First time user on a Mac and the Internet. Learning so much here at the Geometry Forum at Swarthmore.

Teaching mathematics in Chicago at Sullivan High School. We are "famous" for our Socratic seminars and "diploma by exhibition" seminars.

Mathematics readings (short essays, chapters from texts, short stories, etc.) appropriate for high school students are scarce. I know help is out there.

A favorite resource is VARIO -- I developed VARIO, based on BINGO. It's adaptable for almost every concept and or subject -- I give out candy as prizes -- even the older students get involved -- student as worker "par excellence."

Bruno Camporese

I'm a math teacher from Chicago. I am interested in the Internet as a tool to be used in the classroom. Would I be able to use it in a classroom setting?

Today we have worked with the Internet, electronic mail, and Sketchpad. I'm beginning to see some of the usefulness. Sketchpad seems to be a great way to motivate students to study geometry.

Susan Guengerich

This year I will teach 7th grade mathematics at Broadmoor Junior High in Pekin, Illinois. My team will have 120 students, 4 core teachers, 1 special education teacher and one part time special education aide. This is my second year at an Essential School. I have taught 25 years and 15 of these years in the mathematics area. I have collected and created many Geometry and Art lessons and have developed many ideas for celebrating holidays in the math classroom. I use a computer to record grades and produce lessons.

I am seeking answers to the following questions----

1. How can I best teach geometry to my special education inclusion class?
2. How can I use technology to best teach geometry?
3. How can I link geometry to real life situations?
4. What should I be teaching to my students?

Ted Hall

This is the first day of the Coalition of Essential Schools/Geometry Forum Institute. My name is Ted Hall and unlike most of the others, I do not teach math (there, I've said it). However, most of my professional work has been as a teacher of science in high school. Up until a year ago, I was working as a teacher and administrator at Catalina Foothills HS in Tucson, AZ, a brand new high school designed with Coalition principles as a framework. Currently, I work on a variety of professional development projects at the Coalition of Essential Schools (based at Brown University in Providence, RI). The Math/Science Fellows project is a major part of my work--this project brings together math and science teachers from Coalition schools to think about math and science in different ways AND to focus on how we can change the way we teach.

We in the Coalition have a belief (backed up by lots of experience) that lasting professional development includes both thinking about what we bring back to the classroom AND personal and group learning. In addition, people need to be supported in making changes once they get back to their schools. I hope (and trust) that this institute will help those attending to think about how they teach math in different ways. I also hope that this is the beginning of beneficial collaboration between the Geometry Forum and the Coalition.

Here are some ideas about favorite activities that have come up recently...

• a class was trying to design space stations and wanted a space station that was a little like a bicycle wheel, but much fatter....they were helping kids to find the volume of the tire part by presenting kids with finding the volume of a donut--kids used all kinds of methods for finding the volume--breaking the donut in half, using a string to find the circumference of the donut...etc.

• another class asked kids to examine patterns in a very open ended way and they ended up with an eclectic bunch of projects

• still another class was exploring amusement park physics and had kids calculate forces of different kinds of rides in a playground by measuring heights, weights, etc.

• another still used some pretty complex mathematics to understand how a hurricane wall can protect a city from a powerful hurricane.

Randy Kriewall

Greetings! My name is Randy Kriewall (pronounced "Kree-wall"). I'm a 33 year old native of St. Louis making my first trip to the East (Philadelphia) at the Geometry Forum at Swarthmore College. I am a 3rd year Math teacher at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, MO (a suburb of St. Louis). In the past I have taught Prep Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry and next year will teach 2 Alg. II classes, 2 Geometry classes and one Prep Alg. class. I love my job!

In addition to being a math teacher I am also a basketball coach, having spent the past 6 years as the Head Women's Coach at Webster University in St. Louis. In addition I coached the first ever Professional Women's Basketball team last year; the St. Louis RiverQueens. It was a blast. This year I have decided to cut down on the travel and spend more time at the high school and will coach there. So if you want to talk "Hoops", I'll be here!

After our first morning discovering the Internet, I am excited about the many application possibilities. As a relatively new teacher, my foremost goal would be to find resources / lesson ideas that would help me become a more interesting and effective teacher. I would like to move toward more project-oriented learning, especially in the introductory sections of Geometry. (I've seen the empty eyes of students as we mull through vocabulary and postulates. So send any ideas you have my way!

I am also excited about finding ways to introduce my students to the mind-blowing possibilities of the Internet. Perhaps through a group project with one of the other teachers attending this workshop. I can see how certain kids might develop higher interest in math through the use of the computer than they would have otherwise.

Plus, I found a newsgroup on the Simpsons which will keep me entertained!

Leslie Mathes

I teach at a new public (coalition) HS in NYC, Landmark HS. We are teaching Geometry for the first time to our 11th graders. We teach Algebra 1 & 2 to the 9s and 10s. We are a portfolio based school and so we are looking for exhibitions and project based activities that the students can do. Also, I am interested in how students can use the Internet for projects.

One of my favorite resources for graphing is making human graphs, using the floor tiles as the coordinate plane. It really helps with graphing points and slope.

Mimi McDermott

I'm a resource room teacher for the 9th & 10th grades at Central Park Secondary School in Manhattan. I'm here to learn what I can about using the Internet as a resource for teaching. I'm also interested in multiple strategies for teaching concepts such as operations on signed numbers, solving for x, etc. Also I'm interested in ideas that can be implemented in a one-computer classroom.

Dana Minaya

I am presently a 7th/8th grade math/science teacher at Central Park East Secondary School in New York City (Manhattan). While I am here at the Geometry Forum this week, I am particularly interested in setting up some long-distance mathematics projects between my students and students in another school. Also, I am interested in successful uses of the Internet in a one computer classroom. I also want to find resources regarding the best mathematics software.

My favorite activity is to design dream houses, develop spreadsheets for decorating a specific room, build 3-D models, etc.!

Kathy Padgett

I'll begin my third year of teaching at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Indiana in August. This year I will be teaching Algebra 1, Geometry, and Tech Prep Math. In addition to teaching, I coach the varsity girls tennis team and am the JV volleyball coach.

When school is out for the summer, I like to spend my time reading, walking, and playing the piano. Unfortunately, I find myself back at school instead of doing many of those things. I helped run a summer tennis program this year for the young people in the community. The boys coach and I are working to build the high school program in the next few years and you have to start with the little ones to accomplish that goal. The most satisfying aspect of the summer was teaching the students a sport they can use for the rest of their lives. If you haven't ever played, give it a try. It can be a ton of fun, and it's good exercise!

Speaking of tennis, I have to mention that I flew for the first time this summer ... and went to Wimbledon. A little long for a first flight, but definitely worth the trouble! Even a non-tennis fan would enjoy a day at the courts. It was truly a "life experience"!! Now, on to the "math stuff".

I'm attending the Geometry Forum to learn how to use the Internet and then how to use it as a teaching tool. What I'm looking for are specific ways to use the Internet in the classroom in any of the subjects I'll be teaching. What types of things have you done with the Internet? Any projects that might be helpful?

I do projects with my students that require researching famous mathematicians. Do you have any suggestions or have you done such a project that worked well for you? Anything that didn't work well? What search terms should we be looking for?

Have you found any resources that are particularly helpful in teaching geometry? Something that maybe you've gone back to several times for ideas? This year I would like to try something new using architecture and geometry. Do you know of any good resources on the Internet that I might look in to? Have you done a similar project?

Please Help! I have ideas, but don't know where to find the information!

One of my favorite resources is guest speakers. I have brought in engineers and food scientists and pharmacists and have worked with science teachers. The really nice part? Someone else gets to talk all hour!

Jay Payne

I live and teach in Indiana (Lebanon H.S.). I have been teaching math and coaching basketball there for 6 years. I used to coach football but after I got married last July and started my masters something had to give. I decided to keep my wife and basketball.

We are in our first day here at the CES95 and I am really enjoying the Internet. If I keep this up I'll be too smart for my own good, but being from Purdue there is not much more room in my head.

Favorite resources: I have found that the geometric Super Supposer is great for student exploration of geometric figures. They can measure angles and sides and then come up with the characteristics of the figure. My favorite project that I do is a kite project, in which my class designs and builds their own kites.

Greg Peters

I am a math and art teacher at Oceana HS in Pacifica, CA (20 minutes south of SF). I have been at OHS for the past two years. Prior to that, I worked at another Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) member school in Providence, RI - School One (I also grew up in Providence). I have just finished a two year program called The Math/Science Fellows, which had math and science teachers from across the country work together to develop and practice strategies, tools and curriculum in math/science integration. We worked a great deal with the process of change and now are going back to our own schools (as well as to others) to help the change process - to help create environments for better learning.

In a venture to bring The Geometry Forum and CES together, I was asked to join this group in order to help listen to and support those questions from the participants regarding their taking what they learn this week back to their school to both use in their own practice and share with their peers.

I am excited to have the opportunity to learn the NET in much more detail than ever before offered. While I have observed students and teachers using this resource in the past, it will be great for ME to practice and hopefully find ways in which I can bring the Internet into my classroom in a meaningful way. One of my favorite resources is a book called Mathematics Meets Technology.

Karen Principato

I am a math/computer science teacher for the School District of Philadelphia.

This is the first opportunity I've had to learn the Internet. My main focus is to discover ways of incorporating the Internet into the math/computer science curriculum.

I have a lab with 33 computers, but only 2 phone lines. I am interested in learning how to use the Internet with this limited access.

Dee Ann Roever

I'm learning about the Internet and how to integrate its use into my Geometry classes. Some of my students have computers at home. I'm thinking about offering a choice of 2 or 3 "projects" every month or so, and making Internet use one of the choices. Do any high schools have geometry pen pals that we could correspond with? Does anyone have any other ideas for using the Internet to enhance geometry instruction?

Donald Sheluga

I am a participant in the 95 Geometry Forum workshop here at Swarthmore. I have been teaching the true meaning of all life (mathematics) for 33 years and will retire in 2 more years. I could not leave this endeavor that I truly love without doing and learning something new - thus this is why I am here.

I teach at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.

My favorite resource for teaching geometry has been my usage of poetry in geometry -- my students write poems with some math meaning in their context.

Mike Worden

After finishing taking a year off for full-time post graduate studies at Illinois State University, I am returning to Lebanon High School in Indiana this year. I earned both a BS in 1985 and an MS in 1990 from Ball State University with some of my coursework completed at Purdue. In addition to recreational mathematics, my hobbies include home repair and research in family history.

In addition to becoming more familiar with the different aspects of the WWW, I hope to find ways to use this technology in classrooms consisting of 25 or more students and other things that will help me convince our school board of the necessity of supporting the teachers who want to use this resource. My studies at ISU focused on research and statistical analysis, so I am also interested in contacting teachers who are actively conducting research.

One of my favorite resources for teaching graphing of functions is the use of the Mathematics Exploration Toolkit on one large screen or connected to the overhead. The students enjoy guessing and testing together.

Larry Zickmund

My primary reason for being at this workshop is to better understand the hardware/software requirements for our school. We do have some access to the Internet through AOL and the state (Indiana) is in the process of getting direct access to the Internet for each community in the state. I hope to get a list of providers and the necessary hardware requirements before I go home.

The second reason I am here is to gain as many sources on the Internet as possible to use with my high school math classes.

My favorite resource for teaching math is Math Blaster Mystery which is in the DOS platform and can be used on a Novelle network. It has a game format, with good problem solving practice. The math level is pre-algebra.

Vicky Zickmund

I teach at Lebanon High School, Lebanon, IN. We are currently involved in an Institute combining Geometry and the Internet. I teach Computer Science with the Math Department, and would appreciate any problem solving activities that link Math and Computer Science.

I am not a math teacher, but the most successful resource that I use is called Lan School which allows me to look at any student's screen at any time to see what they are doing, or they can come to my desk and we can discuss any problems or special things that they have done.