Using Rich Problems to Learn & Teach Good High School Mathematics

Duane Bollenbacher's 24th Annual Summer Mathematics Workshops
 
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – June 26-28, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
 

As a coach of three varsity sports for most of my first 15 years of high school mathematics teaching, I did not take (nor have) the time to work with my students to help them prepare for standardized tests nor for the math contests. But my students competed in the OCTM Contest, the AHSME (now the American Mathematics Competitions) and the Ohio Math League every year. When I did give up coaching in order to devote more time to teaching mathematics more effectively, I started working with my students in class and outside of class to prepare for such tests. I found that I became more interested, and certainly much better, at working the problems. And I became much more knowledgeable about mathematics and a much more effective teacher. 

Grading, and then directing and writing all the questions for the OCTM contest, really helped me become much more knowledgeable about contest-taking and a far better teacher in the classroom. Here is my point: Test-taking and problem-solving can be learned. And the more you do, the better mathematician (and teacher) you become and the more fun you have. In this workshop we will work on my favorite problems that have helped me, and my students, learn more and better mathematics. And they will help you, and your students, likewise. 
 
This course, along with the June 12-14 HQT Workshop, may be used by an INTERVENTION SPECIALIST to become a Highly Qualified Teacher  (HQT) in mathematics content.
*Note: This course is DIFFERENT from summers 2010, 2011 

Content

  • Classic problems from high school textbooks, old tests, contests and many other resources
  • Using these problems to learn and how to teach better mathematics

Course Expectations

  • Attendance at all sessions
  • Participation in all activities
  • Sharing teaching ideas that have worked for you

Problems to Ponder for the Workshop

  1. Set A has 96 more subsets than does set B. How many elements are in set A?
  2. The four integral sides of a plane quadrilateral are 4, 3, 10 and x. Give all possible lengths of x.  
  3. In base two, write the number which is ten greater than 101012.  
  4. The clock on the wall of the geometry room is a standard clock with an hour hand and a minute hand. What is the measure in degrees of the smaller angle formed at 10:15?