What are the odds that Mathnasium launched a brand new program last week?
Last Monday, Columbus Day was Probability Day at Mathnasium of Roslyn. Probability Day introduced a dozen enrichment students in grades four through six to probability related concepts such as the fundamental counting principle and variances.
Participants encountered a series of exercises that included analyzing the outcomes of a popular dice game, and determining how many M&Ms of each color might be in any given bag using the factory’s expected ratios. The four-hour workshop was led by two Mathnasium instructors with particular expertise in the areas of probability and statistics.
“It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned some things about how probability affects real life situations,” said one student. “I even feel like now I have an edge in some of the math games we play at the center!”
“This is the first in a series of special enrichment events that we hope to have here at Mathnasium,” said Alan Flyer, owner and center director. “Since we have a great number of enrichment students come to us every week, we thought it might be fun to have some unique activities for them that can’t be done in the confines of a regular one hour session.”
Programs like Mathnasium’s Probability Day are particularly important given that the local public schools have all adopted the Common Core State Standards in mathematics, which according to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, was not designed with exceptional kids in mind.
“The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below or well above grade-level expectations,” states the website. In fact, some school districts seem to be using the arrival of Common Core as a reason to reduce or eliminate services or accommodations for gifted students, making programs like those offered at Mathnasium critical for the continued engagement of children who are working above grade level.
Developed by former math professor Larry Martinek over the course of 30 years of hands-on experience with thousands of children, the Mathnasium educational method is designed for children of all ages and skill levels. Mathnasium of Roslyn can be reached at roslyn@mathnasium.com. For more information about Mathnasium, please visit www.mathnasium.com.
