If you are going to coach a math club, it is likely that you will come across at least some of the following challenges: A classroom full of students at different levels, despite the fact that most students in the math club self-selected to be there Creating an atmosphere where students feel emotionally safe enough to participate…
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Nowadays, thanks to modern day computers, we have instant access to the approximation of π (the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter) to any degree of accuracy. But back in antiquity, getting a good approximation of π was elusive and difficult. Over 2000 ago, the Greek mathematician and scientist Archimedes derived an accurate approximation of π using…
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Let’s say you do decide to hold competitions in your math club. What are your options? Much of this depends on the grade level of your students. I will describe our experience with the various competition programs in which we have engaged. We started our students in math competitions when they were in 4th grade….
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Whether you decide to hold competitions in your math club or not, recreational math materials are an important component of your program. If I had one word to describe the most important quality of these materials, it would be VARIETY. Mathematics is an incredibly broad subject, and often kids’ sense of what it encompasses is…
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