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Fairfield County Math Teachers' Circle
Our Mission
The Fairfield County Math Teachers' Circle (FCMTC) provides high-quality professional development to 6th-8th grade mathematics teachers in Fairfield County, CT. The FCMTC is a collaboration between Sacred Heart University faculty and Fairfield County middle school teachers. We offer several academic year workshops for participants to hone their open-ended problem solving skills and strategies, a vital component to success in mathematics. The goal of this group is to ensure our members are well prepared as they guide their middle school students, empowering and enhancing their educational experience.
Your support of this project would go towards funding the direct costs associated with the workshops that the FCMTC sponsors over the course of the year. In 2012, the FCMTC sponsored a summer immersion program, and we would like to replicate this workshop again in the summer of 2017. The summer is a great time for teachers to prepare for the upcoming year.
Project Background
The first Math Teachers' Circle (MTC) was started in 2006 at the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) in California. The number of MTCs has been growing nationwide ever since. There are currently 125 MTCs in 39 states. The Fairfield County MTC was formed in 2011 at one of AIM's “How Run a Math Teachers' Circle” workshops in Washington, D.C.
Vision and Goals of the FCMTC
At the FCMTC, our vision is to re-kindle teachers’ love and passion for mathematics by empowering them with strong content knowledge along with open-ended-problem-solving skills.
Our main goals include:
- Engaging middle school teachers in problem-solving in a supportive environment.
- Providing teachers with a forum to practice collaboration among their peers and with professional mathematicians.
- Establishing a support/network of teachers and mathematicians for ongoing discussion of mathematics and pedagogy.
FCMTC Workshops/Sessions
We welcome suggestions and ideas for topics from participating teachers for our sessions. Problems for sessions are chosen primarily from, but not limited to, the resources for sessions section of the Math Teachers’ Circle Network, and the National Association of Math Circles. These topics have deep connections to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) content for grades 6 – 8. Through open ended problem solving, we want teachers to experience doing mathematics the way mathematicians do and carry this experience to their classroom. This is also in alignment with the standards for mathematics practice of the CCSSM.
Click on the Links below to learn about FCMTC as well as MTC
Listen to Liz Capasso talk about her experience with experience with the FCMTC. Liz Capasso won a Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching award in 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfV8pfsAVbk&feature;=youtu.be
Listen to Malathi Muralidharan talk about her experiences with the FCMTC.
https://vimeo.com/202968105/b77b3bd327
Fairfield County Math Teachers Circle
$10
Support 1 Teacher for 3 Hours
Hypatia Level: Your $10 gift could support one teacher for three hours of mathematical inquiry at the summer workshop.
$25
Support 1 Teacher for 1 Day
Fibonacci Level: This $25 gift could support a teacher for one day of mathematical inquiry at the summer workshop.
$75
Support 1 Teacher for 3 Days
Euler Level: This $75 gift could support a teacher for three days of mathematical inquiry.
$175
Full Scholarship for 1 Teacher
Ada Lovelace Level: This $250 gift could provide a full scholarship for one teacher to attend the summer immersion program.
$300
Summer Workshop Materials
Sofia Kovalevskaya Level: This $300 gift could provide materials for the summer workshop.
$1,000
Academic Year Workshops
Ramanujan Level: This $1,000 gift could support all teachers for all workshops held during the academic year.
$1,750
10 Teachers for Summer Program
G. H. Hardy Level: This $1,750 gift could provide full scholarship for ten teachers to attend the summer immersion program.
$3,500
Sponsorship of Summer Workshop
Katherine Johnson Level: This $3,500 gift could provide full scholarship for all teachers attending the summer immersion program.
$4,500
Sponsorship of all Workshops
Andrew Wiles Level: With this $4,500 gift all summer immersion program and academic year workshop costs could be covered.