Frequently Asked Questions

Q: On the vignette submission form, there are only two possible options for preferred presentation length: Short Presentation (less than 20 minutes) or Long Presentation 60 minutes). What if my presentation doesn’t fit into either category?

A: If this is the case, could you please indicate that in your 500-word description, and tell us your desired presentation length. For example, you may have a vignette that can only be presented as a detailed workshop that will take two hours to complete. We will do our best to be flexible, and create a schedule that accommodates all the preferences of all the presenters.

Q Do I need to submit a 500-word description explaining what my vignette is about?

A: Yes. In addition to the actual vignette itself (which must be uploaded as a PDF file), we ask you to submit a short text description, of at most 500 words, summarizing what your vignette is about and what you hope to share at CMEF 2014 if your vignette is indeed accepted for presentation. This short text description will be used by the CMEF Steering Committee to group each vignette by “theme session” – for example, one such session might be "pedagogical reflections describing issues in secondary school mathematics". By the end of October, a Program Committee will have been assembled, and each Program Committee member will be responsible for reviewing vignettes in one of these "sessions".

Q If my vignette is accepted, then my work will appear on this website under a Creative Commons license. What does that mean?

A: There are six types of copyright licenses offered by Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org). CMEF 2014 vignettes will appear on this website under the license “Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs”, the most restrictive of the six main licenses, only allowing others to download your work and share it with others as long as they credit you, where they cannot change your vignette in any way, or use it commercially. Please note that under the terms of Creative Commons, your vignette will be publicly available, here on this website. If you do not wish to have your work publicly available, please do not submit a vignette for CMEF 2014.

Q How will you schedule the accepted vignettes at CMEF 2014?

A: Every accepted vignette will be slotted into a “session”, and each session will be given a 60-minute time slot during either the Friday or the Saturday of the conference. Depending on how many vignettes are accepted, the Steering Committee will decide the time allocations for each vignette (e.g. short poster, 15-minute talk plus discussion, full 60-minute workshop, etc.) We will likely have five parallel track sessions, grouped by grade level: K to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, 10 to 12, and Post-Secondary.

We recognize that these vignettes will be diverse, and not limited to a standard essay format – for example, some vignettes could include, or be, pictures of classroom activities or works of art. These vignettes will likely be presented during the CMEF Gallery Walk, a special “poster session” where participants will be able to walk around the gallery and converse with the speakers in a more informal setting. Depending on how many vignettes are accepted, we might find that many of the vignettes will be presented during the Gallery Walk.

Q What are the key deadlines that I should know about?

A: Your vignette must be submitted by Friday, February 7th, 2014. By February 21st, you will receive an e-mail from a member of the CMEF 2014 Steering Committee, informing you whether your vignette got accepted, followed by all the comments from the reviewers. By the end of February, each accepted speaker must submit an online form giving a short Abstract of their vignette, which will go into the official CMEF 2014 Program. Also at the end of February, each speaker has the option of submitting an updated version of their vignette which will then get posted on the CMEF website. After CMEF 2014 in May, participants have the option of re-submitting their vignette depending on the feedback they are given during the forum, which would then be updated on the CMEF website.

Q How does one attend the Canadian Math Education Forum? Do I need to be formally nominated by someone, or can I attend the conference just by registering online?

A: CMEF 2014 will have an open registration process, i.e., anyone who wishes to attend the conference may do so by registering online. (Note that there are special reduced fees for early registration until April 15.) We will likely have a modest amount of money, available as “travel support” for individuals who wish to apply. Preference will be given to teachers and students who are presenting at the conference. For more information please contact Peter Taylor

Q My vignette got accepted for CMEF 2014. Does this mean I have to pay a registration fee, even though I will be speaking at this conference?

A: Yes. All conference participants must register online, and pay the registration fee, in order to attend CMEF 2014. There is considerable cost to organizing this forum, and even the conference organizers and plenary speakers will be paying the full registration fee. Thankfully, through the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to offer rates that are significantly less than the majority of national math education conferences in Canada. Furthermore, all individuals with accepted vignettes will be given a discount rate on their registration: an early-bird rate of $200 for presenters, compared to $230 for non-presenters.

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