The Nueva School's Innovative Learning Conference

Much of a student’s early exposure to mathematics is grounded in what works based on trial and error and learning specific algorithms to achieve useful results. But professional and recreational mathematicians alike will tell you that the heart of mathematics is in problem solving, reasoning, and communication, not calculation. As a result, while they may be well prepared to USE math in other disciplines, many students matriculate having made decisions about their desire (and fitness!) to take college math classes without have ever seen any comparable material — and they miss out on the beauty of the ideas underpinning these undeniably powerful results! How do we reconcile the disparity between the practical introduction emphasized by most K–12 standards and the philosophical approach that is the hallmark and main recommendation of advanced mathematics? In this session we will discuss three accessible proofs that offer a window into the mathematical mindset while supporting and illuminating a standard approach to calculation, as well as appropriate ways to tie them into traditional curricula.