonometry. Students link common angles to their fingers — 90 degrees on the thumb, 60 on the pointer finger, down to zero on the pinky — and use that hand position as a reference when solving problems. By folding down the finger that matches the angle, they can work out the value using the same simple steps each time. “I don’t memorize the unit circle,” Paz said, laughing. “It’s ridiculous. I can’t... that’s why this is so powerful” Last year, Paz presented on Singapore’s Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract model, an approach
0% Interest O.A.C
MATTRESS & FURNITURE
Math teacher Kevin Paz helps Desert Sunrise students answer trigonometry problems on a worksheet.
Follow us on Facebook
Maricopa, AZ 602-366-0447
44360 W. Edison Road, Suite 100
3 teachers, 1 big stage Innovative MUSD classroom practices gain statewide attention
BY DAVID IVERSEN
Weekly Grille SpecialS BEGINNING AT 5PM* *Subject to availability wednesday classic fish fry $16 Thursday chef’s special $22 friday prime rib dinner $36 saTurday date night dinner for tWo $65
T UNIFIED School District teachers, each working at different schools, will represent the district this month at the University of Arizona’s statewide mathematics educators conference. HREE MARICOPA One of them, Kevin Paz, bounced from desk to desk, attempting the near impossible. The math teacher was quizzing a group of Desert Sunrise High School students on a new trigonometry concept. It was a Friday in the hour before lunch. The room was full of heads buried in hands. There are those instances, though, that Paz calls that aha moment — when a concept that looks like it was written in another language finally clicks. “It’s the happiest moment,” said the Philippines national after the bell rang, and the kids were off to lunch. “It tells you the scaffolding you built actually worked.”
SAVE THE DATE JANUARY 24 JOIN US FOR A FIVE COURSE CHEF PREPARED DINNER WITH WINE PAIRINGS ITALIAN WINE DINNER EVENT
Paz previews his five finger solution for complex trigonometry angles. He’ll go in depth at a U of A conference this month.
InMaricopa.com | Janaury 2026
Janaury 2026 | InMaricopa.com
20
21
Powered by FlippingBook