Eastern Iowa teachers learn new, hands-on ways to teach math

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) -More than 60 teachers from nine eastern Iowa school districts are learning new ways to teach math. It’s an innovative approach to try and make the subject more exciting for students.

”My mind is just swimming with how, how we can implement it.” said Dawn Arnold, a math teacher in the Benton Community School District.

Teachers from Benton, Alburnett, Cedar Rapids, Center Point-Urbana, Iowa City, Marion, North Linn, Tipton and Williamsburg took part in the training.

A group from Denver came to Cedar Rapids to lead the hands-on lessons. They taught the teachers how to connect geometry to construction by building play houses.

Alex Adkisson is one of the instructors who travelled from Colorado this week. He said he nearly dropped out of high school as a student before later becoming a teacher himself. The turning point for him was when he learned a new way to apply math, a subject he struggled with. It’s something he’s now passing along as an educational consultant.

”It’s just really good to see teachers out here. You know nationally the profession is hurting for teachers and getting teachers excited for new ways of teaching and bringing things in,” Adkisson said.

Emily Logan is a math curriculum consultant with Grant Wood Area Education Agency. She helped bring the program to Iowa after visiting Colorado to try it out last August.

”I don’t think you’re going to find a math teacher that doesn’t say that it’s frustrating that kids say when am I ever going to use this? And so this is a way to like help kids see you will use this, in fact they ask for it,” said Logan.

Teachers are also learning to apply algebra to running a business, like screen printing. Arnold looks forward to bringing the lessons back with her to Benton Community Schools.

”If anything it gets us more fired up to try and fire up the kids and I think that’s a really good thing,” she said.

The hope is that students will be fired up for math in a way that carries with them after high school whether that’s straight into the workforce, a trade, or to college.

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