Dive Brief:
- The Mind Research Institute’s third annual Math Fair in Orange County, CA, drew more than 9,000 attendees, giving students and parents a chance to explore 28 hands-on exhibits that make math fun and close the “experience gap” some students have when it comes to being exposed to math outside of school.
- District Administration reports the math games encourage trial and error, helping students understand that a wrong answer is not failure, it is simply one step on the path toward the right answer.
- Jason Eitner, superintendent of the Waterford Township School District in New Jersey, a first-time attendee of the fair, was shocked to see so many smiles and complete engagement from participants, and he immediately began planning ways to incorporate technology used at the fair into his district’s classrooms.
Dive Insight:
Adults routinely model for children the idea that math is hard and it is fine to write off a lack of understanding. And traditional strategies for learning math, including memorizing formulas and completing worksheets can be discouraging. The math is completely disconnected from the world. Many schools have begun to change that.
Whether it is asking the youngest students to play games that require mathematical thinking or asking others to solve real-world problems that do the same, one key strategy is making math relevant. Before becoming executive director of the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning, Bob Goodman created an algebra-based physics course for students at his technical school. Physics provided a hands-on way to use math that engaged students and prepared them across two important disciplines.