Shelbie Harris
Staff Writer
The word mathematics is something that for many causes formulas to materialize or multiplication flashcards to flip over in their minds.
It’s not as often the word reminds people of their innate problem solving skills; skills that justify reasoning and sense making of the world around them.
Cory Bennett, assistant professor of mathematics education and director of the Idaho Regional Mathematics Center, believes in utilizing a teaching approach that highlights the benefits math skills can bring to daily life.
“Mathematics is an intellectual pursuit. It does help us make sense of the world around us, but it’s really about involving and engaging with problem solving and productive struggle,” Bennett said.
For Bennett, mathematics philosophy doesn’t revolve around numbers and equations, it’s about using math problems as a means to help students connect the dots to problems faced in real life.
“Mathematics isn’t about remembering formulas or learning to memorize the multiplication tables, which are important, just not as important as how I think and interact with something,” Bennett said.
Life as a mountain guide in regions such as the North Cascades of Western Washington and the ranges of the Canadian Rockies is what ultimately led Bennett to life as a teacher.
In order to pay for his schooling he spent his summers as a guide on ice climbing, rock climbing and alpine hiking expeditions.
“For me the exciting part was the teaching of how to be in those complex environments,” Bennett said. “That’s what got me thinking about teaching as a career option.”
After completion of his bachelor’s degree in education from Western Washington University in 2005, Bennett earned both his Master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
The large surfboard perched in the corner of his office and the “aloha” salutation used to start and end communications is indicative of his time spent in the “Aloha State”.
“I taught eighth grade and algebra in Hawaii for about six years and leaving that environment was tough because of how fun it was,” Bennett said. “Being with kids really pushed me intellectually. Moving to higher education was different but I still have some of the same goals.”
As of the start of the fall 2014 semester, Bennett is continuing his fourth year as an assistant professor at ISU.
Just recently, Bennett returned from the second Annual MENA Common Core Conference which was held in the city of Dubai Oct. 24 and 25.
Bennett was a keynote speaker at the symposium which involved hundreds of education professionals and scholars from the Middle East, North Africa, and America.
Their purpose was to discuss implementation measures of the Common Core State Standards (CSCS) in regional schools that provide American curriculum.
A few years ago, about 40 states in the US agreed to have very similar standards, almost identical, for measuring student learning in public schools so that states could compare what strategies were successful or not.
One specific location, the United Arab Emirates, which is where Dubai is located, is home to many public schools where an American curriculum is being taught.
“Only about 10 percent of the population is from the United Arab of Emirates, the other 90 percent are from other countries,” Bennett said. “Because many states in the U.S. have adopted these new standards, these American curriculum schools say we’re going to use these same standards.”
About 20 or 30 different schools had representatives that attended the conference.
Within the next few years the United Arab Emirates are estimated to complete construction of 180 new schools, with most of them focusing on American or British curriculum.
In addition to being a keynote speaker, Bennett also helped conduct three separate workshops that focused on mathematics as a means for classroom discussion, problem solving in the classroom and leadership opportunities.
“I left the conference feeling like I was able to contribute to their work, and I left feeling like [attendees] were in a slightly better place than what they were before,” Bennett said.
The trip marked the first time Bennett was able to travel outside of North America in over 20 years.
Bennett is back at ISU and preparing for the Regional Academy on Mathematics Education conference hosted by the Idaho Regional Mathematics Center.
The conference will feature over 130 mathematics teachers and experts from across Idaho and the Pacific Northwest as they focus on the specifics of students’ mathematical reasoning.
The conference will take place Friday, Nov. 21 in the Pond Student Union Building.
“The ISU Regional Academy on Mathematics Education provides an opportunity for ISU and the College of Education to be connected to regional and national experts in mathematics education,” said Bennett. “Furthermore, by helping mathematics educators across Idaho connect to these experts to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics, ISU continues to be a valuable resource for our surrounding communities.”
Bennett continued, “The work of the Regional Mathematics Centers, such as the Regional Academies on Mathematics Education, has gained national attention. We are doing innovative things at ISU and that is worth pointing out.”
