The Signaling Problem: Using Exploding Dots to Solve an Accessible Mystery in an Elementary-Aged Math Circle

Authors

Rodi Steinig, Talking Stick Learning CenterFollow

Biographical Sketch

Rodi Steinig, M.Ed., is the Founding Director of the Talking Stick Math Circle, Director of Mentoring for the National Association of Math Circles, and Co-Author — with Rachel Steinig — of the book Math Renaissance. She wants to awaken children’s inner mathematicians, to shepherd the unfolding of their abstract reasoning, and to disabuse them of the notion that math is about memorizing a bunch of facts and algorithms.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Many people want to facilitate Math Circles for younger students but don’t know how. This article provides a model for how to create an engaging Math Circle for students aged 8-10 to explore different number bases and gives a detailed narrative to guide prospective instructors through the class. The narrative follows a group of eight students spending six weeks joyfully discovering underlying mathematical structure without being told what to do.

Description of Program

The Talking Stick Math Circle was created for K-12 students in 2011. It meets at Talking Stick Learning Center in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, visit https://talkingsticklearningcenter.org/programs/math-circle/ or contact rodi@talkingsticklearningcenter.org.

Recommended Citation

Steinig, Rodi (2019) "The Signaling Problem: Using Exploding Dots to Solve an Accessible Mystery in an Elementary-Aged Math Circle," Journal of Math Circles: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/mathcirclesjournal/vol1/iss1/5