April 2009
To Fellow Homeschoolers (and others devoted to teaching children in
the most inspiring, nurturing, powerful, and efficient ways):
My
10 year-old daughter Sophia and I found a unique and splendid math program last
fall. We want to share this treasure with other families who will benefit
as profoundly as we are. So many
people struggle with math, and don't really like it -- this program totally
changes that.
CIMM
(Cognitive Instruction in Math Modeling) is a whole new approach to learning
math, which is being developed by a brilliant mathematician, Dr. Rob MacDuff,
and his team of physicists and mathematicians with support of the ASU Physics
Department’s Modeling Instruction Program.
CIMM is based on neurological principles. It presents a joyful and powerful
alternative to the fragmented, disembodied, rules-based mathematics curriculums
of our modern age.
I didn't know how terribly limited the math
options were until we started CIMM. Sophia and I were pretty happy with our
math studies. We had gotten a
splendid early start through The Institutes for the Achievement of Human
Potential, whose training and resources helped us immensely when Sophia was
very young. (IAHP website:
http://www.iahp.org/) But we noticed that it became harder to maintain our
momentum of inspiration as we progressed further into the available math
appropriate to her advancing “grade” levels. I had done quite a bit of research and
put together the best program I could come up with, using a combination of top
quality materials from several standard texts, plus Math-U-See, Oak Meadow, and
our own creative explorations.
But this CIMM is a whole other world. It is utterly fascinating and engaging,
and its elegant sequence of lessons teaches an astonishingly deep level of
mastery so quickly and joyfully. I am consistently blown away by it, and
so grateful to have access to it.
Sophia
has gone from feeling like "math is okay, but there are so many other
things I'd rather be doing, and I'm not that great at it anyway..." to "WOW! I
LOVE math! Can we do it for another hour now?!"
She is gracefully grokking these mathematical
concepts and skills that were more vague, elusive and boring for her
before. And she is loving every
moment of it!
And I'm learning right along with her --
finding my own sense of mathematical competence, clarity and enjoyment growing
and flowing in new ways, too. This
CIMM frees up places in my brain and my thought processes which have been
seized up, stunted, shut down -- thanks at least in part to the math education
I received in the "top" schools I attended before college, and at my
Ivy League university (Cornell)...
Teachers trained by Dr. MacDuff have been
teaching CIMM in several schools.
They are seeing exciting results, both with students who've been
struggling with math, and students who are strong in it, and the CIMM prepares
so exquisitely for advanced math and science. There is growing demand for CIMM – which is
outstanding news for all the students and teachers out there struggling through
the gamut of standard (ie., limited and corrosive) approaches to learning math.
I first learned about Dr. MacDuff’s
program through my interest in David Hestenes’ work. Dr. Hestenes is one of the great
physicists, and teachers, of our time.
He runs the Modeling Instruction Program in the Physics Dept. at ASU,
along with his intrepid colleague, Jane Jackson.
Dr. Jackson introduced us to Dr. Chris Horton,
who is working with Dr. MacDuff on writing the CIMM curriculum, and Sophia and
I are blessed to be learning CIMM with his help. Chris is tutoring us in the comfort of our home, via iChat.
Chris Horton is wonderful! He is a Ph.D. physicist; a skilled and
experienced math and science teacher at all levels, from children around
Sophia's age and younger, to adults learning advanced calculus and physics; and
he has a beautiful command of CIMM.
Plus, Chris is wonderful with children, and grown-ups, and he is just a
warm, sincere and lovely human being.
I most highly recommend Chris, and this process, to anybody looking to
improve their learning curve in anything math-, science- or logic-related.
Chris’ rates are very reasonable,
astoundingly reasonable for what you get.
He wrote the enclosed announcement, to let people know about his
tutoring services. I asked him if
I could show it to some great people who might be interested, and he agreed.
I will attach it below -- and it has more good information about CIMM,
too.
Also, Dr. Rob MacDuff teaches programs for
educators at all levels, providing them tools and understanding to teach CIMM
in their schools. I hear those
programs are superb, too. Dr.
MacDuff is a splendid, wise and exceedingly generous person and teacher, so if
any of you want to bring CIMM into your local school systems, those trainings
would be a golden opportunity for you, too. Here is the website: http://modeling.asu.edu/CIMM.html
.
CIMM is a joy. The kids who are fortunate enough to experience it will love
learning math. Plus, CIMM’s
coherence, clarity, and power catalyze ability and confidence in every other
line of study, too. And CIMM gives
children inspiration and potent tools to contemplate the world around them, to
problem solve, to understand whatever they put their minds to, to design the
practical steps necessary to bring their finest dreams into reality, to trust
themselves – little things like that…
Sincerely,
Julianna
Parker
See Chris’
announcement below:
HOME-SCHOOLERS:
AWESOME MATH OPPORTUNITY!
• I can
help your children love learning math - and
excel at it - joyfully and immediately!
• I offer a lively,
innovative curriculum - that will prepare your child for advanced mathematics
in a light-hearted and thorough way - with a tutoring style based on a deep
respect for children and how they learn best.
• My promise: Your child will develop a lifelong
love and appreciation for mathematics.
In one year, your child will acquire the skills and understanding for
complete success in algebra and geometry.
This
process is available by Internet Web-chat - or in your home in central
Massachusetts - for children (age 7 or up), individually or in small groups.
It is also a pleasure to teach to parents and their kids together,
or to adults. (You, too, can
love and excel at math -- it's never too late!)
The
deal: My
charge is $25 for one student per hour, $5 for each additional student. Call me
for rates for larger groups. I recommend at least two one-hour or 90-minute
sessions per week. No prepayment
required, but you need to commit yourself to keeping to a schedule. If after the first five lessons
you and your child aren't completely satisfied I will cheerfully refund your
money.
Special
challenges: Teachers
report that this curriculum works amazingly well for for English language
learners and for students with ADD and developmental differences such as AS or
HFA.
System
Requirements for online
classes and tutoring: iChat
or Skype with a webcam, a fast Internet connection (400 kbps bandwidth might be
enough) a recent, fast processor and 1 GB memory. Maximum: 3 Web-cams, 3 students per web-cam. Contact me to schedule a system test or
to explore other possible technologies.
About
me: I am a
PhD physicist, and have taught mathematics and physics - remedial through
advanced - in high schools, colleges and universities. I am certified for Math
9-12 and Physics 9-12 in Massachusetts. I am helping to develop this curriculum
along with Dr. Rob MacDuff, and have had excellent experiences teaching it to
children of ages 7 to 12 and adults, including elementary school
teachers.
Christopher
Horton, Worcester MA
508-853-0918
(landline), MathDoctor@me.com
http://sites.google.com/site/themathdoctorsite/
References,
testimonials, resume and credentials:
Available on request.
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More
About the Curriculum:
This carefully designed curriculum,
Cognitive Instruction in Mathematical Modeling (CIMM), offers a unique and
powerful experience of working with quantity, and takes the mystery out of
numbers and numerical operations.
The essence of this
curriculum is that it teaches a mathematics of quantity and relationships.
This mathematics is built on the observable properties of quantities,
like a science or like geometry, rather than on a set of mathematical
assertions or axioms. Students are
given mathematical tools to think with and tools to express mathematical
ideas. By applying these tools in
carefully prepared experiences, students succeed in constructing their own
understanding and in clearly communicating it - and they find both the process
and the knowledge gained greatly rewarding and enjoyable. By working with quantities of dots in
parallel with systems of symbols and numbers and with verbal descriptions,
multiple parts of the students’ brains are engaged and coordinated, resulting
in deep conceptual understanding.
Multiplication and division,
negative numbers, ratios and fractions, very large numbers and very small
numbers, symbols and equations - all make perfect sense and become easy to use.
Students gain a deep sense of understanding, confidence and delight in
mathematical ideas.
April 2009