Through Math Explorations, we strive to understand math joyfully and deeply, and to create a practical understanding of the world around us. Rather than memorize facts and equations, we build intuition and make math fun. We explore patterns, shapes, arithmetic, and symmetry while spiraling toward concepts that recur from algebra to calculus, and also in problem-solving. We sometimes start with a puzzle, work together to solve it (often struggling), finally generalizing and engaging ever deeper with the underlying math concepts. We build a deep foundation through collaborative and fun hands-on activities, in-person and online.
Approach
– Nurture curiosity and joy for math, instilling or re-kindling passion.
– Focus on depth over coverage: A few fundamental concepts are explored deeply by first building intuition, then spiraling to increase the depth and deepen the understanding.
– Seek multiple approaches, especially visual reasoning, whenever possible leveraging the diverse thinking of the group.
– Solve problems together, teaching cooperation and appreciation for diverse thinking, while strengthening our creative processes.
Shapes come to life!