Terence Tao: There’s more to mathematics than rigour and proofs

A very interesting discussion of the three stages of mathematical education by the amazing Terence Tao: There’s more to mathematics than rigour and proofs.

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Prezi – Math is not linear

This presentation, “Math is not linear,” does a great job of summarizing why Math Circles are such a critical part of our students’ educations! Math is not linear on Prezi

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MITnews – The Math Gap

Here is an interesting article from MIT on patterns in high math achievement based on a study of AMC data.  This research follows on the heels of the paper written by Dr. Andreescu and his colleagues last year.  The study seems to conclude that girls (and presumably also boys) thrive when they are able to [...]

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Edutopia – “Math test scores soar if students are given the chance to struggle”

Richard Rusczyk linked to a great article based on some recent research suggesting that students benefit from struggling with Hard Problems. “We’ve found there is a healthy amount of frustration that’s productive; there is a satisfaction after having struggled with it,” says Roberta Schorr, associate professor in Rutgers University at Newark’s Urban Education Department. Her [...]

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Arthur Benjamin’s Formula for Changing Math

A good friend of the Metroplex Math Circle, Dr. Arthur Benjamin, is a popular speaker at the world famous TED conference.  Recently, he offered his own idea for fundamentally changing math education in our country.  Like Richard Rusczyk, he sees the singular focus on Calculus as insufficient and distracting from a full math education.

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Math Instructor Lauded for Outstanding Job — Again

One of our favorite guest lecturers, Dr. Paul Stanford, was recently recognized for his work teaching college algebra, applied calculus, matrices and vectors, calculus and linear algebra. The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, which Stanford received in the category of contingent faculty, carries a $15,000 stipend.   Nominees are selected through a rigorous campus-based process beginning with [...]

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CNN Most Lucrative College Degrees

CNN published a story about the Most Lucrative College Degrees base on a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.  Of the top 15 careers, they all depend upon a strong background in mathematics and problem solving.  Here are some key quotes from the article: “Math is at the crux of who gets [...]

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AMS Article: Math Circles and Olympiads

Wenhua Ma brought an interesting article to our attention from the Notices of the AMS: Math Circles and Olympiads, MSRI Asks:  Is the U.S. Coming of Age? The Math Circle Experience Extracurricular circles in a variety of subjects began in Hungary in the 1800s, all with the goal of providing young students opportunities to pursue [...]

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January 31, 2009: Chess and Mathematics

Metroplex Math Circle Announces Dr. Alexey Root’s Lecture on Chess and Mathematics Dallas, TX, January 31, 2009. Dr. Alexey Root will present on chess applications of graph theory to secondary math education. She will highlight the concepts of domination and independence and show how they can be illustrated through chess problems. “The concept of domination [...]

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Eide: Mathematical Minds

The Eide Neurolearning Blog is an interesting resource for keeping up with the current advances in neuroscience and brain imaging.  In a recent post they discuss the uniqueness of mathematically gifted minds. It will not surprise math circle participants to hear that such brains approach math problems quite differently.  Traditional school programs may offer such [...]

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