Lesson #2 - Augsburg College

1. Read a lesson before you teach it.
You might even want to read it two or three times. It is likely that you haven’t been exposed to all of the
ideas in these lessons, so don’t assume that you’ll be able to teach one without first reading through it completely.
Also, don’t choose not to teach a lesson just because it has a difficulty rating of three stars; if it looks interesting
to you, read it first and then decide if you think it is too difficult. Some of the lessons that are the most
fun are the ones rated to be the most difficult. If you can’t bring this book home with you, it may be a good idea
to make a copy of a lesson you want to teach a week before you teach it and bring it home to read. Remember:
You want to be as comfortable with the material as possible so that you can lead the best lesson you can.
2. Encourage exploration and discovery learning.
Part of the inspiration for this project came from Robert and Ellen Kaplan’s Math Circle. Their approach
to teaching “is to pose questions and let congenial conversation take over.” (This quotation was taken from
their website: .) Most of the lessons in this book were written with this philosophy
in mind. Since discovering a concept for oneself provides a greater potential for retaining knowledge of that
concept, we believe it is important that you act as the students’ “guide by the side” rather than the “sage on the
stage” whenever possible.
3. You won’t know all the answers…
…and that’s a good thing! It is important for math students to know that there isn’t always an answer within
immediate reach. When a student asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer, admit it and then
ask them what they think the answer might be. How might they go about finding an answer? Are they sure that
there is an answer? Above all, don’t get flustered.
4. Have fun and be positive.
Challenge Math provides students with the chance to see how much fun math can be. If you enjoy yourself
while you are teaching, your students will notice your enthusiasm and as a result will have a more rewarding
Challenge Math experience.
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