Math Circles
Extra resources
Math enrichment can be found through a variety of sources. We have listed a few of our favourites here.
Practice Makes Perfect
- Grade 8 & 9: Strengthen your skills with the New Elementary Mathematics 1 Syllabus D and the New Elementary Mathematics 2 Syllabus D textbooks. These books are from the Singapore Math curriculum (it is the natural continuation of the resources we use for Alpha and Beta class). They can also be purchased online or at ABC Academic Books. The textbooks have accompanying workbooks which we also recommend for extra practice
- Math Pickle website is a great resource created by a mathematician/math educator named Gordon Hamilton. We use some of his materials at Math Circles and he has even been a special guest in our classes in the past!
- As all our students know, math is about much more than memorizing formulas. Check out this resource from Mathigon for a very fun and interactive way to improve your skills
- OneOnEpsilon has a lot of great content that has been curated by knowledgeable math professionals. They’re always coming up with fun and informative ways to keep you in the know. Poke around and see what you can find!
Deeper Appreciation of Math
- Richard Hoshino is a local mathematician, professor, and novelist. We highly recommend reading his book, The Math Olympian.
- James Tanton is a brilliant mathematician and math educator. We use some of his resources for our Math Circles program.
- Here’s a great example from Tanton of why we like to Make Math Meaningful – enjoy!
- Check out this collection of fascinating videos about math called Random Acts of Mathematical Delight
- Mathematics Olympian gold medalist talks about the art of math
- A Mathematician’s Lament – Paul Lockhart
- Cédric Villani is an inspiring modern mathematician. He has recently joined the French assemblee nationale (parliament) as a regular member, having obtained 69% in his riding. He is now working hard to advocate Singapore Math as a model for French schools. Here’s an inspiring TED talk by Villani, called “What’s so sexy about math?“
- Here is a wonderful video on “Visualizing Pythagoras“
- 3Blue1Brown features animated videos aiming to teach math complex concepts in fun, beautiful, and accessible ways.
Have Some Fun with It!
- Check out CodeMonkey, a fun and educational game environment where students learn to code in a real programming language, no previous experience needed.
- Here’s a great YouTube channel that has a variety of fun videos on the idiosyncrasies of mathematics.
Resources for Parents
- Vancouver Independent School for Science & Technology (VISST) – To any parents looking for a STEM-focused school in Vancouver for their child to attend, we recommend VISST.
- Arithmetic for Parents – Ron Aharoni
- Have Math Anxiety? Here’s How to Not Pass It Down to Your Kid – Michelle Woo
- Do you think that children are in control of their abilities, or that some just happen to be more talented than others? Do you wonder what effect praise has on your child? Dr. Carol Dweck has done significant research regarding why some children seek challenges while others do not (Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset). Her findings are very revealing:
- Video: Growth Mindset Introduction: What it is, How it Works, and Why it Matters
- Video: The Impact that Praise has on Children’s Development
- Article: Growth Mindset Parenting
An opportunity for students from grades 5 to 7 to experience mathematics as an exciting sport. The contest is modelled after the successful MathCounts competitions (which are also supported by PIMS), but is aimed at younger students. *Note: PIMS sometimes hosts free training sessions in the months leading up.
The CEMC (Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing), based out of the University of Waterloo, develops and administers many internationally recognized contests to help to inspire the next generation of students to develop an interest in and love for mathematics and computer science.
The competition consists of 4 stages. Stage 1 (“Blitz”) and Stage 2 (“Bull’s Eye”) are individual competitions. Stage 3 (“Co-op”) is a Team competition. Stage 4 (“Face-Off”) is a one-on-one competition between the top 10 individuals who participated in stages 1 and 2.
The purpose of this competition is to introduce youngsters from grade 1 to grade 12 to math challenges in a fun and enjoyable way, thus inspiring their further interest and advancement in mathematics.
The Mathematics Contest Centre prepares some of the top mathematics competitions in North America
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Hear what parents, students, and teachers have to say about Math Circles.
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Hannah Hwang
Parent
"When I was in the high school what I did most in math classes was memorize formulas and do lots of calculations. I was blessed to find the Math Circles program. I loved the way of approaching the concepts, and I learned a lot from the materials along with my daughter. Thanks so much for providing such a wonderful program to our kids."
Gordon Hamilton
Math Educator
"Let us not equate mathematics and arithmetic; let us not equate applying algorithms and thinking. Math Circles explores mathematics that is worthy of the human intellect. It's not trying to make math easy, but celebrates the challenge of struggling with a tough problem."
Robert Huang
Graduate
"After graduating, I went to University of Waterloo and am studying Statistics. I think Math Circles helped me a lot, especially with regards to tackling a problem from multiple perspectives, which was a skill that I use a lot in both my academic work and professional work."
Simon Kim
Parent
"Once again, Andrew had a wonderful year with Math Potentials. Thank you very much for all your hard work! Andrew has gone from being very intimidated by math to feeling quite confident(sometimes boastful ha ha) and comfortable with it. He got all As last report card, and was recommended to Grade 9 Math because he had finished Grade 8 by December, so in Grade 9, he will be taking Gr10 Math."
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