Students and parents find fun in numbers
at the Newark Center for Creative Learning
Tim drew a crowd with his explanation of the Pythagorean theorem. Through the use of rubber bands and a device called a geoboard, he demonstrated the equation of a2 + b2 = c2. By wrapping rubber bands around embedded nails, he created shapes of overlapping triangles and squares. He found the unknown quantity by using the known.
When Tim finished, a round of applause signaled the group’s appreciation, approval and awe. It seemed like quite a fuss over a high school algebraic equation. But then Tim is only 10 years old.
Mathematical prowess ruled during Family Math Night at the Newark Center for Creative Learning. The evening presented an opportunity for students to show off their skills, join their families in fun and explore a subject many people find intimidating.
"We want families to get an idea of how we actually use math and how we teach it," said director Bette Balder, "since we don’t actually use textbooks."
Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician, probably never dreamed of using items such as marshmallows, gum drops, straws, graphs and geoboards to teach concepts such as patterns, structures and fractions. But such tools create the perfect hands-on learning experience for which the school is noted.
The geoboard plays an important role in the school curriculum. The 7-inch-square board has 49 nails spaced one inch apart in seven rows of seven. Every two years, math teacher Marilynn Magnani directs a new group of students on constructing their own boards, which they use during their mathematical pursuits at the Newark school.
"I like the idea of putting an abstract concept into manipulative tools," said Tom, father of first-year student Kassie.
Instruments like the geoboard, he said, show the relationships between ratios and fractions.
Ten-year-old Jeffrey said the geoboard makes learning easier, while Tim found it adds an element of excitement. But it’s not all fun and games.
"Marilynn, our teacher, always makes us figure it out the hard way," Jeffrey said.
Nine-year-old Kassie and her mother, Barb, played a calculator game called Guess My Number.
"It’s pretty exciting because your parents have to work with you in the games," Kassie said.
Her mother was equally delighted about the experience, which had the two discussing strategies for solving a problem.
Kassie has learned to like math more at the Newark Center for Creative Learning, her mother said. She also has become more independent in her work, a development her mother attributed to the logical manner in which the subject is taught.
Younger students weren’t left out of the fun. Their task was to learn about balance by building sturdy structures with edible manipulatives.
"You get to eat what you build," Jeffrey said.
Students, parents and teachers alike are enthusiastic about the course methodology.
"We had books at Sanford (School in Hockessin), and they would give us page numbers that we would work over the week," said 10-year-old Anna, another first-year student. "Here you learn one thing and do a lot of different things with it."
Celeste, mother of Anna and Anthony, 7, said her children’s excitement about the evening’s activities was refreshing. She also recognized a confidence in their ability to handle numbers and tackle new materials.
Magnani has been teaching for 29 years – 26 at the Newark school. From the beginning of her career, Magnani said, she began to look at math from a very different position – one that developed her own teaching philosophy.
Math must be taught for understanding, she said, not just memorization. A constant dialogue with students – asking them questions, listening to their responses and realizing how the content makes sense to them – is essential.
If you ask most people why they invert and multiply when they divide fractions, Magnani said, they can’t tell you.
"Kids need to know why," she said
Again, the geoboard proved invaluable for 12-year-old Gabe during a fraction lesson. The board allowed him to visualize what the teacher was talking about.
His mother, Gail, said Gabe is much happier at school, adding that he can solve problems in ways that she can’t.
"I worried about him doing multiplication," said Gabe’s father, Tom, "but here he’s doing algebra."
Not only can the students flaunt their math skills, but sometimes they can teach parents something new.
Sharon, Tim’s mother, said she never understood the practical application of the Pythagorean theorem until Tim showed her.
"Tim just blows me away all the time," she said. "It’s so natural for him. He really understands; it’s not just rote."News Journal 3-2000
