Rachel McAnallen aka Ms. Math

Many years ago I was invited to present a strand at a conference called Confratute being held at the University of Connecticut. I met teachers and presenters who were not afraid to teach creatively. These were the teachers who believed in doing what was best for the student in the long run; they were the outliers of the education profession. My life was changed.

Over the years, I have taught two strands at Confratute.

In the strand Creative Mathematics, Is Not an Oxymoron, the participants will learn that naked worksheets, memorization without understanding, first and fast math are the neutron bombs of mathematical creativity and are some of the main causes of math anxiety. Conceptual knowledge (know why) will be presented in order to understand the algorithms and procedures (know how) that are commonly taught under the present system of outrageous and pressurized testing. This is a hands-on math strand using real fake money and polyhedral dice as the main learning tools. Laughter is a must in this strand.

Geometry Beyond the Textbook is designed for the art lover and the teacher who wants to go beyond the arithmetic part of mathematics. This is a “make and take” strand where the participants will leave with math models that become “kid catchers” when displayed in their classrooms. If as a teacher, you have students that have been turned off by the math and enter your classroom with a bad attitude about the subject then this is a way to get them to change their minds about this beautiful subject. Get hooked on geometry is the motto in this strand and a sense of humor is a requirement when entering the room.

Rachel R. McAnallen
rmathmania@aol.com