Projects aim to make math fun

If the presentations delivered by students on Friday, April 20 are any indication, math curricula in schools may look a lot different down the road. Paired with Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) teachers for an experiential learning project, Brock math majors in MATH 3P41 developed engaging learning activities for students using computer programming to make learning math more fun. The activities, insights and feedback they received from student participants was presented at the first-ever Brock-NCDSB Computational Thinking in Mathematics Classroom event. Led by Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Chantal Buteau, the event highlighted the increasing need to integrate programming in school curricula. Following a presentation by guest speaker George Gadanidis from the University of Western Ontario, the five aspiring teachers shared the projects they created. Front row from left, Gadanidis, Buteau and student presenter Joyce Khouzam. Back row from left, Jeff Martin and Laura Cronshaw, K-12 Numeracy Consultants, Niagara Catholic District School Board, and student presenters Ashley Lovnicki, Marika Fowler, Kirstin Hofstee and Xingjian (Aries) Wu.