Our friends at SDMC provide a link to a fascinating study at the Center for Mathematics Education. The PowerPoint presentation linked below provides some interesting demographic research on accomplished problem solvers.
“Mathematical Olympians: Who are they, where are they from, and how did they get where they are?”,
The research sets out to answer the following question:
What aspects of the in-school and out of school experiences of IMO caliber students can be identified as promising for the encouragement of a broader population of students into sustained and advanced study of mathematics in secondary school and beyond?
Of particular interest is the strong role played by the family, the school, the challenge of contests and mentors (slide 15). Metroplex Math Circle attempts to bring all 4 factors together to help our students to achieve their full potential.
