2009/09/10

Proposal

My partner is Penelope Wade and she is very eager to learn some more mathematics. Penelope approached me with a request to become the pupil of this Learning and Teaching Project. I gladly accepted the offer and became the facilitator. Since she had already thought about some areas of mathematics she would like to become better at, I was immediately impressed. The fact that she initiates our upcoming cooperation tells me that I have something to look forward to; Penelope seems to be a dedicated, a responsible and a bright person. But on the other hand, I was not quite sure I could teach her the topics she thought about in a way that she would be fascinated by a subject all the time. Since this is my first big math-teaching project, I wanted our lessons to constantly include new material which I could not guarantee if we were working on our initial ideas (calculus, number theory, etc.). Therefore, instead of teaching her all over some topic she may already know, I decided to suggest one of my favourite math fields: Graph Theory. And Penelope was open to the idea of something completely unknown and equally exciting.

So far, we have agreed upon having six consecutive sessions on Sunday afternoons at 2pm. But that is a subject to change and further coordination of our schedules. We may move it for Fridays in case that I am sure I can prepare each next lesson by that time.

We have decided to start with some historical background first (e.g. Königsberg Bridge problem) and the field-specific vocabulary (e.g. paths vs. walks). Then we will move through the development of the Graph Theory over the time, touching upon common problems, algorithms and practical applications.

I am glad that Penelope does not mind receiving homework, what should give us some more time. I think it could be efficient if she got introduced to a topic on her own and then we went into more depth together.

We have talked about the possibility to include some fun element in lessons as well. I am especially looking forward to see how Penelope will handle Instant Insanity puzzle. It is one of my favourites and it was presented to me by my United World College math teacher, Kip Sumner.

Thinking of Mr. Sumner, I will try to contact him soon to receive some recommendations about the most interesting parts of the syllabus. Also, as a facilitating tool of these sessions, I have managed to borrow a course book from a math major graduate friend of mine. I am planning to base our curricula on the information inside the book, but I will not limit to it. Similarly, I will let Penelope decide on the end of each lesson if she wants to continue with a particular topic. And I will listen to any kind of a feedback.

Since these are going to be one-on-one tutoring sessions, I have to be flexible and willing to constantly alter both: my teaching plans and my teaching style. Once again, I cannot wait to start our project!