Since 2017, the Calvin Math Circle has helped middle school students from up to 10 local schools develop their mathematical thinking skills. While in the past, many students have volunteered to help fuel the passion of mathematics in middle schoolers, the founders of Math Circle are still looking to expand the program.
Math Circle is an international program administered by CYFEMAT, a Latin American organization focused on improving math education worldwide. Mike Bolt, professor of mathematics, told Chimes that Math Circle meetings –– usually attended by around 20 students — typically start with a short game or math puzzle, and then move to class work to generate questions based on the activity. Also at each session, Calvin’s math professors will give a short presentation on an interesting mathematical concept. Over the eight-week course, students learn how to ask mathematical questions, developing their skills of “generalization, simplification and experimentation,” Bolt said.
We’re trying to pick topics that they would never see in school but are mathematical, that will help them think mathematically.
Jan Koop, professor emerita of mathematics and statistics, told Chimes that she and Professor Bolt founded Calvin’s Math Circle because it “seemed like a good idea to have some enrichment program for kids who really like math.”
Koop emphasized that Math Circle teaches broader skills rather than a typical math curriculum. “We’re not trying to get them to go faster, or to teach them algebra or geometry while they’re in middle school. We’re trying to pick topics that they would never see in school but are mathematical, that will help them think mathematically,” she said.
Math Circle also provides a place for Calvin students interested in math and education to volunteer. In previous years, several education students have helped “ask probing questions of participants who think they’ve figured it out or to redirect participants that may have gotten off track,” Bolt told Chimes. Both Koop and Bolt expressed a desire to see more Calvin students volunteer with the Math Circle.
In the coming years, Bolt and Koop want to see the Math Circle at Calvin expand. “A dream is that one day we find a way to reach a more under-represented group of students,” Bolt said. Koop would like to see the program “on the road” so that students without transportation can participate.
The spring Math Circle cohort will meet on Tuesday afternoons starting January 30. Students interested in volunteering at the Math Circle can email Prof. Jan Koop at [email protected] or Prof. Mike Bolt at [email protected].
