Calculating Minds is an after school enrichment program offered
to students in grades one through eight. Grade level groups meet for one hour a week and enjoy exploring many mathematical concepts. Students explore concepts, discern problems, devise solution strategies, and navigate through the elements of problems to see how they fit together. Students should embrace the idea that mathematics makes sense and learn to use it inside and outside of school.
Teachers and students work on many skills including:
- the ability to set up problems with appropriate operations
- a knowledge of a variety of techniques to approach and work on problems
- an understanding of the underlying mathematical features of a problem
- an ability to work with others on problems
- the ability to see the applicability of mathematical ideas to common and complex problems
- a skill for working with messy problem situations because most real problems are not well fomulated
In addition, seventh and eighth grade students compete against area schools in many mathematical contests. Teams comprised of both grade levels must work together to use data, set up problems, and solve problems in timed contests. Students in grades four, five, and six compete in the Online Math League, which includes students in schools nationwide.