Category Archives: Math Matters

Volunteer With HEART: Chris Brown

Chris Brown tutors a first grader and a third grader at Highland Renaissance Academy in NoDa. Chris started in September after learning about the opportunity through the Volunteer Portal at Bank of America, where he works. Bank of America is one of our Community Partners.

Why do you volunteer?
“I have always enjoyed volunteering. From talking with friends who work with Teach for America in the Charlotte area, I knew how much help was needed in public schools, especially at the elementary school level. Being … continue reading

Immeasurable Fun At Highland Renaissance Academy

HEART tutor Eleanor Funderburg and her student at Highland Renaissance Academy got creative with the cubes recently while working on estimating and measuring with the Counting Notebook.

The goal for the student is to know more than just the rote memorization of the list of numbers. He needs to understand one-to-one correspondence, so he practices picking up one cube with each number. He learns that each number is represented by a group of cubes, and he determines what a numeral looks like in writing, on … continue reading

Chicago Math Tutoring Program Delivers Big Changes

If you have ever questioned whether individualized, intensive tutoring and positive relationships can make a difference, Match Education’s ground-breaking program in Chicago is more proof that it’s absolutely possible.

A column in The New York Times spotlighted some of the incredible results achieved by the math program for 1,300 students in 12 public high schools.

Developed by Match Education in Boston, which seeks to correct the “mismatch” in academic preparedness common among minority students in impoverished areas, the program provides two-on-one math tutoring for … continue reading

Must-See Video Shows Power Of Feedback, Expectations

Educators, tutors and parents: This precious six-minute video from the Center For Student Work is a must-see! “Austin’s Butterfly” demonstrates how our specific feedback and high expectations can help students do work they never imagined was possible.

This video was presented at SXSWedu in Austin last week by Ron Berger from Expeditionary Learning, and it was the centerpiece of HEART’s Monday team meeting this week. It inspires us to ask more of our students, who are working to build a thorough understanding of how … continue reading

Happy Pi Day! 3 Ways To Find π

For years, math fans around the world have celebrated Pi Day on March 14. You can find videos, songs and T-shirts to mark the occasion. Many also count it as a day to eat lots of pie.

Why is the number Pi, denoted by the Greek letter π and pronounced “pie,” worthy of so much praise?

Pi  is one of the most common constants in all of mathematics. It is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter or approximately 3.1415926. … continue reading