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Pioneers Speech

Five Principles of Extraordinary Math Teaching

Dr Dan Finkel decided after finishing his PhD in algebraic geometry at the University of Washington, that teaching math was the biggest contribution he could make to the world.

Dan’s approach to teaching mathematics is to learn and teach with courage, curiosity, and a sense of play. Everyone should have fun with math, in the speech Dan discusses, classrooms becoming alive when real ‘thinking’ is occurring in students. At Pioneers we focus our math classes on problem-based learning, we apply the five principals Dan talks about:1) Start with a question (It is not about memorizing the steps, but to actually think and create).2) Students need time to struggle (through struggle students get the opportunity to grow and learn)3) the teacher is not the answer key (math is an adventure, not knowing is the first step to understanding). 4) Say yes to student’s ideas and questions, (saying yes is not the same as saying 'your correct', accept ideas and allow students to empower themselves with an investigation). 5) Play! (Einstein referred to play as the highest form of research).

Dan goes on to say “what books are to reading, play is to mathematics”. We can’t continue to misuse math and build students that are passive rule followers. We need to give all students the opportunity to think mathematical and be creative and have the courage to ask those difficult questions; as Dan puts it, "then we won’t be surprised when our children say “I love math!”".

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