Believe it. Math is fun, interesting, engaging, useful, fascinating, and beautiful. Especially when it is personal to each learner and relevant to her/his interests, curiosities, goals, and ambitions.
Starting in the Fall of 2017, One Stone’s math coaches, Allison Parker, John Brassey, and Tony Pori, reimagined math. They wanted to make it look like One Stone – project-based, hands-on, and student-driven. So they started by asking students what interested them and they gave students choice by creating a suite of three-week math sprints from which students can explore various mathematical concepts.
In addition to a personalized and creative approach to learning mathematical application through statistics and calculus, other project-based math sprints included:
Geometry of Paper Folding
Games of Chance: The Mathematics of Gambling
Catapults and Basketballs: Projectile Motion and Parabolas
Fundamentals of Logic
Factoring: Putting Things Together and Taking Them Apart
Population Ecology
Probabilistic Decision Making
Surveying the City
Fibo-who? The Mathematical Magic of the Fibonacci Sequence
Exploding Dots
Personal Finance
The Geometry of Construction
“Last October, I was taking the math sprint, 'Projectile Motion.' Charla had approached me and asked about what I had learned and if it had helped me with anything in my life. One of the most surprising skills I gained from Projectile Motion was that it helped me to understand the math behind free throws in basketball and I began to see that my freethrows became more accurate.” – VINCE M., YEAR ONE
Another important part of math application at One Stone includes a regular dose of SAT/ACT Prep, which provides students with consistent practice, as well as handy strategies, tools, and tips to achieve better math scores on standardized tests.
“Math at One Stone has helped me feel more knowledgeable about important future tests, such as the SAT and ACT. I now feel motivated to help prep for my future in college. I have begun to enjoy and experience math in a new light.” – BENNETT C., YEAR TWO
If you, or a rising sophomore or junior in the Treasure Valley you know, is ready to make math relevant, consider applying to One Stone or attending our event to learn more.
A team of student’s took on the project of creating the graphics or videos that are included in this blog post explain how One Stone makes math relevant. Graphics were designed and written by: Lili S., Elise B., Avery W., Sam H., Basil W., Nigel S., and Bennett C.
One Stone is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive community with equal opportunity for all individuals. One Stone admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. One Stone does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and other school-administered programs.
