Teachers Ashley Meyer, Susan Johnson and Catherine Wiebe from Coronation Public School in the Grand Erie District School Board browse the math books on sale in the Ian Beddis Gymnasium.

More than 1,000 teachers are at Brock this week to get fresh ideas for teaching math.

For the first time, Brock is hosting the annual Ontario Association for Mathematics Education (OAME) conference. As many as 1,400 math teachers from across Ontario have gathered for speakers, presentations and new hands-on materials to take back to their classes.

Through sessions and workshops, teachers are learning new skills for teaching math to students, says Chantal Buteau, associate professor of Mathematics at Brock.

“This is an enriching experience for them,” she said.

The conference coming to Brock is a testament to the university’s long history of direct involvement with high school teachers, she said.

The conference coincides with a presentation of Show Math, a comedic multimedia show that shows every-day applications of math. Professors from Université Laval will perform it.

Grade 10 and 11 students from Niagara attended a free viewing of Show Math on May 12 at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. Show Math will be performed two more times during the conference.

Show Math has been viewed by more than 30,000 people in the last six years, Buteau said. When it was translated to English last year, she said, she was eager to see the show at Brock.

The OAME conference is May 13 to 15.