06/07/2026
We are proud to announce that three Cooke faculty members will be presenting at a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) event this fall. Cooke Mathematics Kโ12 Director of Curriculum, Andrew Gael, Speech and Language Services Chair, Melissa Madarasz M.A. CCC-SLP, and Speech-Language Pathologist and AAC Specialist, Erica Bronstein, will lead a session entitled Supporting Mathematical Thinking and Expression for Nonspeaking Students at the NCTM 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition this October.
As North America's largest mathematics education organization, NCTM brings together educators from across the continent to share research, best practices, and innovative teaching strategies.
A frequent NCTM presenter, Andy said he wanted to broaden this year's presentation by including communication specialists.
โThis is the first time I have invited non-math service providers to present with me. Communication is essential to learning mathematics. Many of the strategies we use at Cooke to make mathematical concepts accessible to all learners can be applied in any classroom.โ
Here is the official description of their panel: All students, regardless of communication abilities, deserve access to meaningful mathematical learning. However, traditional approaches often rely heavily on verbal expression. Speech-language pathologists, AAC Specialists, and a Mathematics Educator collaborate to lead this session, with the goal of shifting from a verbal, language-heavy approach to one that leverages multiple modes of communication and the learning supports that can make this a reality in mathematics classrooms.
Congratulations to Andy, Melissa, and Erica on this exciting opportunity to share Cooke's expertise with educators nationwide.