Team helps O'ahu students develop mathematical thinking on April 24

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Michael R C Andonian, (808) 956-4669
Academic Support, Mathematics
Posted: Apr 17, 2013

A team of more than 50 mathematicians and students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa invite 7th-12th grade and college students to an evening of probability games and exposure to mathematical thinking. The event, Monte Carlo Night, will take place at the UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom on Wednesday, April 24, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and is free to attend.

Monte Carlo Night is an evening designed to present 7th through 12th grade students, as well as college students, with mathematics in a context that convincingly shows them the power of mathematical thought. Through a variety of games and displays, students will discover how to outwit an opponent in any game, make sound decisions based on limited knowledge, and understand how to internalize probabilities and statistics. What’s the underlying message? Mathematics should not be viewed as a mandatory subject for students in school, but a mentality that bolsters decision-making and promotes a healthy mind. Determining adequate and practical results or ideas are imperative, but asking meaningful, insightful questions is the decisive first step in finding such outcomes.

“It is well-known that in 7th grade a bifurcation in the perception of mathematics takes place in students’ minds,” said Dr. Monique Chyba, UH Mānoa Professor of Mathematics. “The purpose and the motivation to learn mathematics fades out if we fail to connect it to the unique world of teenagers. This might lead to a negative attitude that carries on throughout the rest of the student's educational journey. There is exceptional potential in our youth, and our goal here is to help them embrace the gift of mathematics to free part of this potential and turn it into an invaluable individual resource.”

This outreach event will be lead by the School and University Partnership for Educational Renewal in Mathematics (SUPER-M). SUPER-M is an outreach program in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Funded by the National Science Foundation and Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education Program, SUPER-M strives to improve the perception of mathematics in the community through various activities and events. SUPER-M has officially partnered with 29 K-12 schools throughout the state since 2009.

For more information, please contact Dr. Monique Chyba, Professor of Mathematics, via phone at 956-8464 or email at mchyba@math.hawaii.edu for more information.